Best Bachelor of Science Degrees for a Career in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

A bachelor’s degree can lead to a wide variety of career paths. Choosing the right major is important to make sure you’re stepping into the best-paying jobs in the future.

A bachelor’s degree in systems engineering is a great choice because it focuses on solving problems using multidisciplinary methods. Students with this degree can work in various industries to design and manage organizational systems.

Biochemistry

A bachelor’s degree in biochemistry blends biology with chemistry to understand the chemical processes that sustain life on our planet. You’ll learn how living things extract food and energy from their environments by studying molecules like carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, enzymes, and DNA.

Biochemists use laboratory experiments to separate substances isolated from living cells and determine their chemical structure and properties. They then put these chemicals back together in a controlled environment to discover how they interact with one another.

A bachelor’s in biochemistry can lead to a variety of career options. You could work in product development, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and forensics. You also learn problem-solving, data analysis, and process creation — skills that are valuable in any industry. You can even go on to a Ph.D. program in the field. This is an option that opens up more opportunities and higher salaries.

Biology

Biology is a science that investigates living organisms and their structures. It also studies their growth, decline, and evolution as well as their habitats and geographic distribution. Its sub-fields include botany, zoology, and ecology. Biology graduates can work in different fields, such as medicine and healthcare sciences, education, and scientific research.

The degree can also be applied to forensic science. This career path allows for a variety of jobs in the justice system, including crime scene analysis and forensic medicine. Forensic scientists use biological techniques to study evidence such as hair, gunshot residue, blood, and markings on plastic and concrete. This requires excellent analytical and investigative skills. It is also important to have good communication skills to explain the results of their research.

Finance

When it comes to pursuing an education in science, finance, and technology, the BS degree offers plenty of opportunities. It’s common for a career in these areas to require a BS degree, and employers usually don’t differentiate between a BS and BA degree in subjects like these.

GVSU’s BS in Finance degree program is highly ranked and helps students stand out in the industry, thanks to its focus on innovation and small class sizes. It’s also a Jesuit university, which places a strong emphasis on values and ethics. Students in this degree program learn how to analyze business problems and find solutions. They learn about financial institutions and markets, investments, security trading, and more. GVSU’s program is also available online.

Mathematics

In a field that uses numbers and data to help make decisions, a bachelor’s in mathematics can offer an exciting career path. With this degree, students can explore careers like actuary, statistician, and data analyst roles. These jobs can help them collect and analyze data to create frameworks for predicting risks, profit, and other key aspects of a business.

Many universities offer a bachelor of science in mathematics. While a BA in the subject is also possible, a BS track may better prepare students for graduate school. Choosing the right bachelor’s degree depends on your long-term goals and whether you plan to enter into a specific industry or go on to graduate school. A BS track often places more emphasis on mathematical proofs. This may be important if you want to pursue a career in scientific research and development or government mathematician roles.

Physics

As one of the most practical bachelors of science degrees, physics can help you build a career in everything from inventing new technologies to teaching. This field is for students who want to stretch their problem-solving skills and see the world around them on every scale from atoms to the universe.

The best physics programs offer rigorous academics and first-class facilities, such as those at Cornell University. This Ivy League college is committed to research and empowering its students to make the world a better place.

Some schools also offer associate’s degrees in physics, which are 2-year undergraduate programs that provide a broad introduction to the subject. Some physics majors use their associate degrees to transfer into a bachelor’s program. Other colleges offer certificates, which are short non-degree programs that introduce students to specific topics in physics.

Mathematics

If you have a strong interest in numbers and love learning how to solve problems, mathematics is the degree for you. It prepares you for graduate school and careers in actuarial science, data administration, weather prediction, internet search engines, finance, and business data analysis.

A Bachelor of Science degree also offers you the opportunity to teach at the middle, high school, or university level. You can earn a BS in mathematics, statistics, physics, computer science, or any of the STEM fields.

While choosing a science program, you should consider cost, specializations, faculty credentials, and format. Degrees that require lab work often have a hybrid option, which allows students to take online classes while using on-campus facilities. Degrees with a lot of theoretical classes, such as a BS in math, may have more strict requirements and fewer electives.

Engineering

Engineering is one of the most sought-after bachelor’s degrees and for good reason. Engineers help to push humankind forward, delivering technologies for communication, manufacturing, medical care, and more. They also work to keep the planet safe and clean by finding sustainable solutions to issues such as climate change and fossil fuel use.

Despite being more difficult to pursue, an engineering degree has a lot going for it. For starters, engineers are in high demand and earn great salaries.

Additionally, a degree in this field can open doors to a wide variety of careers. This includes positions in biomedical, aerospace, chemical, computer, electrical, and civil engineering.

Industrial Engineering

Industrial engineers use math, physical science, and engineering principles to improve manufacturing processes and systems by cutting waste like time, money, materials, and manpower. They’re the “people-person” of engineering and can help companies increase quality and productivity, which is why many IEs get promoted into management roles.

Whether it’s designing the best ergonomic workstations for a factory or developing long-range corporate planning, industrial engineers apply their technical skills to all kinds of projects. They may work in manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, banking and insurance, government agencies, and construction firms.

The top universities for industrial engineering include the U.S. and the UK. However, IE programs at Swiss institutions like the Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule Zurich and Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne also rank high in global rankings. These schools offer a variety of co-op opportunities that will give students the hands-on experience they need to advance in this field.

Chemical Engineering

Chemical engineering is one of the best degrees to earn if you’re looking for professional recognition and advancement. This degree will give you the chance to work in a variety of different industries and travel internationally. It requires excellent analytical and math skills, as well as the ability to communicate and teamwork well.

Chemical engineers use the principles of chemistry, biology, physics, and mathematics to develop products and processes that help keep us safe and comfortable. They design equipment, test and troubleshoot manufacturing designs, make recommendations for more efficient methods, and advise colleagues about safety protocols. They also oversee and monitor projects that involve flammable, toxic, or hazardous materials. This work is often performed in large-scale industrial plants. This can be dangerous and difficult, but chemical engineers use their problem-solving skills to anticipate potential issues before they occur.

Electrical Engineering

If you have an analytical mindset and like to solve problems, then a bachelor of science in electrical engineering might be the right degree for you. The field of electrical engineering encompasses a wide range of areas, from circuitry to microelectronics and systems and control.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is one of the largest schools on this list, and its engineering school has been ranked among the best in the country. Stanford University in California is another great option, and its 5% acceptance rate makes it competitive with Harvard.

When choosing an electrical engineering major, look for a program that offers ABET-accredited courses. You should also expect a rigorous application process that includes high school transcripts, letters of recommendation, and personal essays. You might also be required to take standardized SAT or ACTs. Many programs also require on-the-job training and internships.