Online Education Guide

What is a College Major, and How Should You Choose One?

The Right College Major Can Be Your Path to a Great Career

Why Do I Need a College Degree? Large employers have scaled back their internal training and development programs, relying instead on colleges and universities that can handle those tasks more efficiently. Though a growing number of businesses provide their employees with tuition reimbursement programs to cover the cost of ongoing career training, most job seekers competing for entry-level positions must invest in their own professional development. Therefore, to compete effectively in today's job market, a college degree is an essential tool that can assure potential employers that you have the basic skills to handle new assignments. By enrolling in a respected, accredited degree program, you can prove your skills and back up your claims with a solid college record.

How Do I Choose a Major?

Many high school students can benefit from the guidance of knowledgeable college advisors and career counselors. These experts can help analyze your academic performance and your interest in extracurricular activities to suggest some potential college majors. For example, if you excel in history classes and enjoy participating in your school's debate team, a counselor might suggest studying political science. Likewise, strong math skills and an active role in your schools' Junior Achievement program might suggest your inclination toward a business major.

College Degrees for Nontraditional Students

Build a Broad Base for Career Development

Therefore, both on-campus and online colleges and universities offer a variety of contemporary, career-focused degree programs to help students prepare for the challenges of today's economy. Although the point of a college major is to specialize in a particular discipline, most colleges and universities expose students to a growing range of courses that help them navigate careers in all areas of that discipline.

Double Majors

With an unusual double major, such as mathematics and fine arts, or technology and sociology, students can transform themselves into the ideal candidates for incredibly unique jobs later in their careers. At the same time, their broad bases of knowledge allow them to pursue positions in either of their chosen specialties, making it much easier to find a job after graduation.

Still, you do not have to choose a double major to make yourself attractive to prospective employers. Within each college major, you can select concentrations that emphasize skills in specific areas of a field. You can also take advantage of elective courses that expose you to lots of ideas and disciplines that can help shape your unique approach to your work.

Not All Degree Programs are Alike

1. How "Hands-On" Do You Want to Get?
   Some college majors allow students to begin practicing in their field from the very first day of class. Other programs run students through rigorous years of theory before allowing them to practice their craft. Although both methodologies produce equally skilled graduates, enrolling yourself in a college major that does not fit your personal learning style can result in years of frustration. For degree programs that encourage you to apply your knowledge immediately to your current career, consider taking online college classes.
   
   
2. What Kind of Environment Inspires You?
   Some students feel that they perform much better in large, anonymous lecture hall settings than in small groups. Other students crave as much one-on-one interaction with faculty members as possible. Online degree programs allow students to interact with each other and with professors in an almost constant barrage of electronic chat and bulletin board messages. If you're not sure whether you're a good candidate to take your college courses online, try our assessment test.
   
   
3. How Does a Major Program Reflect Your Interests?
   From school to school, the departments that cover your chosen college major might vary wildly in everything from political sensibility to geographic orientation. For example, if you want to specialize in the business of emerging markets, you will probably find more compelling courses at a school that offers a business major with a strong international emphasis than one that focuses on U.S. business.

Your College Degree Program is Not Carved in Stone

While previous generations of students usually had to settle for their initial choice of college major (and therefore career), today's competitive college landscape offers students unprecedented flexibility. If you're not happy with your current major, you can take advantage of this environment to switch to a college major that better meets your needs.

If you still feel unsure about committing to a specific college major at the undergraduate level, many college advisors recommend enrolling in a comprehensive liberal arts degree program. The backbone of most colleges and universities, a liberal arts major will expose you to the widest variety of general subjects and disciplines. In most cases, if you decide to select another college major before your junior year, you can convert your completed liberal arts courses into electives, using your last two years of a bachelor's degree program to concentrate on your new passion.

Waiting to Choose Your Major

Later in your career, you can sharpen your career focus by pursuing certificate programs in a variety of specialized subjects, from animal care to accounting. If you want to transition to an entirely new discipline, many colleges and universities will grant you credit for work completed during your first undergraduate degree program. As a result, you might qualify to enter a master's degree program in a new field, or you may be able to complete a second undergraduate degree in a different major by completing only a handful of core courses.

Research Your Favorite Majors and Degree Programss

Start with our website. WorldWideLearn offers a comprehensive selection of on-campus and online degree programs and institutions. Follow our links to explore possible college majors, along with selections of some of the most effective degree programs offered in each field.

Request information from colleges and universities. Using the links on our site, you can request specific literature about your ideal degree program from a variety of institutions. Ask for specific information, including faculty biographies, reading lists, class listings, and course descriptions within your intended major.

Track down some alumni. Admissions counselors and department heads will be eager to connect you to successful and influential alumni from their programs. Alumni will often be happy to share their opinions of the strengths and weaknesses of a particular college major, especially in the context of their professional careers.

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Find your college major . . . Browse the links below for descriptions of college majors, career information, and education pathways:
- Majors in Arts & Humanities - Majors in Business - Majors in Criminal Justice	- Majors in Education - Majors in Engineering - Majors in Health & Medicine	- Majors in Science - Majors in Social Science - Majors in Technology