Questions tagged [major]

Questions relating to an academic major.

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32 votes
3 answers
7k views

What do "minor" and "major" mean (in relation to degrees)?

I hear "major" and "minor" when discussing college/university degrees, e.g. having a major in X and a minor in Y. What does it mean to have a "major" or "minor" ...
Vebjorn's user avatar
  • 431
1 vote
2 answers
103 views

How does getting an undergraduate minor instead of a major affect graduate admissions in the same area?

I'm currently a second year undergraduate student at UCSC well on my way towards a double major in Computer Science and Chemistry. I'm interested in either pursuing a graduate degree in Chemistry (...
piguy's user avatar
  • 13
1 vote
1 answer
211 views

Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics Double Major [closed]

I am entering University this next semester as a mechanical engineering student, but I need advice about potentially getting a second major (most likely in mathematics). Here are the main points ...
user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
191 views

How to get off the fence between 2 fields of study (math vs physics)? [closed]

For the longest time, as a university student, I have been hovering between my 2 favourite fields of study, namely physics and math. To distract myself from this dilemma, I wasted time completing ...
user avatar
34 votes
5 answers
9k views

Why do American universities have so many general education courses?

Americans spend 12 years in school which is more than in many places, yet, when they come to university, they continue to study a general education program that may be unrelated to their major. My ...
Iam Cleaver's user avatar
  • 1,161
0 votes
1 answer
131 views

What should I do if what I want to major in isn't available in my country? [closed]

I really wanna study to become an occupational therapist but unfortunately, there seems to be no options out there. There are no colleges or universities in my home country with a course in the ...
Meyhor Lim's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
197 views

What should I do if I want to change my track for Master's degree that is completely different from Bachelor's?

What should I do if I want to change my track for Master's degree that is completely different from Bachelor's subject in USA (non-US resident)? Currently, I am pursuing bachelor's degree in Film and ...
Hasnain Imtiaz's user avatar
27 votes
12 answers
9k views

Why do colleges attempt to teach students who lack prerequisite skills?

Inspired by Tutoring is depressing because my students are struggling too much with my exercises. What do I do? The text of that question says: I am a tutor for first year math majors at a European ...
Allure's user avatar
  • 126k
2 votes
1 answer
109 views

I'm late in identifying my interest within the major I'm taking. Are there any tips for me? [closed]

So I'm an undergraduate student in mechanical-aerospace engineering. I'm taking this major because after joined a competition that involves space and astronomy, I wanted to know more about space, but ...
Random Guy's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
116 views

Is there an academic major equivalent in secondary education/high schools? [closed]

I am trying to find out more about high schools that specialize in a particular area or at least allow a student to focus on a main subject overall. In tertiary education this specialization is known ...
FrontEnd's user avatar
  • 125
0 votes
0 answers
83 views

Should I switch majors? How will this look on grad school application?

At the school I study at there are several majors for life sciences. I am currently in a program called Life science - origin of diseases specialization. This program is very similar to the general ...
Jennifer's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
236 views

Dual major in mathematics and physics

I am doing dual major in mathematics and physics and I want to pursue my future study in theoretical physics, I mean want to do PhD in it. Although, I am dual majoring but my university provides only ...
Taucw's user avatar
  • 13
0 votes
1 answer
266 views

Undergraduate 3rd year - Advice needed Physics Major [closed]

I needed some help/advice. Would be really grateful, appreciate any advice or information. I am a Math Major at Dickinson College. I am also taking lots of courses in Physics and Philosophy. At this ...
Binam Poudyal's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
5k views

Can/should math majors consider graduate school in physics? [duplicate]

I am a math major in my early years of undergrad, and I'm wondering if math majors can or should consider pursuing graduate school in (theoretical) physics. I don't think there's a barrier in terms of ...
stoic-santiago's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
173 views

Development Economics Minor for CS Major [closed]

I am an undergrad CS Major and am looking to minor in Development Economics, basically economics for understanding challenges created by world poverty (this is the only form of an economics minor that ...
xXKyrusXx's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
86 views

Testing out of Undergraduate Major Requirements [closed]

Background I am a pending transfer student (incoming undergraduate sophomore) at various universities. I plan on pursuing a double major in math and physics. Now, I believe that I am proficient in ...
J987's user avatar
  • 3
1 vote
1 answer
100 views

Changing p-value adjustment method during major revising [closed]

I want to ask whether changing p-values adjustment method after I receive major revision is acceptable. I have performed some statistical test for like thousands of elements in the manuscript, and ...
dumm's user avatar
  • 11
1 vote
1 answer
100 views

Should I change my major to something more useful yet less interesting to me l if I already secured an internship in that field?

I'm currently majoring in Political Science with a computer science minor. I managed to secure an internship with a large, multinational software company for the summer of 2020 as a data analyst (more ...
John Allison's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
227 views

On areas of overlap between Computer Science and Economics [closed]

For those who want to be involved in both disciplines throughout academia (BS to MS to PhD) as well as in the workplace/career, what are some places of overlap between Economics and Computer Science? ...
kanayt's user avatar
  • 113
0 votes
2 answers
95 views

Do having 2 masters increase the possibility of acceptance in a joint PhD program?

Suppose, a research school in the USA offers a Joint/Dual (Education + English) PhD program. That university has an acceptance rate of 27%. Understandably, someone with either an MA in Education or ...
user366312's user avatar
  • 5,560
3 votes
2 answers
243 views

Double major vs single major and multiple minors [closed]

I am currently enrolled at the engineering school of a large university (as a freshman). I am set on majoring in Computer Science, and have been taking courses towards the requirements of that major. ...
Murey Tasroc's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
940 views

Phd in AI with an undergraduate degree completely unrelated

I am not sure if it is the right place to ask such a question, but I don't know any other place that would provide a serious answer or advice for me. I am an undergraduate student (and a Sophomore ...
user36339's user avatar
  • 119
1 vote
2 answers
295 views

2 majors with average grades or 1 major with excellent grades?

Is it incentivised to pursuit two (related) majors (eg. Math and Aero- Space Engineering) or a single major (eg. Math)? The question is asked with the premise that if one chose a single major, one ...
G. Chiusole's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
27 views

what is the difference between a double major and dual specialisations in regards to a masters degree?

I'm reviewing a masters programme in counselling and consulting psychology, but am confused as to whether this is a dual specialisation or double major. What are there criteria for both? Points to ...
Toni - Jan Ifill's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
168 views

Experience needed to transition from undergrad to graduate school of two completely different majors

I just graduated in May 2018 with an undergraduate bachelor degree in Computer Science from a pretty good university. During my time at the university, I always had aspirations of attending graduate ...
Code Doggo's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
99 views

Where to find details on Bachelor degrees majoring in IT?

I have been asked to design a major in IT (Information Technology). I am not based in US, and I didn't graduate in US. So, I am not familiar with US graduation system. However, I have been asked to ...
Fabio's user avatar
  • 389
0 votes
2 answers
702 views

Double major workloads? [closed]

I am entering Hofstra University this fall as a mechanical engineering student, and I am curious what the workload would be like if I took a second major in mathematics? To clarify my situation, here ...
user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
101 views

How do you pick a major when you're interested in pursuing advanced study in an interdisciplinary field?

I have a keen interest in some interdisciplinary fields such as neurophilosophy, neuroethics, and neuroaesthethics. In the end, I have chosen to study biology, but I am not entirely sure if it is the ...
M.S's user avatar
  • 809
8 votes
2 answers
5k views

Consequences of taking 5 years to graduate with a double major?

What effect might it have on my chances of getting into a graduate school and my employment prospects if it took 5 years (or 4.5 years) to graduate? My plan currently is to take a double major in ...
user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
89 views

List of majors offered by each US College/Univ [closed]

Where can I acquire/obtain a list of majors offered by each US college? Preferably in excel?
Kerry's user avatar
  • 1
7 votes
1 answer
3k views

Explaining Poorly Chosen Major and Average Grades

I am a Mechanical Engineering major applying for Ph.D. programs in Physics (in the US) who was always interested in Theoretical Physics but chose Mechanical Engineering due to a poor career choice at ...
stefan's user avatar
  • 1
1 vote
1 answer
989 views

Double major or specialization? [closed]

I am a freshman at a university and so I am a little confused on to what type of courses should I be taking since there is a limit on the number of courses I can take. I have three options Double ...
mathnoob123's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
10k views

Pros and cons of double majoring vs a Master's [closed]

I've looked into double majoring at my university and it seems that, as is apparently common, it's very likely that if I go down this track I will not graduate in 4 years, but probably in 5 or 6. This ...
Bluefire's user avatar
  • 1,005
0 votes
0 answers
142 views

Is it possible to change the major from engineering to humanity (after master) for phd?

I'm a M.A.Sc (equivalent with M.Sc.) student majoring in electrical and computer engineering at a top-tier Canadian university. My undergraduate studies were, reasonably, related to computer science ...
user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
773 views

GPA data across majors

I read an article recently showing research data of the average graduating GPAs for various majors. It was a discussion piece about whether or not humanities majors were more likely to have higher ...
Melanie Palen's user avatar
40 votes
6 answers
23k views

Why is having multiple college majors seen as a bad thing when applying to graduate school?

I have been told that triple (or more) majoring and/or taking numerous minors is seen as a bad quality when applying to graduate school. Can anybody explain we why they do not want academically ...
The Bosco's user avatar
  • 611
1 vote
2 answers
2k views

How well does "Applied Mathematics" cover "pure math?" [closed]

Ill be going into my first year of college fairly soon, with a prominent interest in studying and researching (as a career) pure/theoretical mathematics (especially number theory). However, the ...
Gizmo's user avatar
  • 271
2 votes
2 answers
972 views

Changes in major revision

Can I change statistical results (mistakes) a discussion section with new results in a major revision stage? I corrected all the comments of reviewers but I don't know what should i do in this case. ...
Krc's user avatar
  • 21
1 vote
1 answer
1k views

Is computer science worth double majoring in for an aspiring Data Scientist? [closed]

I'm currently a computational Statistics major at UC Davis and have my eyes set on becoming a data scientist. I like both fields of stats and computer science, but not sure if I want to put in the ...
Colin Santos's user avatar
9 votes
3 answers
1k views

Do admissions care about one's minor?

If I am a biology major from a lower tier liberal arts school, and I wanted to make myself more attractive for future applications( ie: grad school, job listings), should I bother obtaining a minor in ...
Ro Siv's user avatar
  • 359
2 votes
2 answers
754 views

Professor Job Prospects for PhD in Computer Science vs Computational Neuroscience?

If one wants to do research in computational neuroscience, which PhD program would increase the chances of getting a professor job at a research university immediately upon graduation from that PhD ...
Justas's user avatar
  • 211
7 votes
3 answers
4k views

Should I explain change of major in my statement of purpose?

During my masters program I changed my major from Molecular Biology to Biotechnology. Should I explain in my statement of purpose for PhD programs why I changed my major?
user42804's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
143 views

How does your institution credit a department's support of, and participation in, interdisciplinary programs?

In these lean economic times, traditional majors are in danger of being cut if they cannot keep up their numbers (at least in many small liberal arts colleges). Simultaneously, interdisciplinary ...
Jon Bannon's user avatar
1 vote
5 answers
434 views

Switching majors at a critical stage [closed]

I'm about to finish my 4th semester as a pure mathematics undergraduate. I took one introductory course to programming in my first semester, and another more advanced one lately. Although it was only ...
piaresquared's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

How do I convince my school to allow me to double major? [closed]

I am currently a second-semester freshman. For the last several years of my life, I've been pondering over what to choose as my major. My last two years of high school, I took university math courses, ...
user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
145 views

Measure quality of new born major

How should I go about determining the quality of an undergraduate program that is just starting given that the field in general is relatively young? To be more specific, I am considering a new cyber ...
Ernie's user avatar
  • 53
3 votes
2 answers
4k views

How important is the "major" of the PhD?

For sake of argument, let's say I obtain a bachelor's degree in physics, a master's degree in physics, and then a PhD in physical chemistry but from a department of chemistry. Can I then go on to be a ...
rhombidodecahedron's user avatar
-2 votes
4 answers
381 views

What majors study both computer and maths?

I would like to apply for a Master degree. I'm looking for a major that study both Computer and Maths. Can anyone tell me what such major are?
user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
321 views

If my research is applying methods from field X to field Y, should I do my PhD in field X or field Y?

Let's say I'm a PhD student in a field, let's call it X, and my research is all based on taking the methods developed in field X and applying them to some other fields, let's call them Y, Z, and W. ...
rhombidodecahedron's user avatar
5 votes
3 answers
1k views

How to narrow down a field of study when you enjoy and perform well in every subject?

Might it be odd for a student to love and have excellent academic performance in all subjects—I am that student. I am really confused what to study in the university. My grades are similar (high) in ...
Veo's user avatar
  • 157