2027 Best Undergraduate Degrees With Academic Advising
Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist
Choosing a bachelor's degree is also choosing an advising system: the people, tools, and checkpoints that keep you on track for graduation, internships, licensure, and employment. The stakes are high because College Board's 2024 data shows published tuition and fees averaging $11,610 at in-state public four-year colleges and $43,350 at private nonprofit four-year colleges for 2024-25.
This guide is for first-time, transfer, online, and returning students who want a degree with practical support. You'll learn which majors benefit most from advising and how to compare programs before committing.
Key Things You Should Know
- Academic advising matters most when a degree has sequenced courses, accreditation rules, licensure exams, clinical hours, internships, or fast-changing employer skill expectations.
- Costs vary widely: College Board reported 2024-25 published tuition and fees of $11,610 for in-state public four-year colleges and $43,350 for private nonprofit four-year colleges, before aid.
- Career outcomes differ by major; BLS May 2024 data shows median pay of $124,910 for information security analysts and $93,600 for registered nurses, but salaries depend on location, experience, credentials, and employer demand.
Top 10 Best Undergraduate Degrees With Academic Advising
Business Degrees
Business degrees are strong choices for students who want flexible career options in management, finance, accounting, marketing, analytics, or entrepreneurship. Advising is valuable because students often need help choosing a concentration, sequencing quantitative courses, preparing for internships, and understanding certification paths such as CPA eligibility.
BLS May 2024 data lists the median annual wage for management occupations at $122,090, but entry-level outcomes vary widely by role. Choose this path if you like data-driven decisions, communication, and organizational problem-solving; reconsider if you want a highly specialized technical or clinical field.
Healthcare Degrees
Healthcare undergraduate degrees can lead to roles in health administration, public health, health sciences, medical technology, and preparation for graduate clinical programs. Advising matters because prerequisites, labs, practicums, and professional school requirements can be strict.
Students should verify program accreditation and whether the degree supports their intended credential or graduate pathway. This option fits students who want mission-driven work and can handle science-heavy coursework. It may not fit students who want maximum schedule flexibility, because labs, fieldwork, or clinical placements may require fixed in-person hours.
Information Technology Degrees
Information technology degrees focus on systems, networks, databases, cloud platforms, help desk operations, and enterprise technology support. Advising helps students choose certificates, labs, electives, and internships aligned with employer needs.
BLS May 2024 data reports a $105,990 median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations, making IT attractive for students seeking applied technical careers. It fits students who enjoy troubleshooting and business technology. Students who prefer software theory, advanced algorithms, or research-heavy computing may be better served by computer science.
Computer Science Degrees
Computer science degrees emphasize programming, algorithms, software engineering, data structures, artificial intelligence, and systems design. Academic advising is important because math prerequisites and project-based courses often build on each other.
Advisors can also help students choose between software development, data science, AI, graduate study, or cybersecurity electives. BLS May 2024 data reports median pay of $133,080 for software developers, but hiring can be competitive and portfolio quality matters. This path fits analytical students who enjoy abstract problem-solving and sustained technical practice.
Cybersecurity Degrees
Cybersecurity degrees prepare students for security operations, risk management, digital forensics, network defense, compliance, and incident response. Advising is especially useful because employers may value a mix of degree coursework, hands-on labs, internships, and certifications.
BLS projects information security analyst employment to grow 29% from 2024 to 2034, much faster than average, but entry-level roles may still require demonstrable skills. This degree fits students who like investigation, systems thinking, and constant learning. It may not suit students who dislike documentation, policy, or high-stakes troubleshooting.
Psychology Degrees
Psychology degrees study behavior, cognition, research methods, development, mental health, and social systems. Advising is crucial because many licensed clinical roles require graduate education, supervised hours, and state-specific requirements. A bachelor's degree can support careers in human services, research assistance, HR, case management, or graduate preparation.
Students should ask early about statistics, research labs, internships, and graduate school readiness. This major fits students interested in people and evidence-based thinking; it may disappoint students expecting independent clinical practice immediately after graduation.
Nursing Degrees
Nursing degrees, especially BSN programs, require some of the strongest advising because admissions, prerequisites, clinical placements, background checks, immunizations, and NCLEX preparation must align. BLS May 2024 data reports median pay of $93,600 for registered nurses, but wages vary by state, setting, shift, and specialty.
Students should confirm state board approval and nursing accreditation before enrolling. This path fits students who want direct patient care and can manage rigorous science and clinical demands. It may not fit students who need a fully asynchronous schedule.
Education Degrees
Education degrees prepare students for teaching, curriculum support, child development, special education, or education policy pathways. Advising is essential because teacher preparation programs must align coursework, field experiences, student teaching, testing, and state licensure rules.
BLS May 2024 data reports median pay of $64,580 for high school teachers, but compensation and hiring needs differ by district, subject, and state. This degree fits students who want structured service-oriented work with young learners. Students seeking higher early-career pay may want to compare related fields before enrolling.
Criminal Justice Degrees
Criminal justice degrees cover courts, policing, corrections, investigations, criminology, public safety, and policy. Advising helps students match electives and internships to goals such as law enforcement, probation, forensic support, homeland security, or law school.
Students should ask whether agencies require academy training, background checks, physical standards, or additional credentials. This major fits students interested in public systems, ethics, and community safety. It may not be enough by itself for specialized forensic science roles, which often require stronger laboratory science preparation.
Engineering Degrees
Engineering degrees are highly sequenced programs in fields such as mechanical, civil, electrical, chemical, biomedical, or computer engineering. Advising is critical because calculus, physics, labs, design studios, and prerequisites must be completed in order. Students should look for ABET accreditation when it matters for licensure or employer expectations.
BLS May 2024 data reports median pay of $99,590 for civil engineers, though engineering salaries vary by discipline. This path fits students with strong math skills and persistence; it is less ideal for students seeking a low-structure curriculum.
What is academic advising in undergraduate programs and why does it matter for students?
Academic advising in undergraduate programs is the structured support students receive to choose courses, meet degree requirements, plan careers, use campus resources, and graduate on time. A good advisor does more than approve a schedule; they help students understand prerequisites, transfer credits, academic policies, experiential learning, and the consequences of changing majors.
It matters because many bachelor's degrees are not just collections of classes. Nursing, engineering, education, cybersecurity, business, and psychology can all involve accreditation expectations, certification planning, internships, or graduate school preparation. Poor advising can lead to extra semesters, missed application windows, ineligible courses, or a degree that does not match the student's intended career.
Students should treat advising quality as part of program quality. A low tuition price can become less attractive if unclear advising causes repeated courses or delayed graduation, while a more expensive program may offer better value if it provides accurate degree maps, proactive alerts, transfer planning, and career-connected support.
To compare advising quality, look beyond marketing language such as "personalized support." Strong advising systems are easy to access, consistent, informed by degree requirements, and connected to career services, financial aid, tutoring, disability services, and faculty mentors.
The table below summarizes advising features that affect whether a school can help you make timely academic and career decisions:
| Advising feature | What to look for | Why it matters |
| Advisor availability | Published appointment options, walk-in hours, virtual access, and response-time expectations | Students in sequenced majors may need quick answers before registration deadlines |
| Degree planning tools | Degree audits, semester maps, prerequisite tracking, and transfer-credit evaluations | These tools reduce the risk of taking courses that do not count toward graduation |
| Specialized advising | Major-specific advisors, pre-health advisors, pre-law advisors, or licensure specialists | Professional pathways often require more than general course selection |
| Career integration | Internship planning, resume support, employer events, alumni mentoring, and portfolio guidance | Career outcomes improve when students prepare before the final semester |
| Escalation support | Clear referrals for academic difficulty, financial aid issues, mental health, accessibility, or transfer problems | Students often need coordinated support, not isolated advice |
A practical comparison method is to contact each school before applying and ask the same questions. Notice whether the answers are specific, documented, and consistent across admissions, advising, and the academic department.
Majors with strict course sequences, external requirements, or competitive progression standards rely most on academic advising. In these programs, a single missed prerequisite or late application can delay graduation or change the student's career timeline.
Advising is especially important for students in these undergraduate pathways:
- Nursing and allied health: Students need guidance on prerequisites, clinical eligibility, state board rules, testing, and program progression.
- Engineering and computer science: Students must plan math, science, lab, and project courses in the correct order to avoid bottlenecks.
- Education: Students need advising on licensure exams, student teaching, background checks, field hours, and state-specific certification rules.
- Psychology and pre-professional tracks: Students need early guidance on research experience, graduate school prerequisites, supervised practice expectations, and realistic career entry points.
- Cybersecurity and IT: Students benefit from coordinated planning around labs, certifications, internships, portfolios, and fast-changing employer tools.
Students considering long-term academic pathways should ask how undergraduate advising connects to graduate planning. For example, some learners compare research-based doctorates with flexible formats such as online PhD no dissertation programs later, but the right preparation depends on career field, accreditation, and employer expectations.
Academic advising can help students decide whether an online or campus bachelor's degree is the better fit. The right format depends on the major, learning style, schedule, local placement requirements, and how much structure the student needs to stay on track.
The table below compares common online and campus trade-offs that advisors can help clarify before enrollment:
| Decision factor | Online bachelor's degree | Campus bachelor's degree |
| Schedule flexibility | Often better for working adults, caregivers, and military-connected students | Often better for students who want fixed routines and face-to-face accountability |
| Hands-on requirements | May require local labs, practicums, proctored exams, or arranged clinical placements | May provide easier access to labs, studios, clinics, and campus facilities |
| Advising access | Should include virtual appointments, online degree audits, and remote career support | May include in-person advising, faculty office hours, and campus workshops |
| Networking | Depends heavily on virtual events, discussion boards, employer partnerships, and internships | Often stronger for students who use clubs, labs, campus jobs, and local employer events |
| Best fit | Self-directed students with reliable technology and clear time management | Students who learn best through in-person interaction and structured environments |
Students researching degrees you can get online that pay well should still verify accreditation, internship access, transfer policies, and whether online courses meet any licensure or certification requirements in their state.
Academic advising plays a central role in helping students meet accreditation, major, general education, transfer, and graduation requirements. This is especially important in programs where the school's approval status can affect licensure eligibility, employer recognition, or graduate admissions.
Students should understand three different layers of requirements. Institutional accreditation affects the college or university as a whole. Programmatic accreditation applies to specific fields such as nursing, engineering, business, social work, or education.
State licensure rules may add separate requirements for teaching, nursing, counseling, public safety, or other regulated professions. Before enrolling, students should take the following steps with an advisor or program representative:
- Confirm that the institution is accredited by an agency recognized for federal financial aid purposes.
- Ask whether the specific major has programmatic accreditation and whether that accreditation is required for the intended career.
- Request a written degree plan showing general education, major, elective, practicum, capstone, and residency requirements.
- Verify how transfer credits, AP, IB, CLEP, military training, or prior learning credits apply to the exact degree.
- Ask whether the program meets educational requirements for licensure in the student's state, if licensure is part of the career goal.
A common mistake is assuming that admission to the university means admission to a selective major. Nursing, engineering, business, education, and some health programs may have separate progression standards, minimum grades, background checks, or clinical eligibility rules.
Academic advising can directly influence access to internships, undergraduate research, clinical placements, co-ops, service learning, and other experiential learning. These opportunities often require early planning because applications, prerequisites, faculty approval, liability paperwork, and background checks may be due months before the experience begins.
Strong advising helps students identify which experiences match their goals. A business student may need an internship in finance or analytics; a psychology student may need research lab experience for graduate school; an engineering student may need design projects or co-ops; a nursing student needs approved clinical rotations.
Students should ask advisors and departments about these opportunity signals:
- Whether internships or field experiences are required, optional, paid, or credit-bearing.
- How students are matched with sites, employers, labs, clinics, or school placements.
- Whether online students can complete experiential requirements near where they live.
- What GPA, prerequisite, background check, insurance, or transportation requirements apply.
- How early students should start preparing resumes, portfolios, faculty references, or applications.
The biggest red flag is vague placement language. If a program says students are "responsible for finding opportunities," ask what support is actually provided and whether recent students have secured relevant placements.
Academic advising shapes career pathways by helping students connect their major to actual job titles, required skills, credentials, and next-step education. This matters because the same bachelor's degree can lead to very different outcomes depending on electives, internships, certifications, geographic market, and work experience.
The table below shows how advising can connect undergraduate majors to career planning decisions without treating salary as a guaranteed outcome:
| Degree area | Common early-career direction | Advising focus | Relevant BLS May 2024 salary context |
| Business | Analyst, coordinator, accounting, sales, operations, finance support | Concentration selection, internships, quantitative skills, certification planning | Management occupations reported a median annual wage of $122,090 |
| Computer science | Software development, QA, data, systems, technical product support | Projects, algorithms, internships, technical interviews, portfolios | Software developers reported median pay of $133,080 |
| Cybersecurity | SOC analyst, security technician, compliance analyst, risk support | Labs, certifications, internships, networking, incident-response practice | Information security analysts reported median pay of $124,910 |
| Nursing | Registered nurse roles after licensure | Clinical readiness, NCLEX preparation, state board requirements | Registered nurses reported median pay of $93,600 |
| Education | Teacher preparation, instructional support, youth programs | Licensure testing, student teaching, endorsement planning | High school teachers reported median pay of $64,580 |
Students comparing majors with highest paying jobs should use salary data carefully. Median pay reflects workers across experience levels, not a promise for new graduates, and some high-paying fields require competitive internships, strong portfolios, licensure, or graduate education.
Students can evaluate advising resources before enrolling by asking for evidence, not just promises. A school does not need a perfect system, but it should be able to explain how students get help, how often they meet advisors, and what happens when a student changes majors or falls behind.
The table below highlights advising signals that students can check during admissions calls, campus visits, virtual open houses, and department meetings:
| What to evaluate | Positive sign | Red flag |
| Advisor caseload | The school can explain who your advisor will be and how appointments are scheduled | No one can say whether you will have a dedicated advisor or only general support |
| Transfer-credit review | You receive a course-by-course evaluation before committing, or soon after admission | You are told credits will "probably transfer" without written confirmation |
| Major-change support | Advisors can show how changing majors affects time, cost, and remaining requirements | The school minimizes the impact of switching programs |
| Online student services | Remote students get advising, tutoring, library, career, and accessibility support | Online learners are expected to navigate services mostly on their own |
| Progress alerts | The institution uses degree audits, early alerts, and proactive outreach | Students usually discover problems only during graduation checks |
Cost should be part of this evaluation. College Board's 2024-25 published tuition data shows a large gap between in-state public and private nonprofit four-year prices, but net price after grants, time to completion, transfer-credit acceptance, and course availability can matter just as much as the sticker price.
Before enrolling, complete this quick advising audit:
- Ask for a sample four-year or transfer degree plan for your intended major.
- Request written information on advisor access, appointment frequency, and online support.
- Confirm how the school handles failed courses, withdrawals, repeated prerequisites, and academic probation.
- Compare graduation requirements against your work schedule, family obligations, and financial aid limits.
- Speak with a current student or recent graduate about whether advising is proactive or mainly reactive.
What questions should students ask advisors about certifications, licensure, and further study?
Students should ask advisors direct questions about certifications, licensure, and further study because these requirements can change the value of a bachelor's degree. Some careers are open with a bachelor's degree, while others require an exam, supervised experience, graduate school, or state approval.
Use these questions during admissions, orientation, or your first advising appointment:
- Does this program meet educational requirements for licensure or certification in my state?
- Are there additional exams, background checks, clinical hours, student teaching hours, portfolios, or supervised practice requirements?
- Which electives or concentrations best prepare students for my intended career path?
- What graduate programs do students commonly pursue after this major, and what prerequisites should I complete now?
- Will changing from online to campus, or campus to online, affect clinicals, labs, internships, or licensure eligibility?
- What happens if I transfer in credits, repeat a course, take a semester off, or move to another state?
Advisors can also help students decide whether more education is worth it. Some students may benefit from employer-paid certificates or professional exams, while others may compare graduate options such as a 6 months masters degree online when they need a faster credential for advancement, career switching, or salary growth. Always confirm accreditation, workload, admissions requirements, and whether the credential is respected in your target field.
Other Things You Should Know About
Students should bring an unofficial transcript, placement test scores, a degree audit if available, and a list of intended courses. These documents let the advisor check prerequisite progress, transfer credits, and graduation requirements in one meeting, which is especially important during the first term of 2027.
Most students should meet with an advisor at least once before registration each term. Students in selective, licensure-based, transfer-heavy, or online programs may need additional meetings when planning internships, changing majors, applying to clinicals, or preparing for graduation.
It can help reduce avoidable delays by clarifying prerequisites, transfer credits, course sequencing, and graduation requirements. Advising does not guarantee faster completion, but it can help students avoid common mistakes that add time and cost.
The biggest red flag is vague or inconsistent information. If a school cannot explain who your advisor will be, how transfer credits apply, whether your program meets licensure requirements, or how online students receive support, ask for written clarification before enrolling.
- Differences in Student Satisfaction with Academic Advising ... https://sryahwapublications.com/article/download/2637-5877.0201003
- STEM Diversity in Advising: Ethnicity and Its Impact on Academic Advisor Value at U.S. Higher Education https://articlegateway.com/journals/index.php/JHETP/article/view/7146
- Global Engagement at NACAC - National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) https://www.nacacnet.org/global-engagement/
- College student satisfaction and academic advising: What do the national data tell us? https://www.ruffalonl.com/college-student-satisfaction-and-academic-advising-what-do-the-national-data-tell-us/
- Advising as a Strategy for Achieving Equitable Student Outcomes | MDRC https://www.mdrc.org/work/publications/advising-strategy-achieving-equitable-student-outcomes
- Supporting STEM academic advising for undergraduate student achievement - AAAS | IUSE https://aaas-iuse.org/resource/supporting-stem-academic-advising-for-undergraduate-student-achievement/
- 4 Challenges Derailing Advisors and Strategies to Fix Them https://www.civitaslearning.com/blog/4-challenges-derailing-academic-advisor-effectiveness-and-how-to-fix-them/
- Academic Success for STEM and Non-STEM Majors https://jstem.org/jstem/index.php/JSTEM/article/download/1470/1292
