One of the big questions I ask students when they start researching college is “What do you want to study?” After all… you are going to college to get a degree! But do you have to know what you want to study right now?
Not every student will know what they want to study when they start to explore their college options. This is okay! You have time to make a decision.
A major is what you study in college… but it’s not the only thing you study. Getting a major means that you took somewhere between 9-14 courses in a specific department at your school, including required courses, Capstone or Thesis courses (final projects you work on in senior year), and a choice of electives. Some majors require more courses, some require fewer.
You can even double-major, or get a major and a minor. This means you complete the coursework for two separate majors. This isn’t possible to do with all programs and at all schools, but many schools and programs encourage it. A minor is like a major, but you take somewhere between 5-7 courses to complete the minor.
Most schools have 50+ majors to choose from, and you won’t find the same majors at every school. So you want to do some thinking to ask yourself about what kinds of classes you like in high school, and what you may want to do for a job one day. It’s okay to not know! This is just a starting point, and at many schools, you can apply “undecided”.
Here are some majors you might encounter:
| Humanities: | English | History | Foreign Language | Philosophy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sciences: | Biology | Chemistry | Physics | Environmental Science |
| Business: | Marketing | Management | Business Administration | Economics |
| Arts: | Fine art | Graphic design | Sculpture | Fashion |
| Social Sciences: | Psychology | Anthropology | Sociology | Political Science |
| Engineering: | Bio-Engineering | Mechanical Engineering | Civil Engineering | Computer Engineering |
Resources for understanding majors: