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. Since these are the skills employers want most—even above specific technical or field-based skills—our graduates are well-positioned to compete and succeed in a rapidly changing economy.

The subjects our students study also position them for success. Our AXLE core curriculum develops a variety of highly desirable skills, including creativity, persuasion, intellectual flexibility, analytical reasoning, foreign language competency, and more. A&S majors also connect readily with the career fields that are most resistant to automation and likely to experience the greatest growth over the next 10 years: health professions, scientific careers, creative professions, law, and education.

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

JaHayne "JJ" Johnson

BA'23

JJ came to Vanderbilt as a QuestBridge Scholar, ready, as he said, to “do the work” and come out with a solid career path. What the chemistry major didn’t realize then was that the opportunities he pursued through his classes, activities and Immersion Vanderbilt would allow him to write poetry, conduct research, dance in a ballet, launch a podcast and more.

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Musbah Shaheeh

BA'17

In conducting research on Muslim students and the LGBTQI Muslim community, Musbah collaborated on a survey tool to help campuses assess how welcoming they are to diverse religious, secular, and spiritual world views.

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Larissa May

BA'16

After launching a youth-based digital advocacy and empowerment platform with a small Vanderbilt grant, Larissa found that thousands of other young people also felt the pressure and pain of living inauthentically online or had been endangered by social media interactions.

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Megan Piphus Peace

BA'14

After graduation, Megan had a successful career underwriting and financing billions of dollars’ worth of real estate deals, yet there was one New York City property she could never assign a price to: the two-story brownstone at 123 Sesame Street.

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NOTABLE ALUMNI