Just for fun - which majors are high-brow vs. low-brow?

[Anonymous]

This is inspired by another thread where claims were made by some that an English degree was considered more high brow than a Communications degree. Interested to see what other people's definitions of high-brow vs. low-brow degrees are. And as an FYI, I actually don't place much stock into the whole high-brow/low-brow thing myself - but what can I say, I'm bored, and it should make for an entertaining thread.

[Anonymous]

high brow - economics...because that's what I studied

low brow - all other courses of study. But especially sociology and political science. We always assumed those grad students couldn't hack it in the econ math.

[Anonymous]

Low brow: education majors. Unfortunately the teaching profession just doesn’t have respect (which I think it should.)

High Brow: STEM/pre-med

[Anonymous]

Business and Communications are low brow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:high brow - economics...because that's what I studied

low brow - all other courses of study. But especially sociology and political science. We always assumed those grad students couldn't hack it in the econ math.

Business Econ, low. Math Econ, high.

[Anonymous]

Business and engineering- high brow
Social services and education- low brow
Anything science or math- high brow

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:high brow - economics...because that's what I studied

low brow - all other courses of study. But especially sociology and political science. We always assumed those grad students couldn't hack it in the econ math.

These are definitely easier majors. But I wouldn't put them into the low-brow category because they are traditional academic subjects that are offered at the top schools and have traditionally been seen as a pre-cursor to law school . I tend to think of "low-brow" as something like Hotel/Restaurant Management.

[Anonymous]

I would love to know how most people view a nursing degree in the whole high-brow low-brow continuim.

[Anonymous]

Low Brow:

Home Economics Education
Recreation and Leisure Services
Psychology
Interior Design

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Business and engineering- high brow
Social services and education- low brow
Anything science or math- high brow

Interesting because I have seen on DCUM where people claim that getting an undergrad in business is low-brow, which being from a low-brow background, I did not know previously. Apparently, high-brow kids who are interested in business get a B.A in Economics and then go on to get their MBAs.

[Anonymous]

Undergrad nursing degree is lowbrow.

Basically the more immediately useful the coursework/the more it specifically prepares you for things you will literally be doing in your job (assuming your job is not academia), the lower-brow it is. Computer Science degree where you do a ton of theory and math: highbrow. CS degree where you get really good at coding: lowbrow.

Then we get into countersignaling, which is a whole ‘bother ball of wax.

[Anonymous]

Electrical and chemical engineering are higher-brow than mechanical engineering. Civil engineering is the lowest-brow engineering. Humanities are usually higher-brow than social sciences but hard sciences are mixed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Low Brow:

Home Economics Education
Recreation and Leisure Services
Psychology
Interior Design

I would disagree with Psychology. Low-brow doesn't simply mean "easy major" but more one that is a "newer major" that is not regarded as academic in nature. While Psychology is not difficult, it is definitely viewed as an academic discipline, and has been around as a major for a long time and is offered at the most prestigious universities.

[Anonymous]

Highbrow: literature, philosophy, art history.
Lowbrow: communications, education, criminology.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Low Brow:

Home Economics Education
Recreation and Leisure Services
Psychology
Interior Design

I would disagree with Psychology. Low-brow doesn't simply mean "easy major" but more one that is a "newer major" that is not regarded as academic in nature. While Psychology is not difficult, it is definitely viewed as an academic discipline, and has been around as a major for a long time and is offered at the most prestigious universities.

Psych is higher-brow than the others in that list but social sciences are generally not highbrow. Cognitive Science and Biology are both higher-brow than Psychology.