The liberal arts environment exposes students to a variety of fields and encourages individuals of all majors to question society and the marketplace both presently and in the future, according to anthropology department chair Dale Eickelman.
An alumni survey conducted by the economics department found that 34.5 percent of economics majors eventually work in finance. Economics majors from recent graduating classes were more likely to pursue careers in finance than previous graduates, with over half of economics majors graduating after 2000 currently working in finance.
In comparison, the percentage of non-economics majors pursuing careers in finance has remained fairly steady, averaging 11.4 percent.
Government and history majors primarily choose careers in law and finance, according to recent data compiled by the Office of Alumni Relations. According to surveys, 27 percent of government majors and 23 percent of history majors enter law school or law-related fields. About 20 percent of government majors enter careers in finance, while 17 percent of history majors enter similar fields, according to a 2008 survey.
The data illustrate that government majors also choose jobs in education, the government or the military, as well as other areas of the private sector. Popular career paths chosen by history majors include business, health and science and education, according to data collected by the history department. Whereas 8 percent of government majors pursued careers in education, 11 percent of history majors chose this route.
Only 4 percent of history majors pursue doctoral degrees in any field, according to the survey, likely because academic careers in history result in "relatively few job prospects," history department chair Walter Simons said. Pursuing a career in finance, on the other hand, marks an "institutional tradition" at Dartmouth, he said.
Simons said he was not surprised by the results of the survey, which emphasize that history majors develop analytic skills that enable them to synthesize sources and excel at written and oral argumentation, among other things.
Dartmouth history professors now focus on integrating "international and global perspectives" into the classroom, Simons said. History majors' career choices have been consistent over time except for a "slight uptick" of students interested in international relations, he said. Anthropology majors' career paths are "all over the place," Eickelman said. A 2001 alumni survey found that 26.9 percent of anthropology majors pursue careers in business. The next most popular career paths were medicine and education, accounting for 20.5 percent and 12.7 percent of anthropology majors, respectively.
While the department has not surveyed alumni since 2001, majors have shown a "renewed interest" in careers in government and the public sphere, Eickelman said.
Physics and astronomy majors can apply their quantitative skills to a variety of fields and are prepared to break down "complex problems," according to Blencowe.
"The creative and practical problem-solving skills physics majors develop are very applicable to a wide range of majors and careers," physics and cognitive science double major Michael D'Andrea '12 said.
Of the between 10 and 20 students who graduate with physics and astronomy majors each year, about 25 percent pursue these disciplines in the long run, according to Blencowe.
D'Andrea, who aspires to enter a graduate engineering program or work in education-related research and software development, said his cognitive science major allows him to analyze modern issues in science that have not yet been resolved.
"Most of the things we learn in physics are pretty well-established," he said. "[Cognitive science] rounds out my experience with current research."
Of approximately 75 math majors from the classes of 2008, 2009 and 2010 responding to a departmental poll, only 15 said they studied math in graduate school or taught math following graduation. Common pursuits among math majors included medical school, finance careers, law school and graduate computer science programs.
Women and gender studies majors have also shown an increased interest in international issues, according to program chair Annabel Martin.
While the women and gender studies program does not collect numerical data on students' career choices, majors frequently pursue careers in public policy, law, journalism, public health and education, Martin said.
"Women and gender studies majors are unhappy with the status quo and they want to make the world a better place and a more just place," Martin said. "There is an ever-increasing demand to bridge the gap between theory and practice, and this is reflected in the career options they follow."
