An academic Major is a specialized single field of study within an undergraduate degree. Typically an undergraduate degree is made up of 40 courses. The Major portion of this degree is made up of at least 10 third- and fourth-year courses in one subject area. Students are also expected to complete appropriate first- and second-year prerequisites that prepare them for this course work.

With so much time devoted to one area of study it is not surprising that students can sometimes find the idea of selecting a Major confusing.

Following are both a do's and don'ts list that may be helpful in sorting through the selection of a Major.

 DON'T LIST FOR SELECTING A MAJOR

 1. Don't select a Major to make someone else happy. This may be a parent, spouse, other family member or friend who has always envisioned you in a certain profession. Major decisions based on this type of logic are likely to be disastrous.

2. Don't select a subject you have little or moderate interest in because you believe it leads to excellent job prospects. This decision will lead to a lack of motivation for your studies and will likely carry over to dissatisfaction with your work.

 3. Don't believe there is any assessment that will present you with an instant answer to selecting the right Major.

 4. Don't expect an academic advisor to select a Major for you. An advisor can help you with self exploration, educational exploration and occupational exploration. However, selecting a Major is a process that ultimately rests on your shoulders.

 5. Don't think that there is only one ideal Major. There may be several Majors that are a good fit, with one subject area only slightly better at meeting your needs than others.

 6. Don't be mistaken into believing that your Major is going to lock you into a single occupation for the rest of your life. Graduates of various Major programs have a wide range of occupational and educational choices that they may pursue. Educational choices may include professional programs (e.g.-Education, Social Work, Law) or graduate studies.

 7. Don't think that choosing your Major is not important. Those who get too far along in their studies without a solid commitment to a Major may end up taking extra courses for graduation or even worse lose their desire to complete their degree.

 8. Don't think that no one else struggles with the choice of their Major. Some estimates place the number of students who change their initial choice of a Major at over 50%.

 9. Don't be misled into believing that for every Major there is an ideal corresponding occupation attached to it. Some occupations require a specific Major (e.g.-Nursing), Many others, however, do not.

 10. Don't think you need to know your Major before beginning post-secondary studies. The range of subject areas available in post-secondary is much wider than secondary school. Ultimately, the subject that you choose as a Major may not have been available to you in secondary school.

DO LIST FOR SELECTING A MAJOR

 1. Do choose a subject that interests you. This may be a subject you enjoyed in secondary school. It may also involve a subject that you find yourself reading about outside of your post-secondary classes. It may also be a subject associated with activities you are participating in during your spare time.

  2. Do explore the types of occupations attached to various Majors.  There are many helpful sites on the internet to help you do this. Career Developer within Education Planner http://www.educationplanner.ca/careerdeveloper  has a subject area devoted to Occupational Destinations by Major/Study Area.  Check it out!

 3. Do take the time to explore how your interest, values and skills fit into occupational choices. Some individuals place more importance on wages or prestige, while others may view helping others as essential. These types of decisions will narrow down post-secondary programs of interest.

 4. Do entertain the possibility that finding the right Major may begin by eliminating subjects that do not interest you. Often it's easy to identify the subjects that don't work for us as we continue to narrow down our selection to a subject that does.

 5. Do take a range of first- and second-year courses in potential Major areas of study. From the start of your post-secondary studies enrol in a couple of courses each semester that may become your Major.

 6. Do think fields of study. If the idea of sorting through numerous subjects seems overwhelming break the task down into larger chunks. For instance, explore areas such as Arts (including courses in Humanities and Social Sciences), Science, Fine Arts, Education, Engineering, Health, Law, and Business Administration. Once you decide on a field of interest then look at the subject areas within it.

 7. Do look at the grade point averages of subjects you have taken in post-secondary. Often we do well in classes that interest us the most. Some people go into post-secondary with a pre-selected Major in mind. However, if your grades in this pre-selected subject area are lower than other courses you are taking don't be afraid to revisit the decision of your Major.

 8. Do make sure that there are enough third- and fourth-year classes that interest you when selecting a Major. For instance if you are Majoring in Chemistry be certain that there are at least 10 third- and fourth-year courses you find appealing. If you can't find these courses your interests are better served in another subject area.

 9. Do realize that many Majors prepare graduates for entry into professional schools in areas such as Education, Law, and Social Work. Not many people who take Philosophy degrees end up being philosophers but they may go on to be lawyers.

 10. Do realize that many Majors offer similar skill sets that are in demand by employers. Key employability skills such as basic computer literacy, communication skills, research skills and being able to work as part of a team can be gained in any Major program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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