Which subject should you study at university?

Explore our subject guides and career options with this comprehensive resource on choosing your degree subject at university

March 9 2020

By Seeta Bhardwa

Email: seeta.bhardwa@timeshighereducation.com

There is one thing that you should try to remember when choosing which subject to study at university. It should be something you enjoy and that you would be happy to study in-depth for the next few years. Consider the subjects you enjoy the most at school and then research similar courses that you can study at university.

If you are looking for more detail about what each degree programme offers, then our guides below can help you decide which subject fits your interests and goals the best.

Business and economics degrees

What can you do with an accounting degree?
What can you do with a business and management degree?
What can you do with an economics degree?

Life sciences

What can you do with an agriculture degree?
What can you do with a biology degree?
What can you do with a sports science degree?
What can you do with a veterinary science degree?

Arts and humanities

While it is completely fine to not know what you want to do after university, if you do have some idea and aren't sure which degree to go for, the table below can help you to work out which degree will help you on to that career path. Further study may be required for some of these occupations after graduation. Of course these are not the only jobs you can do, but this is a good place to start.

Career type	Degrees to lead you there
Accounting	Accounting, maths, economics
Acting	Drama, dance, performing arts
Advertising	Advertising, business, management, communications, English, marketing, communication, media studies, graphic design, illustration, fine art
Air cabin crew	Hospitality management, languages, leisure and tourism, travel
Archaeologist	Archaeology, ancient history, geography, history, sociology, Classics
Barrister	Law
Broadcast journalist	Journalism, business, finance, economics, politics
Building surveyor	Economics, geography, languages, mathematics, science, social sciences, urban and land studies
Charity worker	Business, management, finance, accounting, languages, computer science, engineering
Dancer	Dance, theatre studies
Dentist	Dentistry
Dietician	Life sciences, human physiology, biochemistry
Digital marketing	Advertising, media studies, communications, business, journalism, marketing
Doctor	Medicine
Ecologist	Life sciences, biology, botany, environmental management, geography, marine biology, zoology
Economist	Economics, mathematics
Engineer	Engineering (all forms), mathematics, physics
Environmental worker	Chemistry, ecology, geology, environmental engineering, geography
Estate agent	Business, estate management, property development, surveying, urban and land studies
Events	Business, event management, leisure and tourism, marketing
Facilities manager	Building management, business studies, construction, hospitality, management, surveying
Farm manager	Agriculture, horticulture, land or estate management
Fashion designer	Fashion, textiles, graphic design, fashion marketing, art and design
Forensic scientist	Biological sciences, chemistry, forensic science
Game developer	Animation, computer science, graphic design, mathematics, physics, software engineering
GP	Medicine
Graphic designer	Film/television, fine art, graphic design, illustration, photography
Health and safety	Engineering, environmental health, physical and applied sciences
Heritage	Archaeology, education, geography, museum studies, history, marketing
Hotel management	Business with languages, business, management, hotel and hospitality, travel, tourism and leisure studies
Human resources	Business with languages, business, management, human resources, psychology, sociology
Illustrator	Graphic design, illustration, fine art, fashion
Insurance	Business, management, economics, marketing, mathematics
Interpreter	Linguistics, modern languages, translation and interpreting
IT	Business studies, computer science, mathematics, physics, engineering
Magazine/newspaper journalist	Journalism, English
Make-up artist	Fashion, theatrical and media hair and make-up
Marketing	Advertising, business, management, media and communications, IT, computer science, marketing, psychology
Museum curator	History, history of art, languages, English literature
Nurse/midwife	Nursing, midwifery
Nutrition	Dietetics, food, nutrition and health
Office manager	Business administration, business management, computing and IT, human resource management
Optician	Optometry
Paramedic	Paramedic science
Pharmacist	Pharmacy, chemistry, biochemistry, biology, biomedical science, pharmacology
Photographer	Art and design, fine art, graphics, media studies, photography
Teacher	Education, physical and life sciences, humanities, social sciences
Production manager	Biochemistry, business, management, chemistry, engineering, food science, physics
Public relations	English, creative writing, business, management, marketing, social sciences, politics
Publishing	Publishing, media and communications, English
Quantity surveyor	Construction, engineering, economics, geography, mathematics
Retail	Business
Sales	Business, management, marketing, computing, engineering, technology, media studies
Social work	Law, politics, social care, social sciences
Solicitor	Law
Sports	Health science, sports science
Statistician	Economics, geography, mathematics, psychology
Theatre	Drama, theatre studies, performing arts, music
Tourism	Tourism management, marketing, business, journalism, languages, media studies
Translation	Languages, linguistics, English
Vet	Veterinary science, biology, zoology
Writer	Communication and media studies, creative writing, English, journalism, performing arts

International study

Going abroad to go to university is becoming more and more common, so it’s also worth knowing how degree programmes are structured in different parts of the world. This might influence not only what you study but where you decide to study.

In most countries in Europe, most students will study one or two subjects in great depth and will graduate with a bachelor’s degree. They can then go into work or to studying a master's degree.

However, in the US, students are able to take classes across all academic disciplines and then choose a major in the second year to focus on and will receive a bachelor’s degree in this chosen subject.

Australia follows a similar degree pattern to Europe with students homing in on just one or two subjects and becoming specialists in that field.

In Canada you are able to study a variety of different modules and subjects in the first year, eventually choosing a major in the second year which you will receive your final degree in.

Applying to university overseas: what to consider
Hoping to apply to a US university as a foreign student?
How to choose a UK university
A guide for international students choosing a university in Australia