Choosing a university major is one of the most consequential decisions a high school student will face — and one of the least understood. Most students arrive at the decision through hearsay, parental expectation, or a vague sense that certain fields “pay well.”
BigFuture, a free platform built by the College Board (the organization behind the SAT and AP exams), exists to close that gap. Its Majors Directory is one of the most comprehensive, well-organized tools available for exploring university programs — and it costs nothing to use.
What BigFuture Actually Does
BigFuture is not just a list of major names. It connects three things most students investigate separately: what a major involves, what careers it leads to, and which colleges offer it. That integration is its core strength. The platform covers over 550 majors organized into 50+ areas of study, from Agricultural Sciences to Veterinary Studies.
How the Platform Is Organized
Layer 1: Browse by Category
The Explore Majors page groups all majors into eight broad categories — Arts & Humanities, Business, Health & Medicine, STEM, Social Sciences, and others. Each category card provides a short description to help students orient themselves before diving deeper.
Layer 2: Individual Major Pages
Clicking into a specific major opens a detailed profile. Using Computer Science as an example, the page includes an overview of the discipline, a list of 12 specializations (AI, Cybersecurity, Game Design, etc.), degree requirements, and career cards with salary data.
The most useful sections are the FAQ accordion (answering “What can I do with this degree?” and “What specializations are available?”), the “Similar Majors” sidebar, and the career cards showing median income and projected job growth for each linked profession.
Three Features Worth Knowing
Career Cards with Real Salary Data
Most major directories just describe what you’ll study. BigFuture anchors every major to concrete career outcomes. The Computer Science page shows career cards for Blockchain Engineers (median $106,480), Business Intelligence Analysts ($111,843), and Computer Programmers ($94,886) — each with projected job growth rates from U.S. labor statistics.
The “Similar Majors” Feature
A student set on Computer Science might discover that Software Engineering or Information Science better matches their goals. A student interested in Psychology will see Cognitive Science and Behavioral Sciences as distinct programs. These nudges are exactly what students need when their understanding of the academic landscape is still narrow.
One-Click College Matching
Each major page includes a “Find Colleges with This Major” button that jumps to BigFuture’s College Search, pre-filtered to show only institutions offering that program. You can further filter by location, size, test scores, and cost.
The Career Quiz
For students who don’t yet know which direction interests them, BigFuture offers a Career Quiz that maps responses to career clusters — groups of related occupations like Business Management, Health Science, or Information Technology. The quiz results link back to specific majors and careers.
How to Use It: Step by Step
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Start broad. Browse the eight category cards on the Explore Majors page.
- 2
Drill into the directory. Open the full Majors Directory and scan sub-majors. Pay attention to names you've never heard.
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Read the FAQ section. “What can I do with this degree?” and “What specializations are available?” are the key questions.
- 4
Check the career cards. Compare salary ranges and growth projections across 2–3 majors.
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Match to colleges. Use the “Find Colleges” button, then filter by location, cost, and acceptance rate.
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Save your research. Create a free BigFuture account to save everything to your dashboard.
What BigFuture Doesn’t Cover
BigFuture is focused entirely on the U.S. higher education system. It does not cover universities in Singapore, the UK, Canada, or Australia. The salary figures are U.S. labor statistics. The platform also does not address IB, IGCSE, or A-Level requirements — the entry pathways most relevant to international school students in Asia.
🌏 For Singapore-based students
If you’re considering NUS, NTU, or SMU, BigFuture won’t help — it only covers U.S. institutions. For Singapore-specific programme data including IB/A-Level requirements, fees, and official admission details, try our Major Explorer, which covers 100+ verified programmes across all three universities.
💡 Pro Tip
Use BigFuture as a starting point, not a final answer. Start here for the structured overview and career data. Then use our Global Major Explorer to go deeper on any major, and visit individual university websites for programme-specific details.
Who Should Use This Tool
BigFuture is most useful for Grade 9–11 students who are beginning to think about university but haven’t narrowed their options. It’s designed for exploration — for the student who knows they like “something with science” but doesn’t realize that could mean Biomedical Engineering, Environmental Science, Neuroscience, or Data Analytics.
Parents researching alongside their children will find BigFuture particularly useful because it presents the same objective data to everyone. This shared reference point can make conversations about major selection more productive.
To go deeper on any major that catches your interest on BigFuture, our Global Major Explorer provides detailed breakdowns of what each major involves, typical coursework, and career pathways. For Singapore-specific university data, our Major Explorer (SG) covers admission requirements and fees at NUS, NTU, and SMU.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is BigFuture Majors?
BigFuture is a free platform by College Board that lets high school students explore 550+ university majors, view career outcomes with salary data, and find U.S. colleges offering each major.
Is BigFuture useful for international students?
BigFuture is excellent for exploring major options and U.S. career data, but it only covers U.S. institutions. International students should supplement it with country-specific tools for local university requirements.
Does BigFuture show IB or A-Level requirements?
No. BigFuture does not address IB, IGCSE, or A-Level subject requirements. For Singapore universities with IB/A-Level entry data, use Oak Education's Major Explorer tool.
BigFuture is a free service provided by the College Board. Oak Education is not affiliated with the College Board. All salary and career data cited in this article is sourced from BigFuture's published pages (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Links verified May 2026.