IStock Photo 4812323 © Alexey Kuznetsov

The college semester is well underway, and yet many students—some well beyond freshman year—are still trying to decide on their area of concentration. In fact, if you were to query a group of students about their major, 1 in 8.2 of them might sigh, laugh, or cringe.

These are the “Undecideds.” East Asian languages or mathematics? Kinesiology or sociology? The bevy of possibilities makes it tricky to pick. But if the Undecideds hope to graduate someday, they’ll have to make up their minds.

The difficulty of picking a major may stem from college’s conflicting purposes in our society. On the one hand, college is supposed to offer students four years to explore all kinds of exciting ideas (and all kinds of cheap beer). The liberal arts system invites students to banish practical concerns during college. Under this regime, students ponder how to live an examined life, not how to make a living. English majors, 1 in 49.28 of US college students, may follow a less-than-pragmatic approach to college, but they have concluded Milton has something to say about the human experience. So do Plato and St. Augustine, (“Lord, make me chaste—but not yet”) for the even more rarified ivory tower types—the 1 in 178.1 of college kids who do end up majoring in philosophy or religion.

On the other hand, college is supposed to prepare students for the job market, and some business-related majors do offer clear tie-ins to professional life. Business, management, and marketing are 3 popular majors, chosen by 1 in 5.24 students. Other majors with obvious links to the working world are education (1 in 11.99), agricultural sciences (1 in 183.2), and mechanic and repair technologies (1 in 433.3) These students may join the workforce as teachers, farmers, and technicians.

When it comes to getting a job and a paycheck, the choice of college major does matter, at least in the short term. By one year after earning bachelor’s degrees in 2000, 88% of people who majored in professional or technical fields scored full-time jobs. In contrast, only 77% of arts and sciences majors found full-time employment. These are the most recent numbers available from the National Center for Education Statistics, but both percentages may well be on the way down, as the hiring of college graduates has declined in the recession.

Majors can get very specific, perhaps giving students a competitive edge in job hunts. At the University of South Carolina, students can earn a bachelor’s degree in Cardiovascular Technology. At the University of Wisconsin, Dairy Science is a major, as is Poultry Science. Interdisciplinary majors (chosen by 1 in 251.4 students) are another option at many schools, as are design-it-yourself majors and double or multiple majors—a possible way for students to satisfy both their curiosity and their job recruiters.