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How to Select a College Major

Which college major should you select?

The answer to this question can usually be found by examining the reason why you elected to purse a college education.  The two most common reasons for attending college are:

Reason 1:
To acquire new knowledge.

If your sole reason for entering college is to enhance your academic development, and if it's not necessary that you prepare for a career, then selecting a major depends upon the type of knowledge that you wish to develop.  Perhaps you want to develop a better understanding of a particular field of study, such as art or history?  Or maybe you'd rather develop a broad spectrum of knowledge and not concentrate in any one subject area?

Due to the design of the SPC Associate in Arts (AA) degree program, you can develop both a broad spectrum of knowledge and a concentration (major) in a specific subject area.  Our degree program consists of two main groups of courses: General Education and your selected major.

The General Education group contains more courses than the major, and is comprised of courses drawn primarily from the Arts and Humanities, Math and Sciences, and Social Sciences.

Most colleges require that you complete a certain number and type of courses within the General Education area.  This is to ensure that you develop a broad spectrum of knowledge.  While you do have some flexibility of choice within this area, most of the courses are predetermined by the college.

If you pursue an AA degree, you will ultimately be asked to declare a major. You may, for example, elect to major in a particular subject area (click here to view a list of AA majors).  If you prefer not to declare a major, you may select General Studies as your major, which will allow you to develop a broad spectrum of knowledge.

To plan your course selections, including your choice of major, you should meet with your Academic Advisor, or a College Counselor!

Reason 2:
To prepare for a career.

If you want your college education to help you prepare for a career, then your major depends upon your career goal.

If you have already selected a career goal, then you should meet with your Academic Advisor, or a College Counselor, to determine which major would best help you prepare for your career.

If you are unsure of a career goal, then it is strongly recommended that you complete our career guidance program to determine your career direction and, if necessary, college major.

Click here to view a listings of college majors and related occupations.

Warning...

Whichever case above describes you, please don't wait until you've nearly completed your education before you select a college major.  By doing so you may rob yourself of time, money and opportunity.

Here's how this can happen.

You've completed a substantial part of your education without selecting a major. When you do make a selection, you discover that your major requires certain courses that you have not taken.  However, you really want to pursue this major!

Therefore, to fit these new course requirements into your academic plan you will have to spend more semesters in college than planned - thus costing you additional time and money - and lost wages since you may have to postpone starting your career.  On the other hand, if you elect not to pursue your new major because you can't afford the additional time and cost, then you've lost that career opportunity!  Both outcomes are undesirable!