Accurate IQ Estimates By College Major

There’s this popular chart that’s been floating around the internet for years, supposedly showing the average IQ of college students by major.

After investigating, I found that the original data comes from Statistic Brain, which estimated IQ using 2006 GRE scores. The GRE data itself seems accurate, matching other records from around that time of GRE scores by college major, but the methodology used to convert GRE scores to IQ has two serious errors:

1. Incorrect Standard Deviation Assumption: The original analysis assumes a standard deviation on the GRE corresponds to 22 IQ points, which not only ignores regression toward the mean, but assumes the opposite, yielding extreme estimates.
2. Overestimated Mean IQ: The analysis assumes GRE test-takers have an average IQ of 115 which is likely too high; a mean of 112 (consistent with Master’s degree holders) is more plausible.

A Better Estimation Method

To accurately estimate IQ by major, I use the following assumptions:

1. GRE-IQ correlation: 0.7 (based on typical correlations between IQ and standardized tests)
2. Mean IQ of GRE test-takers: 112 (consistent with estimates for Master’s degree holders).
3. IQ standard deviation for GRE test-takers: 12 (slightly higher than the observed variance found for Master’s degree holders).
4. Quant-Verbal correlation: 0.35 (per ETS data).

I also account for:

• Ceiling effects: Some majors (e.g., Mathematical Sciences) have many test-takers achieve the maximum score on some GRE sections, lowering the estimate of their IQs.
• Floor effects: Other majors (e.g. Early Childhood Education) have many test-takers achieve scores that are lower than should be achievable by chance.

Results¹

Major	IQ
Mathematical Sciences	119
Physics & Astronomy	118
Economics	118
Materials Engineering	117
Philosophy	117
Banking & Finance	117
Chemical Engineering	116
Engineering — Other	116
Computer & Information Sciences	115
Political Science	115
Electrical & Electronics Engineering	114
Humanities & Arts - Other	114
Chemistry	114
Mechanical Engineering	114
Arts — History, Theory, & Criticism	114
Law	114
Foreign Languages & Literatures	114
Industrial Engineering	114
Religion & Theology	113
Earth, Atmospheric, & Marine Sciences	113
Business - Other	113
Business Admin & Management	113
Civil Engineering	113
Library & Archival Sciences	112
Biological & Biomedical Sciences	112
English Language & Literature	112
Accounting	112
History	112
Architecture & Environmental Design	112
Arts — Performance & Studio	112
Education - Secondary	111
Anthropology & Archaeology	111
Public Administration	111
Sociology	111
Education - Other	110
Agriculture, Natural Res. & Conservation	110
Communications & Journalism	110
Education - Higher	109
Social & Behavioral Sciences - Other	109
Psychology	109
Natural Sciences — Other	109
Health & Medical Sciences	108
Education - Curriculum & Instruction	108
Education - Evaluation & Research	108
Education - Administration	108
Family & Consumer Sciences	107
Education - Elementary	106
Education - Student Counseling & Personnel Services	105
Social Work	105
Education - Special	104
Education - Early Childhood	103

Notes on Data Sources

The Statistic Brain article erroneously refers to “SAT” scores, but the categories and values align with GRE data. The 2006 GRE scores are consistent with historical ETS reports, so the raw data is likely reliable—only the IQ conversion is problematic.