While almost everyone agrees that earning a degree can be very important for both economic and personal success, there is a lot of debate over which degrees are the best. And often the the least popular degrees can be the most rewarding, again, both economically and personally.
几乎每个人都一致认为取得大学学位对于个人成就和取得较好的经济收入来说至关重要，但是对于哪些学位最好这一问题却存在很大的争议。那些最冷门的大学学位常常会带来最丰厚的回报——取得个人和经济上的双丰收。
Students are lined up to get their MBA degree, with its promise of a big paycheck. However, possessing one of the remarkable and unusual college degrees on this list could also lead to financial success. Quite a few of them are unusual and unusual enough that competition in their respective fields is minimal.
学生们都排着队想要拿到工商管理硕士的学位，憧憬着它能赚取高额的薪水。但是拥有以下名单里的学位也会让你获得高薪。它们中很多都是非常特殊的，特殊到在相关领域内，只存在微小的竞争。
The definition of the word remarkable is "unusual" and "worthy of notice". The degrees listed here are "unusual college degrees", because their focus of study is unusual, they are not offered at many schools, or most people don't even know the degree exists.
"remarkable"这一词的定义是"特殊的，值得注意的"。以下所列的学位都是特殊的大学学位，因为它们的专业非常特殊，开设这样专业的大学很少，或者大多数人甚至都不知道有这样的学位存在。

10.Taxation
10.税务学

Paying taxes is annoying but it is definitely here to stay, so if you pursue a degree in taxation you will most likely always have a job. A degree in taxation provides you with in-depth knowledge of the taxation system, usually much more than an experienced lawyer would know. This degree allows you to work with people and organizations that regularly need their taxes done. In essence, every company and individual you can call to mind. While this degree isn't uncommon by numbers, the number of things you can do with it trumps so many other careers that it makes specializing in taxation priceless.
纳税是非常烦人的一件事情，但是它绝对是长期存在的，所以如果你能获得一个税务学位，那么很有可能你就有一个铁饭碗了。攻读税务学位，你会对税务系统有更加深入的了解，通常比一个经验丰富的律师知道得还多。拥有这个学位，你就可以为定期需要纳税的个人和机构处理税务。虽然就数量上来说，这个学位并不特殊，但是利用它你能做许多事情，这已经远远胜过了其他专业，因而专门从事税务的人，千金难求。
But, you will most likely have friends who have ulterior motives (free tax advice) or few friends who don't like being reminded they have to pay taxes every year.
然而，很有可能你会有许多别有用心的朋友（想你为他们提供免税建议）或者少数不想被你提醒每年都要交税的朋友。

9.Radiologic Sciences
9.应用辐射学

As of mid 2009, only 34 colleges in the United States offered Bachelor's degrees in Radiologic Sciences (centralfloridafuture.com). As a result, most Associate degree holders are treated with the same deference as someone with a four-year degree. A Radiologist's job can seem simple at times – reading x-rays. Yet, becoming a master in this field awards the practitioner permission to administer radiation treatment to help patients deal with injuries and diseases.
到2009年中期为止，美国只有34所大学提供应用辐射学的学士学位。因此，大多数持有副学士学位（只修满两年课程）的人和持有四年学士学位的人享有同样尊贵的待遇。放射科医生的工作有时看起来非常简单，只要查看X射线。但是如果你成为了这个领域的翘楚，你就可以得到医生的许可，采用辐射疗法帮助病人治疗他们的伤口和疾病。

8.Archeology
8.考古学

Archeologists get to travel the globe, search for unseen artifacts, and unearth strange grounds when they're not roaming through secret caves as though they're Lara Croft from Tomb Raider. Earning a degree in Archeology requires a great level of training and field work, but the rewards can be off the charts. Being able to discover 10,000 year old fossils, then taking such finds to the world's largest museums with their name attached is every Archeologist's grandest dream. These people help preserve the earth's history while having the opportunity to make each day a load of fun. With the degree being popular but still rarely acquired in the US, the chance to become a real-life Indiana Jones is still very much up for grabs.But, usually this is a low paying job and often you are trying to convince someone or some organization to grant you money. Like Indiana, you probably should have a second job for financial stability.
不像《古墓丽影》（Tomb Raider）的萝拉·卡芙特（Lara Croft）一样漫游在隐秘洞穴，考古学家们前往世界各地，探寻一些未被发现的文物，挖掘神秘地域。获得一个考古学的学位需要完成大量的训练和田野调查工作，但是回报却是极好的。能够发现一万年前的古老化石然后将它们存放于世界上最大的博物馆中并附上他们的姓名是每个考古学家最大的梦想。他们在保护地球历史的同时，让自己的每一天都充满无穷的乐趣。在美国这个专业非常受人欢迎，但是很少有人能够考取这个学位，所以每个人都可以争取机会，成为一个现实版的印第安纳·琼斯。然而，通常情况下这是个低薪的活，常常需要去游说一些个人或者组织来资助你。就像印第安纳一样，为了稳定的收入或许你应该找第二份活干。

7.Oriental Medicine/Herbology
7.中药学

In our modern consumer culture, which values the newest trends, it seems like most people hardly want anything to do with things that are old. Scientists use technology and new research data to come up with new leads in medicine, but did you know some "new" discoveries are also based on the evolution and synthesis of ancient medicinal practices? Many of the alleged revolutionary health products on the market today are made from herb extracts and ancient medical practices.
在我们现代的消费文化中，人们关注最新的潮流趋势，看起来大多数人对古老的东西不感兴趣。科学家们利用技术和新的研究数据，在医学领域提出新的线索，但是你知道吗？一些"新"发现也是基于古代医疗实践的演变和综合之上。如今市场上许多所谓的改革性的保健产品都是草药的提取物和古代医药的方子。
In other words, an Oriental Medicine major knows how to make you healthy without needing modern medicine. To this date, Herbology degrees are only slightly rarer than your standard medicine degrees, but perhaps that could be related to an excess of people flocking to where the money's at, instead of where the world's health could be.
换句话说，一个中药学专业的人知道不使用西药治疗就能使人身体恢复健康。时至今日，中药学学位只比标准的医学学位略少一些，但这或许是因为太多人见钱眼开，而不是为了改善全世界人们的健康。

6.Nanotechnology
6.纳米技术

Nanotechnology is the art of manipulating materials on an atomic or molecular scale especially to build microscopic devices. People with this degree are not only trained to observe and study objects that are too small for the human eye to see, but they also learn how to build revolutionary products from the ground up: new technologies, new infrastructure—even talking robots.
纳米技术是用单个原子、分子制造物质（特别是构造微型设备）的科学技术。拥有纳米技术学位的人不仅经过训练观察和研究那些小得连肉眼都无法看见的物体，而且他们学习如何从头开始构建创新的产品：新技术，新的基础构架——甚至是会说话的机器人。
Nanotechnologists help create a cleaner planet, easier lives, and nearly anything else they can think of to make the world a better place. From uncovering how many bedbugs secretly nest within your bed, to knowing what is required to launch a rocket into space, opportunities for Nanotechnologists always remain plentiful. The only strange thing is that though technology claims to be the way of the future, you'd be hard-pressed to find more than a dozen places in the US where you can obtain a quality degree in Nanotechnology.
纳米技术帮助创造一个更加干净的星球，使人们生活更加便捷，并且实现任何我们能够想得到的事情使得整个世界变得更加美好。从发现隐藏在床上有多少只臭虫到了解发射火箭到太空的必要条件，纳米技术方面的专家可以从事的领域非常之多。唯一让人不解的是：尽管纳米堪称是未来之路，但是你会窘然发现在美国如果你想考取纳米技术的学位，开设这个专业的院校也只有十几所而已。

翻译：高陈影 来源：前十网