A ranking of college majors by IQ score

[kikko]

I saw a similar study by Yale psychologists, the results were roughly the same (they were mostly 1 or 2 points higher in most categories).

http://www.statisticbrain.com/iq-estimates-by-intended-college-major/

Legally "mentally handicapped" person's IQ < 70
Average IQ = 100 by definition


I don't like the concept of IQ's, and think they are just something for pretentious folk to throw around to justify they are more intelligent than the average population. The idea of MENSA is a bit sickening to me, but I thought someone else might like to see the results.

 

[Danger]

Well, Mensa is a joke for stuck-up [jerks]. I know 3 people who brag about belonging to it, and they're all stupid compared to the mechanics, drywallers, and farmers that I hang out with.
None of those scores in your link are close to the one that I got, and I was drunk out of my mind when I took the test. (Of course, I'm on my 14th beer of the day right now and feel sober, so that's just a matter of my own opinion.) I also never finished high-school.
As Evo pointed out years ago, the only thing that IQ tests measure is one's ability to take IQ tests.

 

[WannabeNewton]

Philosophy beat math...micromass isn't going to like this =p

 

[micromass]

Philosophy beat math...micromass isn't going to like this =p

*Points ban gun at wbn*

 

[WannabeNewton]

*points ban gun at wbn*

get at me bro

 

[jobyts]

What's "Mathematical Sciences"?

 

[Zarqon]

As Evo pointed out years ago, the only thing that IQ tests measure is one's ability to take IQ tests.

I'm not sure how the two things have been measured here, but there appears to be an almost perfect correlation between the SAT score and the IQ score. So, if IQ can be used to very accurately predict your SAT score, then it can most certainly be used to accurately predict other similar challenges you might encounter also, for example, how well you would perform at working with your mind, like in science. I agree that it may not be the only important thing for doing e.g. science but IQ should certainly be one important part of it, and so not a useless metric.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Philosophy beat math...

That's got to be a misprint. It's surely 29, not 129.

 

[Danger]

there appears to be an almost perfect correlation between the SAT score and the IQ score... ...IQ should certainly be one important part of it, and so not a useless metric.

The problem is that SAT scores reflect education, not intelligence. And unless things have changed drastically in the past couple of decades, almost all IQ tests are guilty of that as well as being culturally biased. For instance, Japanese children consistently scored higher on the same test than North American ones because of their learning ethic and pattern-recognition abilities heightened by the artistic nature of their culture. Something as simple as economics can affect it as well. A kid from someplace like inner-city New York who can't afford proper nutrition and books could end up scoring lower than someone a lot dumber who is rich enough to go to a fancy school and eat properly.

 

[DragonPetter]

Maybe this was supposed to be obvious or assumed, but it says majors, not graduates. Which to me implies current students, even at the 1st year level. Is that true, or was this a sample of graduates?

A lot of naive people bite off more than they can chew, only to drop out or switch majors later on. I usually saw people switching from engineering/science to business/education/humanities after 1-2 years, not the other way around. So, if they are sampling graduates or last year majors or all majors, the results will each be different I'd guess. I am suspicious that so many subjects have very close IQ values even though they vary greatly in difficulty, so I don't think that the implied generalization that "X majors are smarter" can be made.

 

[dipole]

So the moral of the story is that Physics majors are the smartest people in the world, thanks for clarifying what we already knew!

 

[George Jones]

Hmm, my wife has Master's degrees both in Physics and in Materials Engineering (1 and 4 in the table). No wonder I lose all the arguments.

 

[ThinkToday]

Hmm, my wife has Master's degrees both in Physics and in Materials Engineering (1 and 4 in the table). No wonder I lose all the arguments.

lol, you actually think a man can win an argument with his wife?

 

[Danger]

lol, you actually think a man can win an argument with his wife?

I can say from experience that no matter how incredibly brainless that wife might be, the answer is "no". :grumpy:

Obviously not applicable to Mrs. Jones.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

lol, you actually think a man can win an argument with his wife?

Please! This is a no-brainer. I know how to win every single argument with your wife.

Spoiler

Just admit that you're wrong! Leaves 'em speachless every time. Here is what you say. "Yes dear. You're right. I'm wrong. I'm slime."

 

[Danger]

Spoiler

Just admit that you're wrong! Leaves 'em speachless every time. Here is what you say. "Yes dear. You're right. I'm wrong. I'm slime."

Thats okay for you, because your wife is worth keeping. I'm more than happy to be rid of mine.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Thats okay for you, because your wife is worth keeping. I'm more than happy to be rid of mine.

Don't matter. It is still the best answer for all situations.

ARE you actually wrong? Don't matter. You lose if you win and you lose if you lose, so the only way to win is to concede. It is all perfectly logical.

 

[Danger]

the only way to win is to concede. It is all perfectly logical.

Only if you want to keep her.