It's crunch time and I need some suggestions about a major...?

Question

I am in a predicament. I have the ability to get a total of four years completely paid for through a scholarship offered to me at the university I attend. I have finished the first year and all my core classes. So, now it is time I choose a major. I have worked in the business (restaurant) industry for the past 12 years and now I have the opportunity to do what I want to do. So the time has come for me to ask, what do I major in? I need something that will provide an open road to graduate studies. My thoughts always revert back, though, to the same thing, Political Science and business. I want to get a masters, but I don't want to waste time. I want to get the most out of it. What is your opinion, what would you do if you were in my spot? I am at the point where I can do anything. (Well, anything that is, that only requires Calculus I) I am passionate about teaching, especially on the college level, but is there really that much of a demand for those types of jobs?

Answer 1

If you are interested in becoming a faculty member in business, then yes, there is a strong demand for that (it would be far less in political science), but these days you would absolutely need to get a Ph.D. to be able to accomplish that, unless you were willing to work at a community college. I'm assuming that you are a nontraditional student if you have been working for 12 years, so I understand your need not to waste time, but if you spent two years longer, and instead of going for a master's degree, went straight for the Ph.D., your opportunities would be amazing (and you need to realize that most Ph.D. students are on full scholarship, so don't think in terms of lots of additional tuition costs). Given your background, my recommendation would be to look into a Ph.D. with a focus on entrepreneurship - it is a huge growth area, and schools are having great trouble meeting student demand because the faculty just don't exist. I know what I'm talking about. I, too, have a background in the restaurant industry, and I've been a marketing professor for 28 years. One of the things I teach is entrepreneurial marketing, and it is an extremely popular class. My students always complain that there aren't enough classes offered to meet their needs, but the problem is that we just don't have the faculty. If you want to talk further about this possibility, email me.

Answer 2

It is a rule that you must claim a major for financial aid but you can change as often as you like. Find out if any of your interests offer an accelerated masters program. My BA to Masters for Social Work has the option to an accelerated masters in 1 year. Your GPA has to be 3.5 or better to do this. Also see what cources are duplicates for the different degrees. Also 1/3 of your cources will be non degree related. I have a major in Social Work with a minor or area of concetration in psychology. You can also double major with a good GPA. Takl to you accademic advisor and then decide. Some degrees are just 15-20 specific credits different and the cores are exactly the same.

Answer 3

Choosing a major is very tough. I personally switched back a couple of times and only truly decided what I wanted to do in my third year. Don't let yourself do that, it's extremely stresful and you'll lose a lot of experience.

As the baby boomers are retiring, a lot of positions are going to become open to the new generation. One of those positions is university professor. Soon enough, there should be a demand for that line of work.

If I were you, I would go with Political Science. But that's just my personal preference. I never really saw business as something that has a high potential for academic study (Economics yes, but business no). But that's just me - I have limited experience in that field.

Anyway, good luck with whatever you do! And don't forget - no matter what you do in university, there is always room for change.

Answer 4

Well you can pretty much get a masters in any field of study, it just depends on how far you want to relocate for a program.

I have two degrees..I started out in Biology because I KNEW I could make good money in that field and wanted to work with animals. Neuroscience changed my mind and I ended up getting a degree in Art History and one in Religious Studies..go figure.

If you keep going back to PS because you really have a liking for it, then go for it. These days, as long as you have a degree, that is all that matters I make $6 more per hour than if I hadn't had one.
You don't need a Business BS to go into business management or anything like that. I would go for the PS degree and then really focus it down as you go along to specialize in something, especially if you do decide to go to grad school.

One way to decide which route to take is to do a search for grad programs online and see which schools/programs spark your interests the most. Each program is going to have something different about it, and each professor is very specialized in a specific area or two..
By finding several grad programs you are interested in possibly applying to...you will know which bachelors to go for. Even if you decide not to go to grad school, you will have a degree in something you can work with and later go if you want to.