Abstract
Employers want recent college graduates prepared with skills that cut across areas of study such as written and oral communication, teamwork, ethical decision-making, critical thinking, and the ability to apply knowledge in real-life situations. What is largely unknown is if some fields of study lend themselves to producing these desired skills more than others. This is particularly relevant to schools of business, which strive to help students develop professional skills for their careers and often require practical, hands-on, experiential learning projects. This study focused on obtaining the insights of hiring managers pertaining both to desired skills and the degree to which they feel that specific areas of study prepare students with these skills. Overall, business and STEM had statistically significant leads for essential learning skill sets.