How to Compare College Majors

📨 Overview

The most important part of selecting a major is choosing something you're interested in and find valuable.

At many schools, you do not officially select your major until your sophomore year of college. However, when applying to college, you most likely will have to select an intended major. In larger universities, you may have to apply to a certain school within the university, such as engineering or business. There are different acceptance rates for each college, which is why it is important to do your research. In other universities, majors are not split up by different schools, and rather, your major will fall under a specific department (i.e. Psychology Majors will be in the Psychology Department).

All in all, the major you choose should align with your current interests and activities. If you are applying to a specific school within a university, you may have to explain your aspirations and growing interest in these majors during interviews and in essays. If you have multiple interests, here are some tips:

• Show your interest in interdisciplinary learning to show intellectual curiosity
• Apply to some schools under one major and other schools under the other major (you can also apply undeclared)
• Find universities that offer dual and/or joint degrees (i.e., joint programs in CS & business)

Use the following template to answer some questions about the majors you're interested in, finding the one that fits you best!

💡 Finding Majors of Interest

Answer the following questions to get started:

🤔 Where do your interests lie? Are there certain majors that involve those interests?

• Answer here...

🤔 What are your strengths? Are there certain subjects that are your strong suit?

• Answer here...

🤔 What are your dream careers? Which majors did people in those careers study?

• Answer here...

• If you don't have a dream career, consider what you want in the future. Is it a job in the healthcare field? A job with lots of traveling? A job where you can have your own office?

🤔 What are your dream schools and what programs attract you to those schools? Are there comparable programs at other schools?

• Answer here...

• If you don't have a dream school, don't worry! Skip this question or do it for a school you're simply interested in.

These are just a few questions to help you get started. Once you find the ones that you're most interested in, you can then compare based on your preferences, from return on investment (the value that you get after graduating > the costs you put in during college, both tangible and intangible) to the amount of schooling needed.

🧑‍💻 Additional Resources

Florida State's Major Comparison allows you to compare 3 majors side-by-side, seeing what the major entails. Even if you do not plan to apply to Florida State, it is a helpful resource to compare majors! Read "Big Factors to Consider When Picking a Major" on the Fiveable website for more factors to consider when comparing majors.

📊 My Major Comparison Chart

🐎 Let's get started! Add additional questions/parameters if you have other factors to consider.

Major 1 (replace with major name)

• Does this major align with my current activities and interests?
• Why am I interested in this major?
• What type of coursework is involved with this major? How many years of education are required?
• What types of jobs do graduates with this major get?
• Which schools have this major?
• Pros/cons:
• Other thoughts:

Major 2 (replace with major name)

• Does this major align with my current activities and interests?
• Why am I interested in this major?
• What type of coursework is involved with this major? How many years of education are required?
• What types of jobs do graduates with this major get?
• Which schools have this major?
• Pros/cons:
• Other thoughts:

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