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There's more to College than taking classes in English lit, sociology and Business accounting. In fact, the beauty of higher education is that you're able to learn about nearly anything and everything in which you are interested, and still develop skills and knowledge via university courses geared toward your future Career path.

Basic  

College Courses

  101
While it's true that college students have a great amount of control over their college courses, there are some basic classes -- often called the core curriculum -- that are required of all students in order to graduate. The idea is that everyone should leave college with a basic knowledge in certain liberal arts areas, like English, history, basic science and math, art and music, etc. Each school's core may vary, but the basic principles of research, analysis, and critical thinking are integral.

Experts and counselors that advise on college courses usually recommend taking the majority of your core university courses during the first two years of study. That way, you'll have the second half of your college career to focus on your major and have fun with electives.

Speaking of Major and Elective Courses ...
So what's the difference? A College major requires a group of courses in one subject area that help you become an "expert" of sorts, and graduate with a degree in that area. You can expect about one third to one half of your college courses to be in your major. And, majors vary as widely as the classes themselves. Beyond the basic business, philosophy and computer science, students can major in everything from urban studies and screenwriting to archeology and video game design.

Lucky for you, elective college courses provide you with a chance to take classes in anything above and beyond your major and core classes. So go ahead and explore Impressionist paintings, a class on The Beatles lyrics, or whatever offerings pique your interest.

Cool University Courses Abound
So just how diverse are the college courses that are offered at schools throughout the nation? You can study Gangster Films in American Culture at the University of Illinois ((Urbana-Champaign, IL) or the Sociology of Weddings at Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, TX). Or explore the History of Furniture at Mary Baldwin College (Staunton, VA) and the Art of Walking at Centre College (Danville, KY).

Get the idea? You can learn just about anything in your university courses. Choose wisely, and you'll never dread any of your college courses.



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Dawn Papandrea is the Managing Editor of The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school that's right for you.

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