So, what are you majoring in?

• Author: Donnelly, Pamela
• Position: COLLEGE LIFE - College majors - List

SPECIALIZATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP is where it's at. Colleges have been churning out too many graduates qualified for fields that are dwindling, as many parents are in the dark about aiming their teens toward the right things. Parents should encourage their college-bound students to consider new majors for the new millennium they will inhabit.

According to U.S. News & World Report, here are several of the most up-and-coming majors with expansive potential for job placement--and significant financial rewards. Why pay tens of thousands of dollars to get a degree that will not pay the bills and fund some thrills? Life is too short; here are seven great places to begin looking:

Biomedical Engineering. If your teen shows strength in science, this is a great area to explore. Biomedical engineers combine engineering, science, and technology to come up with fixes for everything from preventing cancer, to inventing medical devices, engineering medications, and even designing surgical robots. The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that, from 2008-18, this field will have a 72% rate of job growth.

Computer Game Design. Colleges now offer majors in game design for an industry expected to generate $82,400,000,000 this year. Games are not just for play anymore, as our culture has adapted these protocols for training our military, firefighters, corporate workers, and more. Jobs include game production, development, design, art, programming, computer graphics, and human computer interaction. Those who specialize as software engineers also find great jobs in architecture, medicine, law, and other industries using interactive simulation.

Environmental Studies. It is no inconvenient truth that people across the globe are awakening to human impact on our shared natural resources. From energy to water, food, and climate concerns, this is a major with major importance for us all. As a major, environmental studies combines interdisciplinary classes in health, food, agriculture, energy, biodiversity, climate, history and culture, land use, and public policy.

Health Information Management. As America ages and more and more of us are living longer, increased numbers of workers are needed to manage information systems related to improving health and managing payments. Courses can include biomedical core courses--anatomy, physiology, and medical terminology--along with basic computer courses, management information systems, and systems analysis and design. The...