Let’s begin the process of decision making by looking at what some of your options are.
What Is a Major?
A college major is an organized program of study with some specific requirements that you must complete. Usually the program of study focuses on a subject, and the academic requirements are designed so that you gain some in-depth knowledge of that subject. Typically the subject that is the
focus of the major is the same as the department offering the major (e.g.,
accounting, English, chemistry, or sociology), but many colleges offer interdisciplinary
majors, such as American Studies, that bridge several departments.
Even majors that are aligned with a specific department have
requirements from other departments to help you understand your main
focus of interest. If the goal of the major is to prepare you for a specific
career that you can pursue once you have your degree in hand, the major
often includes a certain amount of supervised work experience. Majors that
are less career-oriented and more academically oriented often include at
least one course on research methods.
Some colleges offer majors with names such as “General Studies” that have
few specific requirements. But, as most students do, this book focuses on
the connection between majors and careers, and, therefore, most of the
majors described here have required courses that equip you with knowledge
and skills that you’ll use on the job.
Four-year colleges typically require you to declare your major by the end of
your sophomore year, but you should start thinking about your choice even
before you apply to college. You may need to state your intended major
when you apply for admission to college. And having some idea of your
intended major may also help you decide on a college, because many
majors are taught considerably better at some colleges than at others. For
the particular major you have in mind, one college may have more experienced
instructors, more course offerings, better access to instructors, major
requirements better suited to careers, better-equipped labs, better library
collections, better academic advisors, or better connections with employers.
Another reason to plan your major before you are required to declare it is
that some majors are not open to just anyone who expresses interest. They
may have specific entry requirements that you need to complete in high
school and during your first two years of college, and there may even be
competition for entry, meaning that your grades have to be better than simply
getting by.
What About Concentrations, Minors, and Double Majors?
Majors that are highly career-oriented may give you few opportunities to
choose courses that reflect your interests. For example, in some health care
fields a professional association or licensing requirements mandate most of
the courses you’ll take.
In most majors, however, you can select courses to emphasize an aspect of
the subject that interests you—such as ancient history as opposed to modern;
nuclear physics as opposed to optics; or international business management
as opposed to domestic. Sometimes the department sets the course
requirements for the major to reflect two or more possible “concentrations”
or “tracks.” For each major included in chapter 6, you can find some of the
most popular concentrations listed under the topic Specializations in the
Major. Obviously your career goal is an important consideration when you
choose a concentration within a major.
Of course, it is possible that you have a special interest that is not well represented
by any of the concentrations in the major. For example, you might
be interested in geology and dismayed to discover that the department does
not have a concentration in French. In that case, you may consider doing a
minor in the second subject or a double major in the two subjects.
Concentrations
A concentration within a major is not simply a matter of which courses you
take within the department offering the major. Often a concentration will
lead you to take appropriate supporting courses in other departments. For
example, an economics major who concentrates in econometrics will probably
take additional courses offered by the mathematics and computer science
departments, whereas one who concentrates in applied economics will
probably take additional business courses.
Students who have a very clear idea of their career goals may create do-ityourself
concentrations by choosing appropriate courses from departments
outside their major. For example, a religious studies major who intends to
do missionary work in Latin America may take courses in Spanish and
Latin American history. A human resources major who intends to do
industrial training may take courses in educational psychology.
Minors
If you have a strong interest in some area outside the department of your
major, you may be able to minor in that other subject. A minor is a set of
course requirements that amount to less than a major but that still put you
on record as having some depth of knowledge of that field. By combining a
major and a minor, you may create a particular niche for yourself in the
working world that makes you attractive to employers. For example, with
a major in chemistry and a minor in business, you may be a strong candidate
for a sales job with a pharmaceuticals company. With a major in
journalism and a minor in physics, you may become the science writer for
a newspaper.
Double Majors
In some cases, it may be possible to pursue a double major—that is, to
complete the requirements for two majors. This is most feasible when both
majors do not load your schedule with large numbers of required courses.
If both majors allow for many freely chosen courses (these are called “electives”),
you may be able to satisfy the requirements for both.
Some people combine interests by studying one subject in college and a different
one in graduate or professional school. For example, most social
workers and librarians are expected to enter the workforce with a master’s
degree, but master’s programs in social work do not require you to major in
the same subject as an undergraduate, and master’s programs in library science
actively discourage it. Medical schools require applicants to have completed
certain science and math courses as undergraduates, but it is possible
to fit these courses into many majors, and a well-rounded academic background
may give you an advantage over other applicants.
Read More: A Major College
