Majors

[al Roumi]

criminal justice is linked to judaic studies?

...and terrorism?

[TinCow]

History, chosen specialization (and thesis focus) was Modern European

[Andres]

Law. Additional degrees in tax law and notary law (assuming "major" is = master degree (university degree?)?)

[The Stranger]

major is same as bachelor i think. and minor is just some additional stuff u can do but dont have to. atleast thats how it is in holland.

[TinCow]

Law. Additional degrees in tax law and notary law (assuming "major" is = master degree (university degree?)?)

No, major refers to a specialization that US undergraduate schools require for obtaining a BA/BS degree. For instance, my undergraduate degree is a BA in History. To obtain the major, a person has to take more numerous, and more advanced, classes in that particular focus than is otherwise required for the Bachelor's degree. Particular requirements for the majors vary depending on the major and the school at which it is obtained.

A minor is a lesser specialization in a different subject than the major. Many schools do not require minors and they're not generally very useful for anything beyond personal knowledge.

[Andres]

No, major refers to a specialization that US undergraduate schools require for obtaining a BA/BS degree. For instance, my undergraduate degree is a BA in History. To obtain the major, a person has to take more numerous, and more advanced, classes in that particular focus than is otherwise required for the Bachelor's degree. Particular requirements for the majors vary depending on the major and the school at which it is obtained.

A minor is a lesser specialization in a different subject than the major. Many schools do not require minors and they're not generally very useful for anything beyond personal knowledge.

I'm confused

So majors and minors have nothing to do with university?

Why do you have such a weird educational system?

[Hooahguy]

No, majors and minors do play a major part of the system. You attend Uni to pursue a major/minor.

[al Roumi]

I'm confused

So majors and minors have nothing to do with university?

Why do you have such a weird educational system?

It's a long story. We had differences, they wanted to feel special and valued -we just wanted their lunch money.

[TinCow]

I'm confused

So majors and minors have nothing to do with university?

Why do you have such a weird educational system?

I think the confusion is that the US has a two-tier university system, which is not present in many other countries.

The first tier is generally referred to as undergraduate school. The undergraduate level takes an average of four years to complete, though it can be done in less (or more) time. Graduation from undergraduate schooling results in a Bachelor's degree (BA for arts and humanities, BS for sciences). The Bachelor's degree is a degree that certifies that a person has received a general education with classes in all areas of study. However, all Bachelor's degrees also require that the student specialize in at least one area. That specialization is referred to as a 'major' and the student takes more classes (and gains more knowledge) in that specific area of study than they do in the other general courses. So, while the Bachelor's degree is still for general education, the major is an acknowledgment that the student is more focused in a specific area.

The second tier is generally referred to as graduate school. The graduate tier has no general education at all and is entirely focused on the study of the specific area that the person enrolls in. Medical school focuses exclusively on medicine, law school focuses exclusively on law, etc. Graduate degrees are considered to include all Masters and Doctorate degrees, including MA, MS, MD, JD, MBA, PhD, LLM, etc. The length of graduate schooling depends on the degree the person is attempting to get. Some degrees (like a Masters) can be completed in a single year. Some, like PhDs, can take five years or longer.

As a general rule, a "college" is a school that offers only undergraduate degrees, and a "university" is a school that offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees. However, there are many schools that violate this terminology for reasons I cannot understand, so there are exceptions.

[Tellos Athenaios]

@Andres: your confusion may be due to your more advanced age, the BS/BA/MS/MA degrees are a relatively recent introduction (EU thingy, IIRC) here
to make qualifications easier to translate across the Atlantic.

[Hooahguy]

...and terrorism?

Wow, seriously? After I just explained all that?
Ugh. As a career path I want to work in counter-terrorism, hence my major in CJ and minor in terrorism studies.
*smacks forehead*

[al Roumi]

Wow, seriously? After I just explained all that?
Ugh. As a career path I want to work in counter-terrorism, hence my major in CJ and minor in terrorism studies.
*smacks forehead*

Sorry, I was being facetious. And I am trying to stear clear of the Backroom line... My knowledge of the UK and other govts' counter terrorism strategies is that they are broadly based on 4 pillars, Prepare, Protect, Prevent and Pursue. My guess is Israel focuses on an extra "P", Provoke?

I'm intrigued though, what is it that makes you want to work in Counter Terorrism? Maybe that has a lot to do with what one considers to be counter terrorism work.

[TinCow]

As a follow-up to my previous post, here's a basic diagram of the US education system:

Elementary School (in Europe, Primary School)
Ages: ~3 to 9
Degree: NONE
Goes Next to: Middle School

Middle School (in Europe, part of Primary School)
Ages: ~9 to 13
Degree: NONE
Goes Next to: High School

High School (in Europe, Secondary School)
Ages: ~14 to 18
Degree: High School Diploma
Goes Next to: JOB or Associate's Degree or Technical Degree or Undergraduate Degree

Associate College
Ages: ~18 to 20
Degree: Associate's Degree
Goes Next to: JOB or Undergraduate Degree

Technical College
Ages: ~18 to 20
Degree: Technical/Professional Degree
Goes Next to: JOB

Undergraduate College/University
Ages: ~18 to 21
Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Goes Next to: JOB or Graduate

Graduate College/University
Ages: ~21 to ???
Degree: Masters, Doctorate, etc.
Goes Next to: JOB or more Graduate

It is worth noting that 'Elementary School' and 'Middle School' are not really separate systems of any kind. They are simply a system used to differentiate between the age of the student. Some schools use 'Elementary School' for every student up to 12 or 13 years (without any 'Middle School'). Some only use it up to about age 6 or so. Some schools also have 'Junior High' which is about 12 to 14 years. However, it is all semantics. In every case, without exception, the entire Primary and Secondary School system in the US takes 13 years, from 'Kindergarden' to 12th grade. Elementary, Middle, Junior High, and High are all just case-specific names given to different years within the Primary/Secondary system.

The first degree that a person obtains is the High School degree, after completion of all of Primary and Secondary school. This is a very low-level general education degree and generally does not qualify a person for much more than the service industry or manual labor. After Secondary school, the undergraduate degree is still general education, but at a higher level and with the ability to focus on a particular area. An undergraduate degree can qualify a person for a basic job in a specialized field or a more advanced job in a basic field, but it depends greatly on the job, the person, and the quality of the degree itself (i.e. Harvard vs. Middle of Nowhere University). A graduate degree is generally required for all many high-level professions.

There are also two other degrees that I listed above but didn't discuss before. First, there is the Associate's Degree. This is usually an alternative to undergraduate. Like a Bachelor's degree, it is a degree in general education, but it takes only two years instead of four. On the job level, it provides a big boost over a High School degree, but not as big a boost as a Bachelor's Degree. Second, there is the Technical Degree. This is a specific degree in a professional field that requires specific knowledge, but not necessarily a large amount of schooling. This is for things like medical testing, repair/maintenance of industrial equipment, etc. Technical degrees can be obtained in one to two years (sometimes even six months), and are often mandatory for employment in those areas.

[pevergreen]

Ah, so to compare it to the Australian system.

Same until graduation of high school.

Undergrad college/degree (uni)= Bachelor of x (your minor/major stuff is just required and elective courses. So my brother has a Bachelor of Engineering, majoring in Mechatronics and minoring in software)

Most people stop there, but others go back to uni to get Master/Doctorate.

Otherwise you attend TAFE and get a diploma (technical college)

So a community college is just an undergraduate college with lower entry requirements?

[TinCow]

So a community college is just an undergraduate college with lower entry requirements?

A community college is a local public school, funded by county/municipality (not state) taxation. They tend to be two-year schools offering Associate's and Technical degrees, though some of them may provide Bachelor's degrees as well (I'm not sure about that). They are generally for local area residents who will commute to the classes instead of living on-campus. Their biggest advantage is that they are much cheaper than other forms of school. Since they are funded by local taxation, the quality of the school can vary depending on the prosperity of the region they are in. AFAIK, they do not have any academic entry requirements. If you can pay, you can attend, though there may be some local residency requirements as well.

Community colleges, and associate's degrees in general, are also frequently used as a stepping stone to a bachelor's degree. Many people either do not have the money or grades to go to a four-year school immediately out of high school. So, getting an associate's degree can be a way to save money or to improve your grades to allow for later admission to a four-year school.

[ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88]

philosophy

What you going to do with a degree in that?

Computer programming?

I like to go into Game Design of sorts.

[The Stranger]

What you going to do with a degree in that?

im going to learn how to tell you why your life is worth it XD without going into your psyche but into the very structures of life itself and i will confuse you so much that you dont know what to do but listen and do what i tell you to do

[Tellos Athenaios]

What you going to do with a degree in that?

Develop a capacity for independent thought, reasoning, debate, and reflection? In addition he should probably be learning about formal proofs and various types of logic systems which are decidedly though subjects.

I like to go into Game Design of sorts.

Computer programming is... well, let's put it this way: in history courses you are expected to read up on your own, and in science courses you are expected to pick up on the programming on your own. To stay positive: game design is probably not what you think it is. It can be about the art, the human-computer-interaction, psychology and the like -- in which case no or hardly any programming for you; or it can be about the computer graphics, AI, and efficient algorithms in which case the computer programming itself really is the least of your worries. The two are essentially minors in various completely different fields.

Perhaps you meant CS, in which case computer programming is really the thing you don't have time for doing to satisfaction (there's always the bug/glitch/crash/oops/missing feature) or if it isn't you have to consider it might actually be not so great a CS course. Computer programming is something you pick up on your own in your spare time using the volumes of free reading material which is out there.

[PanzerJaeger]

I'm almost done with my MBA.

Looking back, I would have been happier following TinCow's path, but my parents convinced me otherwise. Business bores me and I just don't think I have a passion for it, especially compared to history.

It is too late now though... Choose your majors wisely children. It is not all about earning potential.

[ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88]

But there is more of a need for people to go into the Computer science field then in the Philosophy field., though I would like someone to tell me why is my life worth it.




B

Develop a capacity for independent thought, reasoning, debate, and reflection? In addition he should probably be learning about formal proofs and various types of logic systems which are decidedly though subjects.


Computer programming is... well, let's put it this way: in history courses you are expected to read up on your own, and in science courses you are expected to pick up on the programming on your own. To stay positive: game design is probably not what you think it is. It can be about the art, the human-computer-interaction, psychology and the like -- in which case no or hardly any programming for you; or it can be about the computer graphics, AI, and efficient algorithms in which case the computer programming itself really is the least of your worries. The two are essentially minors in various completely different fields.

Perhaps you meant CS, in which case computer programming is really the thing you don't have time for doing to satisfaction (there's always the bug/glitch/crash/oops/missing feature) or if it isn't you have to consider it might actually be not so great a CS course. Computer programming is something you pick up on your own in your spare time using the volumes of free reading material which is out there.

[gaelic cowboy]

I don't understand this majoring lark??

I just applied for and got to study Mechanical Engineering after I left school.

[Beskar]

here's a basic diagram of the US education system...

Here is the basic diagram of the UK education system, please note, this isn't the new reformed School system coming in place, with the diploma's, etc.

Play School/Pre-School
Ages: 2 to ~4

Primary School [Compulsory]
Ages: ~4 to ~7
Goes Next to: Junior School

Junior School [Compulsory]
Ages: ~7 to ~11
Goes Next to: High School

High School [Compulsory]
Ages: ~11 to ~16
Award: GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education)
Goes Next to: JOB or College

College - '6th Form'
Ages: ~16 to ~18
Award: ACSE (Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education)
Goes Next to: JOB or Undergraduate Degree


College - General
Ages: ~16+
Award: ACSE, NVQ, Diploma, GCSE, anything below Bachelor's level.
Goes Next to: JOB or University degree

Undergraduate College/University
Ages: ~18 to ~21
Award: Bachelor's Degree
Goes Next to: JOB or Post-Graduate

Post-Graduate College/University
Ages: ~21 to ???
Award: Masters, Doctorate, etc
Goes Next to: JOB or more Post-Graduate

It is worth noting that 'Primary School' and 'Junior School' are not really separate systems of any kind, as most of them share the same building. There are exceptions where they are different.

[Strike For The South]

Started as Biology, realized I hated biology so switched to History/Poly Sci with a nice little asterik designating me as a prospective law student.

with a minor in binge drinking amirite?

[a completely inoffensive name]

Chemistry. Haven't decided on a minor yet. Might do something related to Chem, to bolster my knowledge for jobs or I might just do a minor in Pol. Sci. for my own personal satisfaction.

[Hooahguy]

Sorry, I was being facetious. And I am trying to stear clear of the Backroom line... My knowledge of the UK and other govts' counter terrorism strategies is that they are broadly based on 4 pillars, Prepare, Protect, Prevent and Pursue. My guess is Israel focuses on an extra "P", Provoke?

I'm intrigued though, what is it that makes you want to work in Counter Terorrism? Maybe that has a lot to do with what one considers to be counter terrorism work.

I just PM'ed you with my answer.