How important is my major choice?
The answer to this question, like a lot of career questions, is: "It depends."
For some special certification programs, you do need to have a certain major to complete the National Certification process. (Medical Technology is an example.)
For the majority of jobs and graduate programs, though, they are more interested in what skills you have (GIS, PCR, statistical analysis, etc) than the name of your major. As long as you have a science or math degree, they assume that you have a certain amount of science literacy.
If you want to go to medical school, you can choose ANY major at MSU--including studio art or english--as long as you take the pre-requisite science classes.
All majors in the college will develop your abilty to ask questions, judge evidence, and solve problems--something that will be of use in whatever career you choose.
Advice about picking a major:
- If you have no idea what you want to do, that’s OK. Most students don't know. In fact, students at MSU change their major an average of four times. This is normal--as you have new experiences in college, your interests and preferences change.
- The sooner you can settle on a major, the better. It will save you a lot of time and money to research your decision early—and not have to change your major several times later.
- It pays to investigate related career areas. Opportunities in your chosen field might be limited, or you might discover something new you never thought of.
When choosing a major, think about what you like and dislike, and what your values and skills are as you begin the process of choosing a career.
It's also important to remember that being technically brilliant, but not having any social skills, isn't going to help you get a job either. The degree isn't enough to guarantee you a job.
If you are trying to decide on a major or a career, you might find reviewing the Career and Major Choice checklist helpful.