Choosing which degrees to support faces all of the problems of central planning. One problem is that if colleges are told to create more STEM degrees than the n

Choosing which degrees to support faces all of the problems of central planning. One problem is that if colleges are told to create more STEM degrees than the number of students who are already capable of studying for those degrees, it will encourage the creation of empty "STEM" degrees like "bachelor of arts in information studies" that are even more useless than an English major because everybody will know why those degree were created. It also creates boom-and-bust cycles. I graduated with a degree in physics, just as the Cold War collapsed and mandatory retirement for professors was outlawed. There was an absolute glut of physicists all looking for jobs at once.