How Do I Know Which College Major To Pursue
There are several factors that you should consider when choosing a college major that you believe is the best major for you. Some of the obvious factors include program cost, salary potential, and job demand. If you choose a major that is in the top rankings for one or more of these factors, then you are off to a great start.
One of the biggest factors not mentioned yet is job satisfaction. When finding the best major, you need to look into the future and ask yourself: Will I enjoy the field of work with this college major?
Ultimately, you want to find a certain major that matches closely to your interests, values, and abilities. By doing so, you will have a better chance at achieving happiness with the career path you choose.
Factors To Consider When Choosing A Major
Does the work interest me? You will have a much harder time securing good grades and retaining concepts if you are pursuing a major that does not interest you. We are not saying you have to choose something that fascinates younot everyone can be a professional musician or writerbut make sure you choose a major that holds your attention.
Do I have natural talent in this field? Everyones brain is wired a little differently. It follows that certain subjects will be easier for certain students. Natural talent is not a prerequisite for pursuing a given major. In fact, many leaders in their field report initial setbacks that they had to work hard to overcome. However, choosing to major in an area where you already have an intellectual advantage based on your brain chemistry is a good way to make your college years easier.
How much time do I want to spend studying? Realistically, academic coursework is not every students top priority. One of the best parts of college is making lifelong friendships. Another is exploring your interests through clubs and internships. Only commit to a time-intensive major if it really is your top priority in college.
How Many Years Does It Take To Study A Common College Major
Students have the choice of either studying for two years, and receiving an associates degree, or four years, and receiving a bachelors degree.
For those who want to further their studies even more, there are graduate programs that advertise a more in-depth study and take about two more years to earn after completing a bachelors program.
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Business Administration And Management
Businesses, large and small, are coming to understand a new environment of rapid change. They are being challenged to take advantage of new markets and greater demands on current products. Their ability to adapt to a rapidly changing environment can yield great rewards, but it requires multifunctional and multitasking individuals able to form and develop new businesses and comfortably exist within a sea of change. The management major with an emphasis in entrepreneurial studies is intended to provide current and future business professionals with the necessary skills and tools to successfully form and develop businesses. Students generally learn personal time, work, and life management skills. Students will also learn business leadership skills, management skills, skills for coping with a rapidly changing environment, communication, negotiation skills, and skills to assess risk and make sound business decisions within an unstructured environment.
A Guide To The Different Math Majors In College
Math majors are a diverse bunch. Pure math majors wrestle with mathematical theories and concepts to create elegant proofs. Applied math majors take the concepts learned in the classroom and apply them to real-world situations, in sectors across a wide range of industries.
Potential math majors have several options for their specific field of study, as math can mean anything from pure math to statistics to computer science.
If youre interested in earning a math degree, but unsure which math major to choose, keep reading for insight into the various majors and career paths certain degrees can set you on.
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The 10 Most Popular College Majors
According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics , U.S. colleges and universities awarded 2 million bachelor’s degrees in 2017-18. More than half of these degrees were concentrated in just five fields of study.
Plentiful job opportunities and high entry-level salaries make certain fields of study more attractive. For example, business and health degrees account for nearly one-third of all undergraduate degrees. Both fields continue to experience strong employment growth, making it easier for students to secure jobs after graduation.
Additionally, many career paths in these in-demand fields offer attractive pay and advancement opportunities.
Social Sciences And History
The BLS projects that employment of all life, physical, and social science occupations will grow 5% between 2019 and 2029, adding about 68,200 new jobs. To help meet this demand, an increasing number of students are pursuing social science majors. According to NCES, around 160,000 degrees in social sciences and history were awarded by postanchor institutions in 2017-18.
To help meet demand, an increasing number of students are pursuing social science majors.
The median annual pay for life, physical, and social science occupations is $68,160. However, because social science encompasses many different fields, wages can vary greatly by industry and occupation.
Undergraduate social science coursework generally takes an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating topics such as economics, sociology, and history. Social science programs often provide a liberal arts education, developing students’ analytical, communication, and leadership skills, and preparing them for an array of potential career paths.
Social Sciences and History Career Paths
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When Do You Declare A Major
Typically, students can either apply to college with a declared major, or they can enter as undeclared. By the end of their second year, its expected that youll have completed the proper number of undergraduate/general units to then move into major-specific, and therefore more tailored, coursework.
Health Policy And Administration
This major helps prepare students for management and policy positions or graduate study in the field of health care. Students in the major develop the skills and knowledge needed to understand the complex societal problem of providing access to quality health care at reasonable cost. Students may obtain work in many health care organizations including hospitals, physician practices, nursing facilities, home health agencies, health maintenance organizations, insurers, and pharmaceutical companies. Some graduates may find work in policy positions for state and federal government, trade associations, and policy research organizations. The degree may also be used to prepare for graduate study in business, law, medicine or allied health fields, health administration, health services research, and public health.
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What Are You Passionate About
If money were our only consideration, wed all become investment bankers, corporate CEOs, or famous actors. However, lets face it were not all satisfied with these kinds of careers. To decide what course of study to pursue, its important first to ask ourselves what were good at and what makes us feel really enthusiastic.
Identifying our passions, values, abilities, and interests is the first step in setting out on a rewarding career. Youve probably already gotten some idea of your talents and interests from the classes you did well in at high school.
For example, have you followed politics for as long as you can remember? How might this interest combine with your values? If you are deeply concerned with social justice, you might work with an NGO or become a journalist.
A large part of what guides our passions is what sort of personality we have. There are many tools that can help you decide on the best college major for your distinct style of thinking.
One of the most popular is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, a personality assessment test that divides people into 16 psychological types. Whether you are introverted or extroverted, thinking or feeling, prefer decision-making or gathering information can be key in your choice of major, minor, and future career. As an Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceptive , I can attest that most of what the Myers-Briggs says about skills, deepest motivations, and future career success is quite accurate.
How Does A Major Support A College Degree
Without a declared major, a college degree such as a bachelors is just a collection of courses in a variety of disciplines. However, with the structure and support of a clearly outlined major, your undergraduate education is transformed into a Bachelors in Criminal Justice or a Bachelor of Business Administration, etc.
Simply put, the 36 credits in your major are what distinguishes a Computer Science degree from a Political Sciences degree, or an Anthropology from a Psychology degree.
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Stem Degrees Are Top But Liberal Arts Plus Grad School Can Also Do It
What is the college degree that you should have gotten? Maybe it’s the one you did get. But sometimes when people are getting out of collegeand they and their friends start hitting the job marketthey realize that the opportunities open to grads with their particular major are not necessarily in the career fields they’d like to go after. Or they realize that the fields they thought they wanted to pursue actually pay a pittance of what new grads with different majors are being offered.
The price of a college education these days is enough to make even the most well-heeled students gulp. So its worth thinking of your degree as an investment in your future, not just the next hurdle you have to get over in order to land that first job.
The most valuable degrees are the ones that not only provide an immediate payoff after college but also afford those who pursue them long-term career satisfaction and the possibility of earnings growth. Here are some degrees that can produce those kinds of resultsand that anyone still in school may want to consider.
Will Your Major Impact Your College Chances
Usually, your choice of major wont have much of an effect on your overall chances of admission to a specific college. One exception is if the college has particularly selective programs or schools that you need to apply to directly. For example, the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School of Business tends to be more selective than the larger university and some other colleges or schools within it, so if you choose to apply to this school, then it will impact your chances of admission.
We advise against trying to apply under a supposedly easier major that you believe offers higher chances of admission just because you think youre more likely to get in. Adcoms are likely to see through this tactic because the major you select wont align with your profile. Also, bear in mind that at some colleges, such as Cornell University, it can be difficult to transfer internally after youre accepted if the major you really wanted is in another school within the larger institution.
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Finding The Right College Major For You
You’ve likely heard the importance of selecting a college major that will help secure you a job. There are many benefits to possessing a bachelor’s degree in a popular subject area.
A business administration degree, for example, equips you with competencies that qualify you for a plethora of employment opportunities in industries like retail, marketing, and finance. Popular majors also tend to lead to careers with attractive salaries and in-demand positions.
Although potential earnings and job opportunities are important factors to consider, your passion and interests should play a significant role in your decision-making process as well. After all, your major will greatly impact your college experience and future career.
Although potential earnings and job opportunities are important factors to consider when choosing a major, your passion and interests should play a significant role as well.
If you’re considering a more niche major that doesn’t offer abundant job opportunities, like art history or , you should assess your abilities and skills in that subject area. This can be a challenging task, but, as with any college major, your future professional success largely depends on your talent and skills. This is even more important for less popular majors, as jobs in niche fields tend to be highly competitive.
Ultimately, possessing a bachelor’s degree in any field will raise your overall employability.
Doctor Of Dental Surgery / Doctor Of Dental Medicine
Classified by the American Dental Association to be the same degree, students must pass a licensing examination before they are allowed to practice.
While there are many more specialized degrees out there, these are the most common you will find. Go out and explore the kind of degree you will need to earn in order to pursue your dream career!
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Your Personal Interests Strengths And Experiences
This combination of factors is probably most important in finding the right major for you. What are your passions? Where do you thrive? What have you achieved in both your academic and extracurricular life? While you can certainly change course in college and try something new, your background can play a pivotal role in shaping your path forward.
College Degree Levels: Graduate Degrees
Graduate degrees are advanced degrees that tend to be more specialized and provide a much more in-depth education. Getting into graduate school can be difficult and the coursework in graduate programs is typically quite rigorous. To enter a graduate program, a bachelor’s degree is almost always required, as is an entrance exam, such as the Graduate Records Examination . Careers that do require graduate degrees are generally fairly high-level, and often well-compensated as a result.
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Highest Paying College Majors
With approximately 70% of American high school graduates enrolling in colleges and universities each year, a college degree has become an essential stepping stone to landing a great first job.
But when it to comes to your earning potential, not all degrees are created equal.
So which majors really pay the highest?
Through an analysis of hundreds of thousands of resumes and corresponding salary reports, Glassdoor has determined which majors pay the most during the first five years out of college. While STEM majors take most of the top spots, other majors can also pay you generously. Plus, for each major, weve identified three of the most popular jobs that new grads really take upon entering the real world.
The 50 highest paying college majors are:
1. Computer Science
- Popular Entry-Level Jobs:Lab Assistant, Paramedic,Tutor
So for those pulling their hair out trying to decide on a college major, what does this mean for you?
“If college students want to land a high-paying job after graduation, they should strongly consider majoring in science, technology, engineering, or math, says Dr. Andrew Chamberlain, Glassdoor Chief Economist. STEM majors are in demand by the technology and health industries, which offer higher paying jobs that are better protected from competition or automation.”
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Graphic Design And Photography
Graphic design helps prepare students for employment in design studios, in advertising agencies, for publications, for film and television graphics, and as corporate designers. Photography helps prepare students for careers in commercial photography studios and in fashion, product, publications, industrial, architectural, and corporate photography.
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Business Majors In College
Figuring out which loans are best, however, isn’t always easy. But there is a lot to consider before quitting your job and undertaking this venture. Thanks to a phenomenon known as moore’s law, the pace of technological innovation has meant a gradual reduction in the price of computing. The ncaa offers competitions at three d. Buying a new computer is a great opportunity to do some exploration in search of the best tech.
Degree Vs Major Whats The Difference Between A Major And Degree
Home » Best College Majors » Degree vs. Major Whats the Difference between a Major and Degree?
What is the difference between a degree vs. major? Do you have to have a major in order to get a degree?
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With the confusion surrounding the definition of a major vs. degree, having a solid understanding of the relationship between the two may enable you to make wise decisions about your education.
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What Of Double Majoring
Almost every aspect of college has pros and cons, and evaluating whether to pursue a double major or not is not an exception. To help you decide whether a double major is a suitable option, consider the following pros and cons of double majoring.
The Pros of Double Majors
- Added Knowledge
It is to your advantage to gain every skill possible in your two fields of study. If youre interested in Criminal Justice and have a penchant for Psychology, you can double-major so you do not overspecialize in a single subject only. Instead, you explore a diverse range of professional and academic opportunitiesand find careers wherein both disciplines apply. Also, having a double major helps you eliminate fields that arent a good match for you!
- Better Networking Opportunities
- More Career Opportunities
Pursuing two subject areas offers you perspectives from both, making you an excellent employee in jobs that require more than just a single line of expertise. With more than one college major, shifting careers later on can be a breeze! Say, if youre into event coordination, you can pursue Entrepreneurship and Business to increase your chances of being employed and start your own business when youre ready!
- You Stand Out!
The Cons of Double Majors
- Tuition Bloat
- Extended Schooling
- Time Management Issues
During junior and senior years, completing advanced courses can be a challenge. If your two majors overlap, you may have less time to explore other hobbies and interests.
- Split Focus