Major Exploration
This website is a comprehensive guide to choosing a major in a degree program at Brandon University. Its purpose is to assist students who are exploring options, gathering information, and reflecting on their decision as they continue studying at Brandon University.
Tips for using this website:
- Don’t rush through the material. It’s important that you understand and learn the systematic process of making decisions about your education and your career.
- As you think through each activity or as your gather information, keep notes on your thought process and what’s important to you. Your goal is not just to make a decision, but to understand why you make the decision, and what rationale you have for pursuing a certain major.
- Exploring majors and careers is a process, not an event. You are in the process of developing an academic and professional identity. This identity evolves over time based on your values, beliefs, goals, attitudes, and experiences.
Learning Outcomes
- Develop an understanding of meaningful and intentional exploration.
- Develop important and practical skills like self-assessment and self-reflection; information gathering and research; comparison and analysis; and decision-making.
- Develop the ability to explain and communicate your priorities, goals, and values as they relate to your post-secondary education.
- Develop the ability to identify transferable skills and qualifications as you create a professional identity linked to your educational foundation.
Advising Dictionary
Faculty or School - Academic departments, subject areas, and courses are housed within a broader unit that offers a university degree. Examples include: Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Education, School of Music, and Faculty of Health Studies.
Degree - The credential awarded to students who complete an academic program. The name of the degree is sometimes related to the subject area (for example, Bachelor of Business Administration or Bachelor of Nursing) and sometimes related to the faculty (for example, Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science). Other examples include: Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Environmental Science, and Bachelor of Physical Education Studies. 3-year degree programs require a minimum of 90 cr/hrs (30 courses), and 4-year degree programs require a minimum of 120 cr/hrs (40 courses).
Major - The area of study (or subject area) in which a student completes the majority of their coursework. Some majors are pre-assigned based on more specific degrees (like Nursing or Environmental Science), but most majors are chosen within a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science. Majors within a 4-year Bachelor’s degree (120 cr/hrs) require at least 48 cr/hrs (16 courses). Majors within a 3-year Bachelor’s degree (90 cr/hrs) require at least 30 cr/hrs. Majors include specific required courses and a minimum number of advanced courses at upper levels (eg. 300 or 400). Majors are required in all degree programs.
Minor - An area of study (or subject area) in which a student completes fewer courses. A “secondary” area of study that complements the major. Minors require a minimum of 18 cr/hrs (6 courses). Minors are required for most degrees in the Faculties of Arts and Science, but not all. Some exceptions include the Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Science (Hons.) in Geology, Bachelor of Environmental Science, Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts.
Ancillary courses - Required courses from other departments or subject areas to complete a major or a minor. For example, a Computer Science, Physics, or Chemistry major requires Math courses; a Business Administration major requires Economics; a Biology major requires Chemistry. Ancillary courses to meet major requirements can also be used towards a minor in that subject area.
Parts of a Degree
Exploration Model
What do advisors mean when they say meaningful exploration in the context of post-secondary study? Meaningful or intentional exploration consists of the following:
- Reflect and assess: Reflecting, assessing, and evaluating your academic interests, goals, and strengths by asking questions like: What kind of content do you enjoy studying? What kind of skills do you need to prepare for your future? What qualifications and credentials do you need to pursue a particular area of work? Where do your strengths lie?
- Research and gather information: Researching and collecting information about areas of study and programs available at Brandon University. Students undertake this process by browsing university webpages; consulting online resources and articles; talking to professors, advisors, other students, and professionals; taking introductory courses in that subject area. Students work with their options to better understand the content, skills, and experiences offered by the academic units housed within the University.
- Evaluate and select: In this stage, students use insights from the previous two stages to narrow down their choice of major to a more limited set of options. Then, students analyze the benefits and downsides of each major by understanding their priorities and what they are looking for in their education.
- Plan and take initiative: Once you’ve chosen a major, the next step is to develop an academic plan that starts to make progress in your chosen major.
Each of these “phases” are outlined more specifically in their respective sections.