Whats the difference between a major degree and a minor degree at the undergraduate level?

Answer 1

The major of your degree is the subject you study the most (i.e., the subject from which you collect the most credits). Your university should have guidelines as to how many credits you need to declare a sunject your major. The minor of your degree is a subject you study quite a bit, but not as much as your minor. There are guidelines as to how many credits you need in a subject for it to be you minor. For example, at a particular univerisyt, if I wanted to get a bachelor's degree in Science with a Major in Chemistry and a Minor in Biology, I would need to complete 72 credits in Chemisrty and 24 credits in Biology. Sometimes you are allowed to do a Double Major (so you wouldn't need a minor, but you would concentrate in two subjects a lot) and there are Specialization and Honours degrees that are very highly structured so that you don't have to declare a major or a minor.

Answer 2

An academic major, major concentration, concentration, or simply major is a mainly U.S. and Canadian term for a college or university student's main field of specialization during his or her undergraduate studies. The university department offering the major defines a framework for the student's studies, including a certain number of required courses and a certain number of freely chosen courses relevant to the major. Some majors in some universities effectively define the student's full course of study; many others allow students considerable latitude both within their field and in their other courses. The university also generally defines general education or core education and distribution requirements.

Although many students choose their major before entering a college or university, many others select it during their first or second year of a four-year program. Some schools do not allow students to officially declare their major until the end of their second year so that students can experience many fields and ensure they have chosen the one most appropriate for them.

In many other countries, including the United Kingdom, undergraduate students are normally required to concentrate on one subject throughout their degree, so the concept of a "major" is not relevant. Instead, the choice of degree and subject determines the entire course of study. In Australia, the U.S. system is followed to some extent, but there are also more specialist undergraduate degrees than in the U.S.

Whereas minor is a secondary focus of a Bachelor's degree, the primary focus being a major.

Some universities use the major-minor system, but some doesn't. It differs between universities. For instance, my friend who is studying Economics in Malaya University will have to choose a major when she reaches the second year of her studies whereas I am studying Business Management in UNIMAS and the university has assigned me to major in Tourism even before I enter the university. I am free to choose my minor (where I opted for Third Languages - 9 credit hours) whereas my friend in Malaya University has her minor being allocated by her university (Soft skills - 12 credit hours).