Workforce Alignment: Degree-to-Job Match by Field (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Transportation and Materials Moving programs are the best aligned with the job market in EDsmart Data's analysis, with 6.9 projected annual openings in related occupations for every graduate. Philosophy and Religious Studies programs are the least aligned at 0.07 openings per graduate. We matched 4,734,700 2024 IPEDS completions to BLS projected openings through the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk.
Key Facts
- Best-aligned field: Transportation and Materials Moving (6.9 openings/grad)
- Least-aligned field: Philosophy and Religious Studies (0.07)
- All fields: 0.94 openings per graduate
- Top program: Ground Transportation
Download the data
Downloads reflect the processed dataset used on this page.
Job openings per graduate by field of study
Some fields produce far more graduates than related jobs
Our analysis finds 6.9 related openings per Transportation and Materials Moving graduate each year, versus 0.07 for Philosophy and Religious Studies.
BLS projected annual openings 2025–35 in crosswalk-linked occupations ÷ 2024 IPEDS completions (all award levels). Families with 10,000+ graduates.
Workforce alignment by field of study
| Field of study | Openings per graduate | Related annual openings | Graduates (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transportation and Materials Moving | 6.92 | 234,922 | 33,939 |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services | 1.65 | 1,325,638 | 804,075 |
| Education | 1.20 | 374,071 | 311,256 |
| Legal Professions and Studies | 1.15 | 75,692 | 65,861 |
| Health Professions and Related Programs | 1.11 | 1,079,858 | 971,084 |
| Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians | 1.08 | 125,880 | 116,283 |
| Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians | 0.92 | 76,932 | 83,693 |
| Culinary, Entertainment, and Personal Services | 0.79 | 129,105 | 164,089 |
| Communications Technologies/Technicians and Support Services | 0.77 | 11,951 | 15,433 |
| Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services | 0.74 | 97,959 | 131,892 |
| Architecture and Related Services | 0.66 | 10,971 | 16,712 |
| Natural Resources and Conservation | 0.64 | 19,623 | 30,586 |
| Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs | 0.62 | 62,180 | 101,062 |
| Public Administration and Social Service Professions | 0.61 | 56,234 | 91,608 |
| Physical Sciences | 0.59 | 24,304 | 41,032 |
| Engineering | 0.56 | 101,607 | 180,708 |
| Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services | 0.55 | 179,231 | 325,827 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences | 0.53 | 27,050 | 51,343 |
| Visual and Performing Arts | 0.53 | 78,343 | 148,778 |
| Social Sciences | 0.48 | 80,961 | 166,936 |
| Theology and Religious Vocations | 0.43 | 9,129 | 21,240 |
| Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields | 0.42 | 19,529 | 46,005 |
| Psychology | 0.41 | 84,159 | 207,554 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies | 0.35 | 27,828 | 79,363 |
| History | 0.29 | 8,407 | 28,518 |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences | 0.29 | 50,014 | 172,192 |
| Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology | 0.29 | 19,825 | 69,055 |
| Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 0.24 | 4,356 | 17,977 |
| English Language and Literature/Letters | 0.23 | 10,260 | 44,514 |
| Mathematics and Statistics | 0.19 | 7,811 | 41,940 |
| Precision Production | 0.10 | 7,000 | 67,054 |
| Construction Trades | 0.08 | 3,436 | 42,551 |
| Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies | 0.08 | 1,002 | 12,578 |
| Philosophy and Religious Studies | 0.07 | 1,176 | 16,080 |
Top 25 best-aligned programs: most job openings per graduate
| Program | Openings per graduate | Largest related occupation | Avg. related wage | Bachelor's grads working, year 1 | Graduates (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground Transportation | 9.42 | Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers | $58,686 | — | 22,968 |
| Teaching Assistants/Aides | 6.66 | Teaching assistants, postsecondary | $43,001 | — | 3,877 |
| General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations | 3.92 | Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products | $104,908 | 98.4% | 6,033 |
| Legal Support Services | 2.91 | Paralegals and legal assistants | $63,150 | 91.9% | 10,453 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | 2.79 | Dental assistants | $59,943 | 100.0% | 24,761 |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | 2.42 | Nursing assistants | $46,999 | 59.5% | 99,987 |
| Funeral Service and Mortuary Science | 2.35 | Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers | $65,254 | 97.7% | 2,676 |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy | 2.33 | Firefighters | $71,109 | 96.7% | 3,070 |
| Fire Protection | 2.10 | Firefighters | $69,408 | 98.7% | 15,198 |
| Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | 2.04 | Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers | $65,676 | — | 9,559 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 2.02 | General and operations managers | $113,100 | 95.6% | 398,178 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 2.01 | Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents | $96,019 | 97.0% | 53,607 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 1.97 | Elementary school teachers, except special education | $67,432 | 98.8% | 39,222 |
| Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic Services | 1.87 | Massage therapists | $59,717 | — | 11,196 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | 1.83 | Psychiatric technicians | $58,141 | 96.0% | 33,893 |
| Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations | 1.81 | Market research analysts and marketing specialists | $100,798 | 97.3% | 3,572 |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | 1.78 | Pharmacists | $139,785 | 96.6% | 18,044 |
| Air Transportation | 1.69 | Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers | $191,983 | 96.7% | 10,971 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 1.67 | Elementary school teachers, except special education | $58,676 | 98.8% | 106,799 |
| Security Science and Technology | 1.66 | Accountants and auditors | $88,215 | 97.1% | 9,056 |
| Apparel and Textiles | 1.61 | Market research analysts and marketing specialists | $106,592 | 96.5% | 2,694 |
| Engineering-Related Fields | 1.57 | Industrial engineers | $97,645 | 98.1% | 8,592 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians | 1.57 | Automotive service technicians and mechanics | $61,876 | 99.1% | 5,986 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 1.56 | Meeting, convention, and event planners | $68,791 | 97.2% | 13,284 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 1.53 | Accountants and auditors | $89,677 | 97.0% | 80,328 |
Top 25 least-aligned programs: fewest job openings per graduate
| Program | Openings per graduate | Largest related occupation | Avg. related wage | Bachelor's grads working, year 1 | Graduates (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | 0.02 | Agricultural sciences teachers, postsecondary | $80,361 | 100.0% | 4,152 |
| Agricultural Business and Management | 0.04 | Agricultural sciences teachers, postsecondary | $100,632 | 97.1% | 8,524 |
| Biotechnology | 0.05 | Biological science teachers, postsecondary | $108,481 | 95.8% | 3,832 |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other | 0.05 | Biological science teachers, postsecondary | $108,481 | 95.2% | 4,588 |
| Animal Sciences | 0.05 | Agricultural technicians | $64,600 | 96.7% | 8,239 |
| Religion/Religious Studies | 0.07 | Philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary | $82,322 | 65.2% | 8,688 |
| Philosophy | 0.08 | Philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary | $94,427 | 93.5% | 7,392 |
| Behavioral Sciences | 0.09 | Social and community service managers | $83,119 | 93.1% | 5,226 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 0.09 | Bioengineers and biomedical engineers | $125,748 | 97.0% | 13,836 |
| Psychology, Other | 0.09 | Managers, all other | $133,489 | 96.1% | 2,810 |
| Homeland Security | 0.10 | Managers, all other | $131,433 | 97.4% | 6,285 |
| Precision Metal Working | 0.10 | Tool and die makers | $65,620 | — | 67,054 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 0.11 | Interpreters and translators | $66,937 | 94.2% | 7,818 |
| Engineering, General | 0.11 | Engineers, all other | $130,999 | 97.2% | 13,357 |
| Construction Management | 0.11 | Construction managers | $113,810 | 99.1% | 4,244 |
| Management Information Systems and Services | 0.11 | Computer and information systems managers | $152,779 | 96.9% | 11,418 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | 0.11 | Managers, all other | $132,087 | 93.9% | 12,175 |
| Statistics | 0.12 | Data scientists | $114,156 | 95.3% | 8,677 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General | 0.12 | Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education | $71,163 | 92.8% | 2,196 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 0.12 | Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education | $81,372 | 94.4% | 27,634 |
| Physical Sciences, General | 0.12 | Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education | $81,372 | — | 2,645 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | 0.12 | Aerospace engineers | $124,833 | 97.6% | 9,549 |
| Sociology | 0.12 | Managers, all other | $120,391 | 95.0% | 28,620 |
| Human Biology | 0.12 | Anthropologists and archeologists | $93,455 | 91.4% | 2,143 |
| Psychology, General | 0.13 | Managers, all other | $121,053 | 93.8% | 142,547 |
What the data shows
Alignment is about supply and demand. Fields that feed large, growing occupations, many in healthcare and the trades, have more openings than graduates in our analysis, while fields that graduate many students into small occupations have few related jobs per graduate.
A low ratio does not make a degree a bad choice. Graduates of broad fields such as liberal arts and social sciences often work across many occupations the crosswalk does not link. The measure is most useful for career-specific programs, where it signals how easy it will be to find a job in the field.
Methodology
Openings are BLS projected average annual occupational openings for 2025–35 (Table 1.2), limited to occupations whose typical entry-level education is a postsecondary award or higher, so jobs that do not need a credential are not counted. Programs are linked to occupations with the NCES CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. When an occupation links to several programs, its openings are split in proportion to each program's graduates, so no opening is counted twice.
Graduates are 2024 IPEDS completions (first major, all award levels) by 4-digit CIP code. Programs with fewer than 2,000 graduates are left out of the tables but included in the download, and program rankings require at least two linked occupations. Bachelor's employment rates are College Scorecard year-1 working-and-not-enrolled shares.
Frequently asked questions
What is the degree-to-job match rate?
No federal dataset tracks whether graduates work in their field. As the closest public measure, our analysis compares BLS projected job openings in occupations linked to each program with the number of graduates it produces each year.
Which degrees have the most job openings per graduate?
Ground Transportation (9.4 openings per graduate) and Teaching Assistants/Aides (6.7) lead programs with at least 2,000 graduates.
Which degrees have the fewest related jobs?
Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services and Agricultural Business and Management have the fewest related openings per graduate, so many graduates work outside the occupations their field maps to.
Why are some ratios above 1?
Openings include jobs filled by people from other fields, by workers switching occupations, and by people without a degree. A ratio above 1 means employers need more workers than the field alone supplies.
Data sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 (occupational employment, openings, wages, and typical entry-level education)
- National Center for Education Statistics, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
- National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS Completions 2023-24 (C2024_A)
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard institution and field-of-study files (latest release in our extract)