These are the degrees most likely to get you a spot on The Apprentice

Unsurprisingly business degrees are very common

2 years ago

The final for The Apprentice series 16 hasn’t even aired yet and already applications for the next series have closed. However if you think you’ve got what it takes to apply for the 2024 series then maybe bear in mind there are a few degrees which are more likely to get you a spot than others.

Over the years The Apprentice candidates have studied everything from music to religion to sports science before trying their luck as Lord Sugar’s next business partner. However the vast majority of The Apprentice contestants have studied, drum roll please…business before going on the show.

It’s not at all surprising that many of the candidates have a business degree when going on The Apprentice but there are a few other common degrees of former contestants which may surprise you. We’ve looked at the degrees of contestants from the last six series to see what you need to be studying in order to get a seat in front of Lord Sugar.

These are the top eight most popular degrees studied by The Apprentice contestants:

Business

via BBC

Unsurprisingly the most common degree amongst Apprentice candidates is some form of business degree, which makes complete sense given the whole premise of the show is about running your own business.

Over the last seven years 12 candidates have done a degree in business studies, business management, international business, commerce or enterprise. I’m sure there is a difference between them all but they just sound the same to me.

This season’s Sophie studied business at Bristol University and Sabrina Stocker from two seasons ago studied Business Administration at Heriot-Watt University.

Maths

via BBC

Next up is Maths which three Apprentice candidates have studied over the last seven years. You’ve got to be pretty clever and dedicated to do a maths degree, which I guess helps you get a spot on The Apprentice.

This season’s Akeem has a first class Maths degree from Queen Mary’s University of London. And Francesca from this season also graduated with a first in Maths from Loughborough. However given neither of them have ended up in the final, it may not be the best indictor of success.

Law

via BBC

In business you’re always going to need a lawyer to draw up documents and fight off any lawsuits that may come your way. And over the years law has been a popular degree with Apprentice candidates.

In series 14 Khadika Kalifa, Camilla Ainsworth and Kurran Pooni all studied law at university.

Fashion

via BBC

It may surprise some to learn fashion is one of the more popular degrees with Apprentice candidates. Over the years contestants have had degrees in fashion design, marketing and communications.

Iasha Masood from series 15 studied Fashion Design with Textiles, Fashion and Apparel Design at the University of Huddersfield.

Accounting

via BBC

Given business is all about making those numbers count it makes sense a few Apprentice candidates have accounting as their degree.

Lubna Farhan from series 15 studied Accounting and Management Information System and got a first in it. Too bad she couldn’t use it to win the show.

Psychology

via BBC

Two candidates over the last seven years have studied psychology before heading to The Apprentice. Being able to understand your customer is crucial so a psychology degree could come in handy.

However it wasn’t helpful enough for Jackie Fast who has a Psychology degree but ended up being fired after the ninth task. Maybe she just didn’t know what Lord Sugar was thinking?

Journalism

via BBC

Won’t lie as a journalist I’m surprised to see this make the list, but nonetheless two former Apprentice candidates have some form of journalism degree.

Series 13 contestant Jade English, who was fired just before the interviews, has a degree in Broadcast Journalism from Sheffield Hallam University.

Engineering

via BBC

Engineering is the last of the most popular degrees to get you a spot on The Apprentice. In the last seven years two candidates have studied engineering before going onto the show.

Shahin Hassan from season 15 has a degree in Electronic Engineering from Kings. However as the first one fired from his season, having an engineering degree won’t necessarily get you very far.

All images via BBC.