200+ PowerPoint Presentation Topics for Students

How to Pick a PowerPoint Topic That Works

You don't need a perfect topic; you need a workable one. Run any idea through these three filters before committing:

The best presentation topic is the one you'd actually want to sit through yourself. That's the gut-check worth trusting.

Presentation Topics by Subject

Science & Technology

Science and tech topics give you a lot of reputable sources to work with, and they tend to hold a class's attention when you focus on the real-world angle.

1. How AI and machine learning are changing everyday life
2. The future of renewable energy: what's actually possible?
3. How CRISPR gene editing works, and why it matters
4. Space exploration: what comes after Mars?
5. Cybersecurity threats teens and students face online
6. The science behind climate change (explained simply)
7. How social media algorithms decide what you see
8. Electric vehicles: are we ready for the switch?
9. The ethics of facial recognition technology
10. Quantum computing, what it is and why you should care
11. How vaccines work: the science, not the politics
12. The future of food: lab-grown meat and vertical farming
13. Ocean plastic: how bad is it really, and what can help?
14. The role of robots in healthcare
15. 5G technology: what it changes and what it doesn't
16. How GPS works, and how we'd survive without it
17. The science of sleep deprivation in students
18. Nanotechnology: tiny science, massive applications
19. How deepfakes are made and why they're dangerous
20. The human brain: what we still don't understand

Social Issues & Current Events

These topics work especially well for persuasive presentations. Pick something you have an actual opinion on.

1. Mental health stigma in schools: why it's still a problem
2. The gender pay gap: where the debate actually stands
3. Social media's effect on body image and self-esteem
4. Climate change: what students can realistically do
5. Immigration policy and its human impact
6. Gun control in America: the arguments on both sides
7. Racial inequality in the criminal justice system
8. The refugee crisis: what the numbers actually show
9. Why voter turnout among young people is so low
10. Income inequality: how wide is the gap getting?
11. Human trafficking: scope, causes, and prevention
12. Media bias: how to spot it and why it matters
13. Food insecurity in wealthy countries
14. The opioid crisis: how it started and who it affects
15. Free speech vs. hate speech: where's the line?
16. Police reform: what's being proposed and why
17. Child labor in global supply chains
18. The mental health crisis on college campuses
19. How pandemics change societies long-term
20. Student loan debt: crisis or personal responsibility?

Business & Economics

These topics are strong picks for business classes but translate well to general audiences when you explain the fundamentals clearly.

1. How startups disrupt established industries
2. The rise of the gig economy: freedom or exploitation?
3. Personal finance basics every student should understand
4. Cryptocurrency: serious investment or elaborate gamble?
5. Corporate social responsibility, is it real or marketing?
6. The business model behind free apps
7. How inflation affects everyday spending
8. Entrepreneurship vs. employment: what the data says
9. The economics of fast fashion
10. Supply chain disruptions: what COVID-19 revealed
11. How big tech monopolies work
12. Minimum wage: what raising it actually does
13. Remote work: permanent shift or temporary trend?
14. How advertising manipulates decision-making
15. The psychology of pricing
16. Global trade: who wins and who loses?
17. The sharing economy (Airbnb, Uber, etc.) and what it changed
18. How central banks control the economy
19. Why businesses fail in the first five years
20. The role of women in leadership: progress and gaps

History & Politics

Pick a specific angle, not just a broad era. "World War II" is too big. "How wartime propaganda worked on ordinary citizens" is a presentation.

1. Lessons the Cold War still teaches us
2. The civil rights movement and its unfinished work
3. How propaganda shaped public opinion in World War II
4. The history of pandemics: what we've learned (and forgotten)
5. How social media influenced recent elections
6. The fall of the Berlin Wall: causes and consequences
7. The history of colonialism and its modern effects
8. How the United Nations was formed, and why it struggles
9. The rise of populism in modern politics
10. Women's suffrage: the global story, not just the American one
11. The Cuban Missile Crisis: how close did we get?
12. Apartheid in South Africa: history and legacy
13. The history of nuclear weapons and arms control
14. How the Great Depression shaped modern economic policy
15. The genocide in Rwanda: what happened and what we ignored
16. The history of the internet (the early years)
17. How dictatorships begin in democratic countries
18. The Arab Spring: what changed and what didn't
19. Indigenous rights movements around the world
20. The history of human rights as a global concept

Health & Psychology

Students have strong personal connections to these topics, which makes for more authentic presentations.

1. The science of sleep and how it affects student performance
2. Eating disorders: causes and the role of cultural pressure
3. How stress physically changes the teenage brain
4. The psychology of social media addiction
5. Exercise and mental health: what the research actually shows
6. Why people procrastinate, and what actually helps
7. How trauma affects memory
8. The placebo effect: belief as medicine
9. Anxiety and depression in young people: rising rates and why
10. The psychology of peer pressure
11. How grief works: stages, myths, and what helps
12. Addiction: disease or choice? (What neuroscience says)
13. The link between diet and mental health
14. How screen time affects child development
15. The psychology of color in design and marketing
16. Why humans are bad at assessing risk
17. The effects of loneliness on physical health
18. How therapy works, and why people avoid it
19. Burnout: definition, causes, and what actually fixes it
20. The science behind habits: how they form and break

Arts, Culture & Media

These topics work well when you bring specific examples, data, or clips into your presentation.

1. How streaming changed the music industry for artists
2. The cultural impact of K-pop beyond South Korea
3. Video games as art: building the case
4. How film reflects, and shapes, social attitudes
5. Cancel culture: accountability or mob rule?
6. The evolution of hip-hop as social commentary
7. How TikTok changed content creation
8. Representation in Hollywood: progress and what's still missing
9. The history of street art and graffiti as political expression
10. How true crime became a cultural obsession
11. The influence of anime on global pop culture
12. How book banning reflects political anxiety
13. The business of sports: more than just a game
14. Photography and manipulation: where's the ethical line?
15. How advertising shapes beauty standards
16. The decline of print journalism and what's replacing it
17. Fan culture: community or obsession?
18. How memes became a form of political speech
19. The impact of reality TV on culture and self-image
20. Comic books as literature: making the case

Easy / Beginner-Friendly Topics

If you're newer to public speaking or just need something manageable, these topics have plenty of sources and don't require deep technical knowledge to present confidently.

1. The benefits of reading daily
2. Why sleep matters for students (more than you think)
3. How to manage stress during exam season
4. The history of the internet (accessible overview)
5. Why recycling is more complicated than we're told
6. The pros and cons of social media for students
7. What makes a great leader?
8. The importance of financial literacy for young people
9. The history of the Olympic Games
10. How to build better study habits (and the science behind them)
11. Why languages matter in a globalized world
12. The benefits and risks of online learning
13. How music affects mood and productivity
14. The history of emojis (yes, really, it's more interesting than it sounds)
15. What is emotional intelligence, and can you develop it?

Funny PowerPoint Topics (For Class or PowerPoint Night)

Sometimes a class allows humor, or you're doing a PowerPoint night with friends and want something that lands well. These topics work in both contexts.

1. Why pineapple on pizza divides humanity
2. A definitive ranking of fast food chains (with data)
3. The case for napping in school, presented seriously
4. Why cats secretly run the internet
5. Why mornings should legally start at noon
6. How to survive a zombie apocalypse (using actual science)
7. Dogs vs. cats: the data-driven verdict
8. Why we procrastinate, and why it might be okay
9. The history of the high five
10. Why fictional villains are more interesting than heroes

How to Know If Your Topic Is Actually Good

Before you commit to an idea, ask yourself three things:

Once you pass all three, you've got a good topic. Before you start building slides, it helps to know how to outline your presentation so your topic has a clear structure from the start.