The 11 college majors with the highest unemployment rates

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For all the pressure on college students to pick a lucrative major, not everyone goes where the jobs are.

According to career site Zippia, which used US Census data to estimate the unemployment rate for people 22 to 25 years old in various fields, there are several areas of study that make job-finding harder.

Many of the majors deal with the arts, society, and communication. But some are still related to science, engineering, technology, and math (STEM). The findings suggest that even if students pursue STEM fields, which data show are lacking in new talent, recent grads aren't guaranteed a job.

Here are the majors that produce the highest unemployment rates:

1. Composition and Rhetoric — 17.54%

2. Environmental Science — 11.79%

3. Anthropology and Archaeology — 11.76%

4. Drama And Theater Arts — 11.42%

5. Film, Video, and Photographic Arts — 11.24%

6. Mass Media — 10.92%

7. Fine Arts — 10.90%

8. Area Ethnic and Civilization Studies — 10.84%

9. Intercultural and International Studies — 9.93%

10. Communication Technologies — 9.40%

11. Biology — 8.76%

True to the stereotype, arts and communications degrees rank as the toughest majors for landing a job. There are often too few jobs for the vast talent pool of artists, actors, photographers, and writers. As a result, many people spend their first few years out of college struggling to find work in their field before trying their hand at something else.

Even so, three of the 11 majors on the list can be considered part of STEM. The data may help explain why so many students study science and math in school but don't go on to get jobs in those fields: Oftentimes, they don't exist.

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