Choosing a Major

Duke offers students a variety of majors from Linguistics to Biomedical Engineering or African and African American Studies to Classical Studies. A liberal arts education at Duke offers students the opportunity to learn about a variety of subjects and fields.  The majors in Trinity and Pratt and an education at Duke lead students to a variety of careers and students should keep that in mind when deciding in a major.  One major does not necessarily lead to one career path.  For example, an English major has many career options depending on other criteria and activities that he or she is involved in throughout his or her experience at Duke.

Major				Career
English major	→	Internships Campus involvement Study abroad Volunteer experiences Courses Summer jobs	→	Marketing assistant Research analyst International teacher Nonprofit program assistant

Things to Consider

• In what classes will I enjoy the most?
• In what classes will I feel challenged?
• In what classes will I like what I am learning and learn a lot?
• Why do I want to take these classes?
• What skills am I acquiring in these classes?
  

Other things to Consider                                                                                                               

• Think about high school
  
  • What classes did I like in high school and why did I like them so much?
  • Am I expanding my horizons or just subjects I'm comfortable taking or my parents want me to take?
  • What classes would best contribute to my career goals?
    

Things to Do

• Look at the undergraduate bulletin and read course descriptions for various majors.
• Come to the Career Center and talk about your career interests and discuss major options with a career counselor.
• Come to the Career Center Resource Room in Page 106 and discover books on what to do with different majors.
• Talk to the Directors of Undergraduate Studies for different majors.
• Discuss courses, majors, and schedule options with the Academic Advising Center.
• Contact Academic Advising's peer advisors for first-account info from students about majors.
• Read the different programs' and majors' websites to learn about the classes and programs.
• Check out DukeConnect and talk to different alumni to find out what they are doing now and how their major relates to their careers.    

                                                                                           

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