The University of Michigan is regularly ranked the #1 public university in the country. For this list of the five best majors at the University of Michigan, we are specifically looking at the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (or LSA), which is “the largest and most academically diverse” college at Mich.
LSA is one of 14 undergraduate schools and colleges at Mich, LSA guides the culture and community of Mich as the largest college. It’s a liberal arts college, too. As it’s housed within a major research university, you get the best of both experiences in one. Along with a strong focus on public service and contribution to “the state of Michigan, the nation, and the world,” the resources of the college are expansive. They include impressive undergraduate research opportunities centered on asking “Why.” “The great professors and students,” at Mich, they say, “use curiosity as a catalyst to find answers to the biggest questions.”
The emphasis on research has led to Mich being #1 for research volume among U.S. public universities, and there is active research open to undergrads in the humanities, national sciences, and social sciences. The U-M Digital Studies Institute, as well, pulls from across departments and fields to examine the impact of the digital world on our lives — “and those who are left out.” Layer on that a dynamic global studies program, and LSA at Mich is one of the strongest liberal arts offerings for top students who want to be engaged in research.
The regular decision acceptance rate for Mich is about 12%, and the overall acceptance rate is about 16%, but those numbers can be misleading. As a public university, the acceptance rate is highly skewed due to the prioritization of in-state applicants. As a result, it’s much harder to get in as an out of state applicant than the acceptance rates suggests because far more students apply to Mich from outside of Michigan than from inside the state lines (some of this is simple population dynamics).
In this post, we’ll share our top five most favorite majors at Mich in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts that you should definitely consider if you’re considering submitting an application to Mich.
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What do we mean by best major?
First off, let’s clarify what we mean by ‘best major’. Obviously, there are a lot of amazing majors at the University of Michigan, and more than five of them are outstanding. But we’ve picked these five for a few specific reasons. They each are either particular to Michigan, as in not many colleges offer them, or are particularly well-resourced compared to the same major at other comparable universities. We also look for majors with amazing faculty in the department, and with outstanding post-graduation resources.
With those criteria in mind, here are our top five!
Economics
The economics program at Mich is a powerhouse at the frontier of economics scholarship, and we love it. Students can major in Economics, or in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, and both are amazing options if you’re considering a future in “business, consulting, finance, law, politics, public and private administration, and teaching.” Graduates from the program go on into careers in research, policy, aid, and finance, while many also continue their educations through Masters or Doctoral programs.
Communication and Media
We love the Communication and Media major, especially when paired with a minor in business, digital studies, or entrepreneurship. Students learn to analyze and understand media, and to engage in strategic communications on a systemic scale, gaining the tools needed to lead communications, entertainment, and PR firms, as well as political initiatives and campaigns. Unlike some other communications programs, the Mich Communication and Media major is conceptual, not vocational. Students study journalism, for example, but don’t conduct it as part of the major. The program is still heavy on writing, though, and many students do go on to journalism school. Other students go on to law school or business school, and all three groups strongly benefit from the foundation the Communication and Media major provides.
Biology, Health, and Society
For students who want to study “a broad view of biology and the interactions between science and society,” the Biology, Health, and Society major is a perfect fit. The program is great for pre-health students, and those interested in continuing on to law school. Basically, it’s ideal for people who would benefit from understanding the current realities and historical context of healthcare, but who don’t want to become scientists. For this reason, the major is also a strong fit for aspiring entrepreneurs in the healthcare sphere who want to understand the world of medicine but don’t want to go on to medical school.
International Security, Norms & Cooperation
Ok, so the last two on this list are a little bit of a twist on the concept of “best major” because they are not stand-along majors, but what Mich calls a “sub-major.” The International Security, Norms & Cooperation program is a sub-major or sub-plan under the international studies major, so you would major in International Studies and then layer the International Security, Norms & Cooperation program within it. We find this program really interesting because of its focus on navigating tension and mitigating conflict in a global governance, commerce, or aid setting. Students explore human security, transnational social movements, and the relationship between war-making and peace-making.
Political Economy & Development
As we said, there are two of these sub-majors on our list and, surprisingly, both are connected to the same core major! The Political Economy & Development program is another sub-major under the International Studies major (we really like the international studies program at Mich LSA, if you hadn’t already figured that out). The program offers an economics perspective on international studies. Students explore regulation of economies, international trade, government budgeting, labor economics, and more. In the program, you learn to put economics into context with current and historical events, gaining “the ability to analyze historical and contemporary global trends…and to compare experiences of nation-states and peoples across time and space.”
The University of Michigan is an outstanding university no matter what you study, but we think these top 5 majors are an amazing jumping off point for exploring all that the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at Mich has to offer. Let them spark your imagination, and then explore some more!
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