17 Celebrities With Odd Degrees

By Jessi Stickel on August 12, 2015

It is interesting to think about celebrities before they became famous and figured out what they wanted to do with their lives. It also makes us feel better when we as students do not yet know what we want our careers to be.

Here are some celebrities with different degrees than their current careers.

1. Will Ferrell

By Eva Rinaldi from Sydney Australia via Wikimedia Commons

Hilarious Will Ferrell, known for his different roles on “Saturday Night Live” and for various comedy films, did not study acting or theatre arts in college; in reality, he earned a bachelor’s degree in sports broadcasting at the University of Southern California. This may have helped him in his role in the “Anchorman” films.

2. James Franco

Actor James Franco may play the role of the dumb guy or the clueless pot head in movies; however, he is very intelligent. Franco has attended a total of 7 institutions, including Yale. He was an English major when he started out, taking 62 credits per quarter, when a normal limit is 19.

He now has a PhD in English from Yale University. Franco is a true example of the saying “You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

3. Kourtney Kardashian

Believe it or not, the oldest Kardashian sister has a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts from the University of Arizona. It is hard to picture monotone Kourtney up on stage, but she must have been good at it. However, the degree is pretty much useless to her now.

4. Bill Cosby

Legendary actor Bill Cosby is known for his role on the television series “The Cosby Show” as Doctor Huxtable, and has recently become known for less admirable reasons. Although Cosby spent most of his life acting and performing stand-up, he has his master’s degree in education from Temple and the University of Massachusetts.

5. Bradley Cooper

Even the sexy Mr. Cooper has a college degree from Georgetown University, located in the nation’s capital. He studied and earned a bachelor’s degree in English. I definitely wouldn’t have minded having him as a study partner!

6. Steve Carell

Funny actor Steve Carell did not always have acting in mind as a career; he actually has a degree in history from Denison University. Before he committed to acting he had a great passion for history.

7. Arnold Schwarzenegger

The new governor and actor known for his “I’ll be back” line in “The Terminator” actually has an impressive degree on his resumé. Schwarzenegger earned his bachelor’s in business and international economics from the University of Wisconsin-Superior.

8. Conan O’Brien

The comedian and talk show host known for his unique hair attended Harvard University, believe it or not. Conan actually has a bachelor’s degree in American history and literature, which may not be very useful to him now cracking jokes on camera.

9. Ashley Judd

Although it is basically her job to talk in English in films, Judd has a very unique college degree. She surprisingly has a bachelor’s degree in French from the University of Kentucky.

10. Carrie Underwood

This American Idol winner and now extremely popular country artist has earned a college degree as well. Singing is not her only talent as Underwood has a bachelor’s in mass communications from Northeastern State University.

11. Eva Longoria

The gorgeous Eva Longoria, a former “Desperate Housewives” star, is not just looks, but brains as well. The actress and model has a bachelor’s in kinesiology (the study of human movement) from Texas A&M University.

12. Martha Stewart

When the name Martha Stewart comes up, you usually think about her cooking and baking or her going to jail, but you never think about history. It is hard to believe, but Ms. Stewart has a degree in European and architectural history from Barnard College.

13. David Spade

Former “Saturday Night Live” comedian David Spade earned his degree at Arizona State University. Although it is difficult to imagine Spade in a classroom or studying, he has a bachelor’s in business, which may still be somewhat helpful to him in the film and television industry.

14. Mayim Bialik

“The Big Bang Theory” star isn’t only playing the role of a genius — in reality she kind of is one. Ms. Bialik has quite the impressive college education with a bachelor’s and PhD in neuroscience from UCLA.

15. Ray Romano

The star of the sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond” is fairly smart also; he attended Queens College and earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Who couldn’t see Ray doing thier taxes?

16. Wanda Sykes

Comedian and actress Wanda Sykes did not consider performing a priority when she was attending college. She actually got her bachelor’s degree in marketing from Hampton University.

17. Reba McEntire

The Southern belle, country singer, and actress was not always planning for fame in her future. She in fact has a bachelor’s degree from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in elementary education. I could easily picture Ms. McEntire as a first grade teacher.

Popular Celebrity Dropouts

1. Reese Witherspoon

The award-winning actress Reese Witherspoon attended Stanford University as an English literature major, but left to pursue her passion for acting.

2. Ashton Kutcher

Former model Ashton Kutcher attended the University of Iowa and first wanted to major in biochemical engineering to find a cure for his brother’s heart condition. Kutcher was discovered by a model agent while attending college and dropped out to pursue his modeling career, which then led to acting.

3. Sarah Jessica Parker

The “Sex and the City” star wanted to become a ballerina and attended the School of American Ballet in New York City before finding her true love of acting.

4. Brad Pitt

The famous actor Mr. Pitt wanted to be an art director and studied journalism at the University of Missouri before dropping out.

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