Top 10 STEM courses of 2025

Introduction

Are you interested in creating new technologies or solving real-world problems? Pursuing a STEM degree can make that possible. Jobs in STEM fields are projected to grow by 10.8% globally by 2032, and graduates in this area earn a median annual salary of over $95,000 in the U.S. alone. Top universities around the world offer STEM courses that lead to high-paying jobs, along with 2 to 3-year post-study work visas in countries such as the USA, Canada, and Australia. If you are passionate about science, mathematics, and innovation, a STEM degree not only enhances your skills but also prepares you for a global, future-ready career.

 What is STEM?

STEM education is a collection of all the courses that fall under the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Since the subjects you learn under each of these fields are somehow interrelated and require a similar educational background, they are collectively called STEM.

For example, majoring in Astronomy or Actuarial science will require that you be good at mathematics and problem-solving. Moreover, learning nuclear science or Cybersecurity will require you to have great critical thinking skills. On the other hand, history or music will not fall under STEM, because learning those subjects requires different skills.

And although all fields are equally important, these courses can land you STEM jobs that can be really cool. So let’s look at them one by one.

Data Science

Data science involves collecting, crunching, and analysing huge amounts of data to help organisations predict and solve real-world problems like figuring out the best way to deliver a shipment or understanding genetic issues.

• The average starting salary of a Data scientist is $100,000 to $128,000
• Learning data science means having a good understanding of mathematics and statistics, computer programming, design, and a domain. 
• The course is rigorous and requires critical thinking and complex problem-solving skills.
• A graduate degree in this subject can lead to a variety of job opportunities. 
• These include Data Analyst, Machine Learning Engineer, Deep Learning Engineer, Data Engineer, and Data Scientist, where each role focuses on a set of data analysis processes.

Read More: USA’s STEM evolution | New additions for STEM OPT

Nuclear Science

As a Nuclear engineer, you will learn how to break down or combine atomic nuclei in different ways for a multitude of applications. You will also learn to design, use, and maintain nuclear equipment, like nuclear reactors, radiation shielding equipment, and nuclear energy systems.

• The average starting salary of a Nuclear scientist is $93,331 to $102,950
• Naturally, specialising in this subject will require you to grasp chemistry, nuclear physics, materials, and mathematics well. 
• Also, it will be necessary for you to have domain knowledge of the field in which you decide to build the application.
• While working in energy or weaponry after graduation is an obvious option, you could also specialise in nuclear medical technology (and work on MRI), help with agricultural applications (plant mutation), or build consumer products (smoke detectors) or food!

Mathematics & Statistics

It might sound boring at first, but you’ll be surprised to know that majoring in Mathematics or Statistics can land you a 6 figure job right out of college. Because it’s not the calculations and formulae, it’s the number of applications that matter.

• The average starting salary of a Mathematician is $54,300 to $196,500
• As a mathematics student, you will not only have to show proficiency in algebra, calculus, or geometry but also be able to develop new ways of doing math. 
• Add to that some expertise in programming, and you’ve got yourself a skill worth envying!
• The applications of this degree are numerous and stretch across all possible non-STEM and STEM courses. 
• After graduation, you could end up in the fields of big data, engineering, computer science, business, science, data privacy, systems biology, or even climatology! 

Petroleum Engineering

Leading to one of the highest all-time top-paying STEM jobs, Petroleum Engineering is one of the best STEM majors. It deals with learning how to extract oil and gas from the reservoirs below the Earth’s surface. This requires a collective knowledge of chemistry, materials, technology, and the environment.

• The average starting salary of a Petroleum engineer is $102,300 to $176,300
• The job will involve studying reservoirs, overseeing drilling activities, and designing surface collection and treatment activities. 
• At the same time, you will be expected to help reduce the impact of these activities on the environment.
• Once you have specialised in one of the areas – completions, drilling, production, or reservoir – you can take up an engineering position of your desire. 
• And since many petroleum companies operate around the world, you would also get opportunities to travel globally!

Read More: Petroleum Engineering | Top 5 universities to pursue this course!

Aerospace Engineering

Learning aerospace engineering involves applying your knowledge of maths, science, and technology to aviation. Aerospace engineers specialise in the design, construction, and maintenance of aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, missiles, and weapons systems.

• The average starting salary of an Aerospace engineer is $64,700 to $107,900

• While one aspect of the job involves researching the latest technology, another part deals with maintaining the existing systems. 
• These tasks involve ensuring flight safety, fuel efficiency, operating costs, and measuring the environmental impact.
• To do all this flawlessly, you will need to study various subjects, like Propulsion, Aerodynamics, and Avionics. 
• Several undergraduate and graduate courses are available for Aerospace engineering at top universities worldwide. 
• And once you graduate, your job can be anything you want – an Aeronautical designer, a Consultant, or a Researcher. Hell, you could work for Boeing or even a space agency (like NASA)! 

Read more: Top 5 aerospace engineering colleges in the US

 Cybersecurity

One of the best STEM majors out there, cybersecurity will teach you how to plan and implement a whole variety of security measures to protect networks. You will learn to disarm threats like cyber attacks, hackers, natural disasters, and infiltration to save a computer system.

• The average starting salary of a Cybersecurity engineer is $115,349 to $122,753
• The subject requires a deep knowledge of programming tools, languages and unmatched expertise in mathematics. 
• Other important traits of a good cybersecurity student are critical thinking and problem-solving. How else would you decode a threat to a piece of highly classified information?
• Just like in the thriller movies of the day, you will end up working for large corporations, banks, or (hopefully) the government. 
• And your job will be to protect customers, users, and citizens from scams, data leaks, and hackers.

Biomedical Engineering

An incredible combination of biology, medicine, and technology, biomedical engineering involves designing and developing tools for the healthcare industry. These could be simple aids like pharmaceutical drugs and prosthetics, or advanced technologies like artificial organs and surgical robots.

• The average starting salary of a Biomedical engineer is $59,600 to $92,200
• This job requires you to have a good understanding of a bunch of topics that fall under the subjects of chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer programming, molecular biology, and genetics.
• As a biomedical engineer, you will get to work on building equipment, software, computer systems, and medical devices that can be used in labs and hospitals by health practitioners and patients in need.

Actuarial Science

Actuarial science is the art of assessing risk and uncertainty in hypothetical financial decisions. The idea is to predict these financial pitfalls so one can try avoiding them. 

• The average starting salary of an Actuarial scientist is $60,800 to $119,600
• Mastered by those who are great at statistics, mathematics, and finance, this field is based on observation, analysis, and prediction. 
• Apart from that, you will also have to have some basic knowledge of science and the industry in which you choose to work after graduation.
• As an actuarial science graduate, you will find yourself working in the life or health insurance industry, management firms, individual wealthy clients, top business executives, or even doing scientific research. 

Software Engineering

One of the most popular STEM courses, software engineering, involves understanding user needs, building and testing computer applications, and keeping them updated as technology advances over time.

• The average starting salary of a Software engineer is $100,690 to $108,278
• Moreover, all the universities offering computer science and engineering programs make sure to provide students with sound knowledge of mathematics, computers, programming languages, and the domain they might want to specialise in.
• As a software engineering graduate, you can also choose to focus on one specific type of application, like operating systems, games, web development, app development, and data analytics. Or you could build software applications specifically for a field, like fintech or medicine. How cool is that!?

Read more: Benefits of a Software Engineering course abroad

Mechanical Engineering

One of the broadest STEM courses, mechanical engineering, familiarises students with tools for designing, building, testing, and upgrading mechanical devices. These can be anything – from air-conditioning systems, electric generators, combustion engines, elevators, or even robots and also rovers!

• The average starting salary of a Mechanical engineer is $87,258 to $101,600
• This requires advanced knowledge of materials and thermodynamics (chemistry), mechanics (physics), and modelling (mathematics). Because a lot of work is done with computer-aided processes, working knowledge of computer systems and programming is also necessary.
• Depending on your interests, you can choose from a variety of domains. You could be an auto-research engineer, a heating and cooling system engineer, a robotic engineer, and work in office environments. 
• Your work may need you to travel to on-site locations from time to time.

Key Takeaways

These are only a few of the top courses that fall under the STEM education category.

• You could go down this rabbit hole and find hundreds of other STEM majors that might catch your eye. 
• With so many STEM majors available today, students often have a hard time choosing which one suits them best.
• As STEM courses require a great deal of specialisation, students need to weigh their skills, talents, and knowledge when choosing which major to pursue. 
• Other than the cost of college itself, a number of factors must also be considered, such as family attitude, passion, salary, and past experiences 

If you’re still confused about how to find the right program for yourself, drop a comment, or you can also Contact us. We would be very happy to help!

Liked this blog? Then read: MBA subjects | All you need to know about the subjects

FAQs

Question 1. What are STEM courses in India?

Answer – STEM courses encompass the programs offered in the four major disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. These are crucial technical fields that are replete with a plethora of career paths aimed at facilitating innovation in every aspect of our world.

Question 2. Is STEM good for the future?

Answer – STEM learning is also important for students in their everyday life in our contemporary world, with the rise of new technologies in biomedicine, microfabrication, robotics, and artificial intelligence. The ability to understand and apply data and develop solutions to complex problems will be an important life skill.

Question 3. What is the hardest subject in the STEM strand?

Answer – Engineering was overwhelmingly considered the biggest culprit, with 76% of respondents naming it as ‘a man’s world.’ Computers and technology were the next area considered in this field, though it still trailed far behind engineering at less than 17%.

WRITTEN BY

Aastha

Sr. Content Writer

Aastha Arya is a Senior Content Writer at iSchoolConnect who writes about topics covering study abroad trends, exclusive news updates and prolific college courses. She has a 4-year of experience in this field and also likes to keep tabs on recent events, visa policy changes, and many other concerns that affect international students.

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