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What Are the Benefits of Declaring Both a Major and a Minor in College?
Students are encouraged all the time to take on declaring both a major and minor in college, but many times this leaves room for confusion. What good is a minor when paired with a major, and what types of opportunities does having both leave the door open for? These are the benefits of declaring both a major and a minor in college.
Get a Specialization for Half the Work
Employers like particular specializations, and a minor can secure your path to one in half the time. New York Times states that finance majors at Bentley College in Massachusetts have to complete eight finance courses while finance minors are required to complete only four.
A Minor Can Provide Specific Expertise in Your Major
When pairing minors with majors college students will be qualified for extremely particular positions that have specific requirements and preferred educational backgrounds. Think of having a major as having a basic weapon. When that weapon is sharpened (or the major is paired with a minor), it can be much more effective and put out more damage. A minor fine-tunes a major and prepares a college student for a narrow niche that applicants with only majors would have a harder time breaking into. A great example would be a college student that majors in information technology and decides to declare a minor in business as well. Not only will that student be able to find work in the tech workforce, but they’ll also be equipped to take on specific roles in management, sales, etc. An entirely new pool of jobs open up for them. Students benefit greatly from declaring both a major and minor in college.
Related Resource: How a College Degree Helps in the Job Market
Graduate Schools Look At Minors
After receiving your Bachelor’s degree, many students head off to graduate school. Graduate school can be a highly competitive in admissions. Performing well in your major is definitely an important requirement for graduate school; however, adding a minor could increase your chances for admission. According to the New York Times, graduate admissions officers will likely read through transcript thoroughly. A minor will indicate you did more work than the average undergraduate.
Pairing a Major and a Minor Pulls You Ahead of the Competition
Those that have minors to pair with majors often find that they enjoy having the leg up over their competition. While a handful of business majors might be in the runnings against each other for an HR position at a company, another business major might come along that has a minor in psychology to accompany his/her resume. In this case, the odds are relatively high that the hiring manager for the company will choose the applicant with the minor in psychology.
Overall, declaring a minor can open up many new doors that you may have originally never considered when you initially decided to declare only a major. A minor is the gateway to positions that require a vast amount of skills, and in some cases, this can cut down on the competition you’ll find yourself facing once it’s time to apply. Brighten your future by declaring both a major and minor in college.