Career Outcomes

At the College of Arts and Science, our focus is on teaching fundamental knowledge and a set of skills that will prepare students for any career. Graduates leave the college knowing how to think critically, communicate effectively, question analytically, and explore deeply, regardless of whether their degrees are in chemistry or English, art or anthropology, mathematics or philosophy. Armed with both broad knowledge and specific technical skills, our graduates are well-positioned to compete and succeed in a rapidly changing economy.

The A&S College Core curriculum provides a flexible and thoughtful framework for gaining capacities and skills that will serve students for life—both as professionals and as citizens. All students learn to communicate clearly, analyze critically, challenge their assumptions, evaluate data, and probe important ethical and social questions. Fields of study in A&S allow students to connect readily with a wide range of career fields, including health care, technology, business, law, education, and the creative arts.

Visit the Vanderbilt Career Center website to learn how the university supports students in aligning their studies with successful careers!

AFTER GRADUATION

Following graduation, about half of new A&S alumni go directly into the workforce. They find success in a wide variety of fields, but certain industries are consistently popular with our graduates. These include finance, consulting, technology, education, and government or law.

Another 25-30 percent of A&S students typically go directly to graduate school. The majority of these pursue an M.A./M.S./M.Ed. or Ph.D., but law school and medical school are also very popular choices. We also have a significant number of students who spend several years in the workforce before returning to graduate school for an M.B.A. or similar degree. A&S alumni enjoy very high acceptance rates to outstanding graduate programs. In recent years, the top 10 graduate school destinations for our students have included Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Chicago, Duke University, Harvard University, and more.

For the latest statistics on A&S undergraduate outcomes, visit the Vanderbilt Career Center website.

MEET OUR ALUMNI

Jake Aronskind

BA'19

Aronskind, CEO and co-founder of Pepper, an app that allows over 1.5 million community members the opportunity to not only share meals, but create digital social cookbooks, view standardized recipes, and search for specific dishes based on specific criteria, was recognized in the 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 list for food and drink. While honored to be recognized, Aronskind said the goal has always been to foster connection around homemade food.

Read More

Doan Phuong Nguyen

BA'07

Nguyen was in first grade when she had a dream to be an author. Having recently arrived in Nashville from Vietnam, she had just mastered English and was fascinated when her class made a book about the seasons, and "wanted to write stories ever since then." The dream came to fruition with the publication of Nguyen's first novel, Mèo and Bé. The International Reading Association has added it to its list of Notable Books for a Global Society.

Read More

Elizabeth "Betsy" Ayala

BA'99

Ever binge-watched a home renovation competition on HGTV or bitten your nails over a Food Network cooking challenge? If so, you have Ayala, the executive behind many popular TV shows across the Warner Bros. Discovery portfolio of networks, to thank. "Once I transferred to A&S and started taking communication studies classes, everything changed. I credit those classes with teaching me how to write, which was the confidence boost I needed to enter this field."

Read More

John Jumper, BS'07

2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

The youngest recipient in 70 years, Jumper was honored for his work creating AlphaFold2, a platform that uses artificial intelligence to solve a problem that has vexed biologists for years—how to determine the three-dimensional structure of a protein based on its sequence of amino acids.

Read More

NOTABLE ALUMNI