Find a Job You Really Want In
As a recent college graduate with a degree in economics, my first position was as an analyst at a healthcare consulting firm. I was eager to dive into the job, focusing on identifying fraud in healthcare billing practices.
What I didn’t anticipate was the need to quickly learn a whole new vocabulary. Entering a new field often requires mastering its specialized language.
In my role, I encountered a slew of healthcare jargon: terms like “benes” (beneficiaries), “codes” (Medicare and Medicaid treatment codes), and “outcomes” (measures of patient recovery based on treatment received).
Subsequently, I transitioned into real estate and online marketing, each with its own unique lexicon. Adding coding to my skill set over the past few years resulted in my resume now brimming with acronyms and terms like AVM, closing costs, SEO, SQL, UX, and A/B Testing—words that were completely foreign to me in college.
Having graduated just seven years ago, I’ve amassed a vocabulary that could rival a new language.
This experience led me to wonder: which college majors equip graduates with the most extensive vocabulary throughout their careers?
As it turns out, we recently analyzed over 2 million resumes to uncover this very data.
10 Majors With The Largest Vocabulary Size
| Major | Rank | Unique Word Count |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | 1 | 39,958 |
| Engineering/Industrial Management | 2 | 39,274 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical And Astronautical Engineering | 3 | 38,683 |
| Chemical Engineering | 4 | 37,284 |
| Computer Engineering | 5 | 36,554 |
| Chemistry | 6 | 36,456 |
| Mathematics And Computer Science | 7 | 36,301 |
| Civil Engineering | 8 | 36,050 |
| Electrical/Electronic/Communications Eng Technology/Technician | 9 | 35,920 |
| Project Management | 10 | 35,769 |
The Major With The Biggest Vocabulary – #1 – Physics
It seems that the language section of standardized tests like the SAT may hold more significance for Physics majors than commonly assumed.
My lawyer father often remarks that something can’t be more unique than another thing, but I’ll make an exception for physics. Among the nearly 40,000 unique words found in the resumes of physics majors, an impressive 14.5% were exclusive to this major. While some unique terms reference renowned physicists, companies, or research facilities, others include intriguing words like:
- Toroidal
- Multiwavelength
- Polytrope
- Refractivity
For context, here’s a brief description of “Polytrope” (not to be confused with polytope):
In astrophysics, a polytrope is a solution to the Lane–Emden equation where pressure is a function of density expressed as P = K ρ^{(n+1)/n}.
Reflecting on the data, it became clear that the majors with the most extensive vocabularies tend to be STEM-oriented. This contrasts with my expectations, as I initially thought the field of psychology would dominate the vocabulary rankings.
The Most Popular Major – #41 – Psychology
Interestingly, psychology, despite its popularity, only ranks 41st among the top 100 majors in terms of vocabulary size. A mere 7% of the words found on psychology majors’ resumes are unique to their field.
This reflects a broader trend: many terms are used across various industries, indicating that professionals in different fields often share similar vocabulary. Psychology exemplifies this phenomenon, as many graduates pursue careers in areas that are not directly related to psychology. Graduates can work as researchers, real estate agents, or marketing managers.
Statistics substantiate this, as psychology boasts the second-lowest percentage of unique vocabulary, surpassed only by the more generic language used in “business administration and management.”
Analyzing A Whole Lotta’ Resumes — The Data And Methodology
The foundation of the Job Graph on Zippia employs machine learning algorithms applied to a dataset of over 2 million resumes to identify common career paths for individuals with similar educational backgrounds. In this analysis, my focus was on the sheer volume of unique vocabulary acquired by graduates in their respective majors over the course of their careers.
To achieve this, I conducted a token analysis of resumes from individuals with the 100 most popular majors, concentrating on the job descriptions and responsibilities sections. Given that certain majors are significantly more prevalent than others (for instance, Psychology is vastly more common than “Sales and Marketing Operations/Distribution”), I sampled 2,000 resumes per major to maintain balance.
All punctuation was removed from the dataset, and each word was counted once. For example, “can’t,” “cannot,” and “can not” would count as three unique words.
This methodology may count typos as unique words, but it provides a relative understanding of which majors essentially produce graduates with Shakespearean levels of vocabulary. Now, let’s delve into some intriguing insights from the data.
100 Most Popular Majors Ranked By Vocabulary Size
| Major | Rank | Unique Word Count |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | 1 | 39,958 |
| Engineering/Industrial Management | 2 | 39,274 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical And Astronautical Engineering | 3 | 38,683 |
| Chemical Engineering | 4 | 37,284 |
| Computer Engineering | 5 | 36,554 |
| Chemistry | 6 | 36,456 |
| Mathematics And Computer Science | 7 | 36,301 |
| Civil Engineering | 8 | 36,050 |
| Electrical/Electronic/Communications Eng Technology/Technician | 9 | 35,920 |
| Project Management | 10 | 35,769 |
| Biology/Biological Sciences | 11 | 35,617 |
| Bioengineering And Biomedical Engineering | 12 | 35,571 |
| Liberal Arts And Sciences/Liberal Studies | 13 | 34,524 |
| Engineering Technology | 14 | 34,329 |
| Electrical And Electronics Engineering | 15 | 34,238 |
| Computational Science | 16 | 33,966 |
| Industrial Engineering | 17 | 33,914 |
| Mechanical Engineering/Mechanical Technology/Technician | 18 | 33,897 |
| Educational, Instructional, And Curriculum Supervision | 19 | 33,614 |
| Urban Education And Leadership | 20 | 33,602 |
| Industrial Electronics Technology/Technician | 21 | 33,508 |
| Computer Software Engineering | 22 | 33,169 |
| Information Technology Project Management | 23 | 32,825 |
| Management Information Systems And Services | 24 | 32,640 |
| Communication | 25 | 32,615 |
| Theology/Theological Studies | 26 | 32,539 |
| Special Education And Teaching | 27 | 32,439 |
| Organizational Leadership | 28 | 32,408 |
| Art/Art Studies | 29 | 32,384 |
| International Business, Trade, And Tax Law | 30 | 32,346 |
| Environmental Science | 31 | 32,329 |
| Economics | 32 | 32,264 |
| Information Science/Studies | 33 | 32,192 |
| Public Administration | 34 | 32,189 |
| Design And Visual Communications | 35 | 32,083 |
| Logistics, Materials, And Supply Chain Management | 36 | 31,993 |
| Computer Programming, Specific Applications | 37 | 31,985 |
| Nonprofit/Public/Organizational Management | 38 | 31,916 |
| Public Health | 39 | 31,901 |
| Cad/Cadd Drafting And/Or Design Technology/Technician | 40 | 31,865 |
| Psychology | 41 | 31,803 |
| Information Resources Management | 42 | 31,753 |
| Journalism | 43 | 31,644 |
| Political Science And Government | 43 | 31,644 |
| Environmental Design/Architecture | 45 | 31,531 |
| Health/Health Care Administration/Management | 46 | 31,348 |
| Investments And Securities | 47 | 31,303 |
| English/Language Arts Teacher Education | 48 | 31,301 |
| Theology And Religious Vocations | 49 | 31,093 |
| Sales And Marketing Operations/Marketing And Dist Teacher Educ | 50 | 30,826 |
| Social Sciences | 51 | 30,587 |
| Pharmacy | 52 | 30,561 |
| Banking, Corporate, Finance, And Securities Law | 53 | 30,486 |
| Marketing/Marketing Management | 54 | 30,439 |
| Business Administration And Management | 55 | 30,425 |
| Computer And Information Systems Security/Information Assurance | 56 | 30,240 |
| Accounting And Business/Management | 57 | 30,114 |
| Social Work | 58 | 29,985 |
| Health And Physical Education/Fitness | 59 | 29,916 |
| Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | 60 | 29,605 |
| Computer Systems Networking And Telecommunications | 61 | 29,580 |
| Real Estate | 62 | 29,570 |
| Kinesiology And Exercise Science | 63 | 29,264 |
| Information Technology | 64 | 29,151 |
| Construction Management | 65 | 29,006 |
| Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration | 66 | 28,986 |
| Liberal Arts And Sciences Studies And Humanities | 67 | 28,977 |
| Health Information/Medical Records Administration/Administrator | 68 | 28,876 |
| Speech Communication And Rhetoric | 69 | 28,626 |
| Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist | 70 | 28,614 |
| Photography | 71 | 28,472 |
| Fine/Studio Arts | 72 | 28,426 |
| General Studies | 73 | 28,318 |
| Physical Therapy/Therapist | 74 | 27,994 |
| Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education | 75 | 27,943 |
| Counselor Education/School Counseling And Guidance Services | 76 | 27,677 |
| Auditing | 77 | 27,652 |
| Medical/Health Management And Clinical Assistant/Specialist | 78 | 27,420 |
| Mass Communication/Media Studies | 79 | 27,174 |
| Human Services | 80 | 26,928 |
| Accounting And Computer Science | 81 | 26,918 |
| Corrections And Criminal Justice | 82 | 26,832 |
| Automotive Engineering Technology/Technician | 82 | 26,832 |
| Elementary Education And Teaching | 84 | 26,672 |
| Legal Assistant/Paralegal | 85 | 26,535 |
| Graphic Design | 86 | 26,300 |
| Public Relations, Advertising And Applied Communication | 87 | 25,304 |
| Adult Health Nurse/Nursing | 88 | 25,231 |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | 89 | 25,110 |
| Culinary Arts/Chef Training | 90 | 24,698 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences And Services | 91 | 23,493 |
| Welding Technology/Welder | 92 | 23,312 |
| Interior Design | 93 | 23,173 |
| Early Childhood Education And Teaching | 94 | 22,998 |
| Allied Health And Medical Assisting Services | 95 | 22,451 |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing And Nursing Assistants | 96 | 22,340 |
| Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist | 97 | 22,146 |
| Cosmetology/Cosmetologist | 98 | 21,393 |
| Pharmacy Technician/Assistant | 99 | 20,870 |
| Radiologic Technology/Science Radiographer | 100 | 20,495 |
In conclusion, understanding the vocabulary demands of various college majors can provide insight into the skill sets required in today’s labor market. As industries evolve, so too does the language used within them. Graduates from STEM fields typically acquire a broader vocabulary, reflecting the increasing complexity of these professions. As you consider your educational path, keep in mind the vocabulary requirements that may come with your chosen field and how they may impact your career trajectory.
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
