Uni Offer Major/Minor Degrees

In a post released on the university’s blog, as of September 2013, first year students will be able to select a minor subject to study alongside their main degree subject.

It is currently only open for certain subject areas, which include Humanities, Social Sciences, Geography and Education, due to the subjects having more available timetable space in the first year than other degrees, such as Engineering, Physical Sciences or Medicine, and it is still subject to timetabling difficulties (which are awkward even now).

However, it appears to be a good idea. For example, if you are about to embark on the BA Geography program, you can combine it with another subject you also enjoy at a minor level, such as Psychology. As a first year, I quizzed my fellow fresh faced Geographers whether we would have taken advantage of this. One girl I spoke to was taking a Psychology elective module, and said,

I would have loved this! It would have done away with the awkward timetable compromise I had to make with my other elective in Geography.

Good for her. The system works by you applying for the subject you want as your major (which in my case would be BSc Geography), and having made it into Southampton University, you then are presented with lots of information on the possible minor programs you may want to take. In my case, I would have chosen Geology, as I really enjoyed Geology in Sixth Form…

Wait, hold on. There’s a Geography and Geology degree course that has the same requirements. Hold a second…the system is essentially the same as the combined honours degree, only with a more formalised system, with (hopefully) more advice on the minor subject.

But what about advice on the major subject? Why the need for a new system when there is already one? It appears that the university has just come up with another brilliant plan to get our money’s worth. How nice of them.

The aim of introducing a major/minor degree title is to encourage students to take modules in other academic schools and to use the title to recognise skills learnt from different disciplines.

When I asked more of my Geography fellows, I received a similar reaction;

But surely if you wanted to study that subject as well, you may as well take an elective module?

And from a second year historian;

Well that would work in first year. But what about when the work pace builds up in second and third year? What if you don’t like the subject and you have to give it up? What a waste.

Here is more information released by the university. What are your thoughts? Post below.