Table of Content
Prelude
How to Choose a Minor
Double Major vs Combined major
Specialisation in Major
Prelude
A major is the primary field in which a student specialises during their undergraduate degree, whereas a minor is a secondary field that a student chooses to complement their major. Choosing a major or minor is up to the student. The major reflects a student's interest in their post-graduation career. A minor, on the other hand, has multiple purposes. A student may choose a minor to enhance their overall education or to pursue a personal passion. Some students even choose to study languages like French or Spanish as a minor, which helps them understand the languages better and serves as a stress reliever.
How to Choose a Minor?
Supplementary Skills: Determine whether you want to develop extra skills and experience.
Extra Hours: Keep in mind the time and effort the subject demands.
Passion to Follow: Consider if you want to pursue your passion as a minor.
Subordinate to Major: To reduce the burden, choose a minor that can support your major.
Minors can help expand career opportunities if chosen wisely. They also diversify education. While studying for four years revolves around the major, a minor helps students broaden their educational experience.
Double Major vs. Combined Major
Apart from choosing minors, students also have the option of double majors and combined majors. With double majors, a student can pursue two majors simultaneously instead of a major and a minor. This might sound similar to a combined major, but the difference is that in a double major, the diploma earned at the end of four years will list both majors as completed, whereas in a combined major, credits will be awarded in one of the two fields.
Specialisation in Major
Specialisations are available within your major. When students choose a major, sometimes those specific fields or subjects can be very vast. For this reason, specialisations were introduced. They offer students the opportunity to study a particular subject in depth. For example, a business major student can specialise in finance, marketing, etc.
Major | Minor |
Primary field of study | Secondary field of study |
10-12 courses throughout a 4 year undergrad | 4-6 courses throughout a 4 year undergrad |
In-depth knowledge | General Knowledge |
Compulsory | Optional |
Significant position of course load | Small portion of course load |
More credit hours | Fewer credit hours |
In the end, choosing a major or minor depends entirely on the student. Whether a student wants to pursue their passion or an additional subject that would help them diversify their degree and seize more opportunities in their desired field is their decision.While specialisation helps students gain in-depth knowledge, double majors and combined majors also broaden their areas of study and stand as a golden opportunity for academically driven students.
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