What’s The Worst Undergrad Degree for Students Going to Grad School?

"If I go to grad school, which undergrad degree should I earn?"

Are there dumb questions? I’ve heard a few in my time. But that’s not one of them. In fact, it’s a smart question every student should ask before they choose a major.

In 2011, our CollegePlus team of Academic Advisors and Program Advisors consulted with over 15,000 people about their higher education plans.

But among those families and students that were thinking about grad school, only a handful considered how their undergrad degree correlated with a graduate degree.

The worst undergrad degree if you’re grad school-bound

A common myth is that you have to earn a ‘hard’ degree—one that gets the seal of approval from the stodgy academia types, like a BS in Physics.

The worst degree is the one that doesn’t give you the opportunity to prepare for grad school and for what lies next, like getting a job or starting a business.

The student who got a BA in Liberal Studies, then got his Juris Doctor

John Shea is a CollegePlus alumnus whose unique life purpose was to become an attorney. Instead of choosing a degree that had the perception of high academic rigor, he went with a degree in Liberal Studies.

Does a Liberal Studies degree lack academic rigor? Nope. But this degree gave John flexibility in terms of career opportunities, and it gave him time to focus on preparing to crush it in grad school.

John learned how to speed read, how to train his mind to remember vast amounts of information, and crucial study skills that are required to thrive in grad school, especially law school.

Oh, and the Liberal Studies degree John earned through CollegePlus didn’t prevent him from getting accepted into grad school. In fact, he got a scholarship.

You can watch a video of John’s fascinating story here.

Consider this when choosing an undergrad

If you have a graduate program in mind, do the research to see if there are specific undergrad requirements. That way you can determine which undergrad degree to pursue.

Still in many cases, you should not be rejected from grad school based on your undergrad. You should, however, strongly consider getting a regionally-accredited bachelor’s degree if grad school is in your future.

So instead of stressing about what you should major in, focus on the grad school preparation action steps revealed in the Homeschool to Grad School eBook.

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David I'm passionate about world travel, cooking, the book of Genesis, and the Montréal Canadiens, and I'm happily married to my awesome wife, Khristen. If you have a story to share about life or learning, send me an email, I'm always on the hunt for a great story.

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