So, what is the most difficult course in college?
That is a difficult question to answer. The most difficult course in college as a whole would be nearly impossible to determine, because different students find different things difficult. A lot of students who would cower in fear at the mathematics in my second semester will thrive in upper-level political science classes on critical theory, the very idea of which gives some physics or mathematics majors in cold sweats.
However, not all college degrees take the same amount of time and effort or are the most. Determining which degree will be the easiest for you depends greatly on your own personal abilities and the particular school you choose to attend. Some people are naturally good (or horrible) at math, others are good (or horrible) at writing. Such natural strengths and weaknesses will help determine which majors are more or less difficult for a particular person. Some schools are far more rigorous and demanding than others. This too will influence the difficulty of a degree.
So how do we determine then, which college degree majors are easiest or most difficult in general?
Using available data from the National Center for Education Statistics, a group of education enthusiasts was able to formulate a formula to assess the general difficulty of the common college degree programs using these three categories or factors (take time to think about this formula):
- the average grade point average (GPA) within a major,
- the average time it took to complete a degree in that major, and;
- the amount of work and leisure time students could afford while studying in that major.
The assumption is that: the more difficult the majors are, the lower their average GPAs will be, the longer completion times, and lesser time for outside activities.
The Easiest
Education:
In the United States, those students who arrive in college with the lowest average SAT scores and graduate with the highest grades tend to be education majors. While is it not true that those who can’t do must teach, this is confirmed by years of studies.
Humanities:
The average GPA for humanities students is at the 3.5+ bracket. It is one of the easiest majors a student can sign up for (but again we reiterate, some people are simply not inclined to literature, theatre, or are talented to perform, or even appreciate the humanities courses). There is also a difficulty in marketing humanities courses in the job market today.
Math:
Mathematics majors’ average GPAs is the third-highest rate in the 3.5+ category (4 is the highest). Math also has the lowest median completion time (meaning, most math majors complete their program on time). These place Math in the easy category, notwithstanding popular belief. Research shows that math majors sail through college quickly and make good grades even though nearly a quarter of them that work do so for more than 40 hours a week. It could be that the way many math subjects relate to and build on one another makes them easier for majors and difficult for non-majors who merely take a course or two.
Computer/information science:
This might be surprising but CIS is the major with the fifth-highest average GPA, and recording the highest-percentage of students working or doing leisure activities outside class for at least 40 hours per week!
Health
: A degree in medicine is difficult to obtain of course, that is well-documented. But for those who want to work a little more indirectly in the healthcare industry, there is somewhat easier bachelor’s degree – BS Health Administration and BS Health and Wellness among others. These majors focus on the business side, dealing with human resources and hospital operations.
