Top courses to study in USA

When the topic of studying abroad comes up in any conversation, the USA is the first name on everyone's lips. The reason is obvious. With over 11,00,000 international students enrolled in its various universities, the USA stands the tallest as far as global education is concerned. Be it the wide variety of options or the flexibility of the programmes, US universities continue to lure the ever increasing mass of foreign students.
Once you decide to study in the USA, you need to figure out what you want to study, which is the best course to study in USA and the highest paying jobs in USA for Indian students. The top fields of study remain the same over time when it comes to international students studying in the US - engineering, math and science, and business management.

In this article, we bring you the top five courses that international students are pursuing in the US which also offer the highest paying jobs in USA. Before we take you into the details of the top courses to study in USA and why they attract students, the table below lists the top 5 courses for 2023 that are popular among international students in USA.

Top courses to study in USA for international students

Here is more about the best course to study in USA for 2023 which yields the highest paying jobs in USA.

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1. Business Management

With over 20% of international students pursuing related courses, business management surpasses all other fields as the best course to study in USA for Indian students. Of course, the USA has ample reasons for international students to take up business management programmes in US universities, most importantly because they lead to the highest-paying jobs in USA. The country boasts of the maximum number of universities to be listed in the top business school rankings by Financial Times and The Economist. Five US business schools feature among the top 10 business schools for MBA by FT. In fact, names like Harvard, Wharton, Columbia are enough to excite students who dream of becoming business leaders. The US being the world’s largest economy also plays a big part in ensuring students have a multitude of job opportunities. Not just in the US market, an MBA degree from a top notch university in the US is one of the highest paying jobs in USA and globally.

Here are the top five business schools for MBA in USA in the QS rankings 2022:

Being the highest paying jobs in USA, the mid-career salaries for MBA graduates from schools such as Stanford is $200,287 and for Harvard it's $177,895.

2. Engineering

STEM subjects, of which engineering is a part, are the top courses to study in USA for Indian students and are the highest paying jobs in USA. In terms of numbers, international engineering students are second only to business students in numbers . Like in business schools, US tops here too with the maximum number of engineering colleges in the top 10 ranking by QS. In fact, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is known as the most sought after engineering college in the world and regularly features at the top of the rankings list. Further, MS which is a research oriented masters degree offered by the majority of the US universities is the best course to study in USA and is most searched for out of the top courses to study in USA for Indian students. Of course, engineering is also one the highest paying jobs in USA and the world with specialisations like civil and mechanical engineering fetching the highest salaries.

Here are the top five engineering colleges in USA:

The mid-career salaries for these schools are some of the highest in the world. For example, at MIT, it is $167,200 and for Stanford, it's $156,500.

3. Math and Computer Sciences

Another chunk of the STEM subjects, Math and Computer Science, are known to attract the most international students after business and engineering and are the top courses to study in USA for Indian students yielding the highest paying jobs in USA. STEM constitutes 30% of the total number of international students studying in the USA, making STEM the top courses and highest paying jobs in USA. Again, names like MIT, Stanford and Harvard are prominent as the top US universities for both Mathematics and Computer Science. An added advantage of studying in US universities is there is ample scope to explore research opportunities in the country.

Here are the top five Computer Science colleges in USA:

One of the highest paying jobs in USA, the mid-career salaries for computer science majors from a school such as Stanford is $183,100 and UCB is $181,100.

Here are the top five Mathematics colleges in USA:

The mid-career salaries for mathematics majors from a school such as Harvard is $205,600 and MIT is $158,900.

4. Social Sciences

Social Sciences make it to the top courses to study in USA for Indian students and branches such as Economics is one of the best course to study in USA offering the highest paying jobs in USA. Social sciences and humanities cover a number of subjects like anthropology, journalism, international relations, economics, and so on. “Besides engineering and MBA, students usually opt for social sciences because the scope for research in this area is huge in USA. Also, unlike in many countries, job opportunities are also easily available here in these sectors offering some of the highest paying jobs in USA,” says Kent D Thomas, Assistant Vice President, International Programmes, Missouri State University, US.

Here are the top five Economics colleges in USA:

The mid-career salaries for social sciences majors from a school such as Harvard is $159,600 and MIT is $166,800.

5. Physical and Life Sciences

Some of the top physical and life sciences courses to study in USA are Biology and Medicine and they have always been a big hit among international students. In fact, more and more students are moving from traditional fields and joining combined courses in these fields. “Both my parents are doctors. But I want to stay connected to healthcare via the path of technology. Hence, being a healthcare business analyst in USA is my dream," says Shirish Dhar who says it is the best course to study in USA.

Here are the top five Medical colleges in USA:

The mid-career salaries for physical and life sciences majors from a school such as Harvard is $147,500 and Yale is $149,100.

Also read:

• Benefits of Studying in US
• Study in Australia
• Study in UK
• Study in Ireland
• Study in Canada