Almost all families grapple with the challenge of choosing the right major. American universities offer over 1800 undergraduate majors, making it impractical to explore and compare each one thoroughly.
So, when talking to families, I start by dividing majors into three major categories:
1. Liberal Arts Majors. These are some of the oldest disciplines in Western education. They are typically purely academic, without skills-based training or direct career pathways. Examples: sociology, psychology, pure mathematics, philosophy.
2. Career-oriented Majors. As the name suggests, career-oriented majors have very clear employment directions, such as: medicine, law, architecture, hotel management, journalism, fashion design.
3. Interdisciplinary Majors. Interdisciplinary majors are relatively new types of majors. They require the integration of multiple traditional disciplinary fields, such as: food science (combining biology, chemistry, agriculture, and environmental studies); or data science (combining computer science, mathematics, and statistics).
Each of these three types of majors suits different types of students. But how do you determine what’s right for you?
Category One: Liberal Arts Majors
a) How did Liberal Arts Education Begin?
Liberal arts majors today typically include three major disciplinary areas. The first is the humanities, such as history, philosophy, and sociology; the second is the arts, like music and painting; the third is the pure sciences, including mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology, excluding engineering. But how did these disciplines come about?
The concept of a liberal arts education originated from ancient Greece. Back then, "liberal" meant "free." The Greeks believed that those who lacked freedom were, by definition, slaves. But true freedom encompassed both body and mind – your thoughts needed to be liberated through education. So, the Greeks pondered how to develop the qualities that a person with a free mind would possess, and formulated the original curriculum of a liberal arts education. Those who sought true freedom would immerse themselves in these disciplines, which included philosophy, geometry, algebra, music, astronomy, logic, grammar, and rhetorical arts.
After the Dark Ages, European intellectuals re-engaged with Greek thought during the Renaissance. Liberal arts education evolved into the antithesis of religious education which had predominated earlier, by placing humanity, and not the Bible, at its core. A liberal arts education began to emphasize the importance of moral perspectives, incorporating history, poetry, and writing.
The 18th century saw the emergence of Wilhelm von Humboldt, a German education reformer. He advocated for a holistic view of education, believing in the value of universal knowledge that encompassed theoretical understanding, practical skills and critical thinking. Von Humboldt proposed a comprehensive schooling system, where students would first systematically obtain a broad foundation of such knowledge, later specializing in skills training according to their career intentions.
These ideas constitute today's liberal arts education. It primarily served the upper classes of European and American society, who didn’t need to worry about their livelihoods and so had time for higher intellectual pursuits. Its goal is not to cultivate p ractical expertise, but to develop a foundational way of thinking that could easily adapt to a rapidly-changing environment.
b) My Experience of a Liberal Arts Education at Harvard
As a Harvard undergraduate, almost all majors are liberal arts-oriented, although in recent years, some engineering majors have emerged. Previously, Harvard only offered the humanities, arts, and pure sciences. On the official website of Harvard College, there is a description of a "liberal arts and sciences education":
“Commitment to liberal arts & sciences is at the core of Harvard College’s mission: before students can help change the world, they need to understand it. The liberal arts & sciences offer a broad intellectual foundation for the tools to think critically, reason analytically and write clearly. These proficiencies will prepare students to navigate the world’s most complex issues, and address future innovations with unforeseen challenges. Shaped by ideas encountered and created, these new modes of thinking will prepare students for leading meaningful lives, with conscientious global citizenship, to enhance the greater good.”
From my own experience at Harvard, both the course offerings and the classroom experience emphasized the development of thinking skills. All undergraduates were required to take at least one course from four different categories: the humanities; the arts; histories, the sciences; and ethics/civics. So, government majors would have some knowledge of the sciences, chemistry majors would be educated on the arts, and everyone had to wrestle with philosophical and moral questions at some point at their time at Harvard.
As for the classroom experience, I'll share two general education courses that left a deep impression on me.
The first belonged to the ethics/civics category. I chose bioethics, taught by two professors – one from the
philosophy department and the other from Harvard Medical School. Classes would consist of intense but civil discussions about sensitive topics, such as the ethics of cloning, abortion and euthanasia. These two professors, who usually had diametrically opposite viewpoints, would get into heated debates, with students fueling the fire with their opinions. After each class, our assignment was to write an essay expressing our own thoughts on the topic. Both professors would stress: "We won't give you a low grade just because you disagree with our position, so write what you really think," and they meant it.
The second, under the sciences category, was food science, also co-taught by two professors – this time from the chemistry and engineering departments. Their interdisciplinary approach allowed for discussion of topics like: why egg whites turn white when cooked; the physics of foams; and the flavor differences between grilled and boiled foods. Every other week, they hosted Michelin-prize winning chefs to demonstrate different culinary techniques, ranging from the use of proteins in creating uniquely shaped dishes, to exploring molecular gastronomy to produce unique new flavors. These courses may not have had any practical career uses, but they opened up a whole new world of knowledge to me. Today, I still draw upon what I learned in class when making dinner every evening!
c) How is studying these majors different in the UK and the US?
Different US universities approach the liberal arts differently. Some schools – mainly top liberal arts colleges – opt for a highly traditional and rigorous approach, with a large number of required courses. For example, Williams College, one of the top liberal arts colleges in the United States, has much stricter general education course requirements than Harvard. As we mentioned earlier, Harvard requires one course from four categories. Meanwhile, Williams requires three courses from three categories: language/arts, social studies, and science/mathematics! In addition, swimming is a required course, and students must participate in three different sports or arts clubs while on campus.
The second type is a more flexible and slightly less restrictive form of liberal arts education, like what Harvard offers now. In the past, Harvard required students to take one course from nine different fields! But now, it has changed to the four-category, giving students more flexibility in choosing their classes.
Many large research universities in the United States have undergraduate liberal arts colleges – often referred to as “School of Arts and Science”. However, they may not necessarily be able to bring professors from different colleges within the school to teach undergraduate classes.
In the UK, older institutions, particularly Oxford and Cambridge, are inspired by the liberal arts education system. It’s true that you don’t take general education courses, unlike in the US. However, you also don’t have much in the way of vocational training. In fact, many majors may make you scratch your head and ask, "It sounds cool, but what can you do with this after graduation?"
The reason for this is that in the past, most people who went to Oxbridge were from the middle to upper-middle classes. Going to university was less about learning job skills and more about making connections. The “old money” believed that a vocational education lacked refinement, and only those with a liberal arts education could be considered true gentlemen. Of course, British society has changed since the Victorian era, and Oxbridge has modernized considerably, but remnants of the past still remain.
d) Who is best suited for a liberal arts major?
The students most suited for the liberal arts are those who wish to pursue an academic path, with the goal of becoming experts in a specific field, perhaps even earning a PhD. Since liberal arts majors themselves are academic-leaning, they provide students with a very good foundation in critical thinking, which they can leverage while delving deep into a specific area at the master’s or PhD level.
Another type of student is highly proactive and self-driven, capable of utilizing the university’s resources to advance their careers. While liberal arts majors emphasize the development of critical thinking, students must actively network, pursue internships, and acquire new skills outside the classroom. Merely adhering to the curriculum for four years without engaging in extracurricular activities can hinder liberal arts students' ability to secure employment after graduation.
Category Two: Vocational majors.
a) What are vocational majors?
These are majors with a clear vocational orientation, such as medicine, law, architecture, hotel management, journalism, fashion design, etc. These majors focus on the practical skills leading to a corresponding career path.
Vocational majors emerged in response to a shortage of certain professions in the job market. For example, in the United States, the earliest doctors did not have standardized formal training; trainees apprenticed under experienced medical practitioners for several years before starting their own practices. However, during the American Civil War, there was great demand for doctors to treat the wounded, leading to the appearance of specialized medical schools. The system evolved over time to provide a standardized education and training route to doctors.
Other common vocational majors include business, engineering, applied arts (design), and education. These fields allow students to learn skills that apply to their future careers and directly enter relevant jobs after graduation. It is also worth noting that in the United States, medicine and law are studied at the graduate school level. This is different from the UK and many Asian countries, where students can enter these majors as undergraduates.
b) What are the advantages and disadvantages of these majors?
For international students, the biggest advantage of vocational majors is that they can easily find internships related to their field during university and have a very clear direction for employment after graduation. With these majors, it’s much easier for international students to find work in the countries where they are studying.
From the perspective of employers, students have already studied all the skills required for their positions, meaning that they can seamlessly integrate into their jobs once they start. Moreover, these businesses have strong relationships with certain universities, holding recruitment events and allocating internships directly to their students.
However, there’s a huge disadvantage — it’s difficult to switch majors. If you realize, after a year of study, that you really can’t stand the profession and you want to change majors, you must start from scratch. For example, you’re studying hotel management and wanted to switch to software engineering, you would basically need to basically repeat your first year.
This differs from liberal arts majors in the United States, typically housed in the College of Arts and Science. Given the similarity of core courses in the first year, switching majors is relatively straightforward. Conversely, vocational majors are mostly housed in their own separate colleges, such as business and engineering schools. While it’s possible to switch majors within the same college, such as from finance to marketing, it’s much harder to switch between colleges, such as from the business school to the engineering school.
c) What should you look out for before choosing a vocational major?
As mentioned earlier, vocational majors are not easily interchangeable, so you should ensure that your hopes for your career align with the reality. Have you thoroughly grasped the profession's career trajectory, curriculum prerequisites, requisite years of work experience, and actual working conditions? While novels or watched TV shows may glamorize certain professions, reality may be very different. College is a bit too late to realize that you’re not cut out for the job after all.
Secondly, if you’ve set your heart on such a career path, check to see where your professional qualifications are recognized. For example, the requirements for the Certified Public Accounting (CPA) exam vary among US states. Passing the exam in New York means nothing for your job prospects in California. Furthermore, if you return to your home country in Asia, you will need to sit the local exam. However, those who obtain certification from multiple regions or countries can easily engage in cross-border work, giving them an edge in the workplace. So, students should thoroughly understand the relevant employment requirements before committing to such majors.
d) What kind of students are suitable for vocational majors?
These majors are best suited for students who are especially interested in a specific field. They may excel in one or two subjects at school but struggle with others. Or, their overall grades may be mediocre, because they have interests outside academia.
For example, I once counselled a student with a passion for aerospace. His parents enrolled him in extra physics and engineering classes, and he would show up at 7 a.m. every day, attending even the non-compulsory sessions without fail. But, when it came to extracurricular history or language classes, he would find all sorts of excuses to skip them.
Some students are drawn to unconventional fields such as cooking, graphic design, hotel management, etc. While their academic performance may be average, they may have good people skills or enjoy focusing on their passions, making them well-suited for vocational majors.
It should be noted that professions like medicine, law, and engineering still have very high academic requirements, requiring students to achieve excellent overall grades. However, besides these three categories, other vocational majors have relatively lower academic requirements. When applying to a program, students don’t need high standardized test scores; instead, they should demonstrate their passion for the field through their extra-curricular activities, which demonstrate that they possess the necessary qualities for the field.
To conclude, I have observed many struggling high-school students who mistakenly believe that liberal arts majors, particularly in the social sciences, are “easier”. They don’t realize that these majors actually have the highest demands on students, who must utilize all the available resources around them to land a job. For these students, I therefore usually suggest a vocational major, which offers a clear pathway to a stable job in the future.
Category Three: Interdisciplinary majors.
a) What is "interdisciplinary education”?
In the American education system, the term "interdisciplinary" describes an educational concept that spans a student’s entire academic journey, from Kindergarden to Graduate School.
To grasp the essence of interdisciplinary majors, it's essential to understand the concept of "interdisciplinary studies" that emerged in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. During this period, a group of education experts, led by the Harvard Graduate School of Education, identified a significant issue in American education: students were being confined to specific academic disciplines too early in their educational journey.
At that time, the US education system bore similarities to China's current exam-oriented education system. Schools adhered to rigid daily schedules, with little overlap in curricula among different subject areas. As students approached college application season, they were suddenly required to select a major, which in turn determined their career path upon graduation.
In response to this issue, education experts proposed a novel approach known as interdisciplinary education. They argued that traditional subjects like math, language, English, physics, chemistry, and biology, while important, should be taught in a more integrated manner. Under this approach, schools would focus on a central theme for a set period, and all subject teachers would tailor their curriculum to align with that theme.
For instance, if the theme for the month is "food," students might engage in various activities across different subjects. In math class, they could analyze data related to global food production, while history class might explore technological advancements in agriculture leading up to the industrial revolution. Sociology lessons could involve conducting field research on food pricing in supermarkets, and chemistry classes might delve into the components and properties of common food items like eggs. Finally, in English class, students might synthesize their learning from various subjects into an academic report or presentation.
In this way, students can gain a clear understanding of how various subjects approach the same social issue, recognize the real-life applications of each subject, and, most importantly, learn how to analyze social phenomena or problems from diverse disciplinary perspectives to develop innovative solutions.
However, implementing this educational model requires a highly skilled and dedicated teaching team, as well as a significant investment of time and effort. Consequently, even today, many public schools in the United States have struggled to fully integrate this approach into their curriculum.
b) What is interdisciplinary education like at the undergraduate level?
As mentioned earlier, implementing interdisciplinary education in K-12 schools poses significant challenges for teachers, making widespread adoption difficult. Similarly, universities face similar challenges due to their complex organizational structures, comprising various colleges, departments, and professors.
At the undergraduate level, students typically encounter interdisciplinary education in two main scenarios:
Firstly, at top liberal arts colleges or Ivy League institutions, students may encounter interdisciplinary elements in general education courses. For instance, during my undergraduate studies at Harvard, I took a bioethics course co-taught by professors from the biology and philosophy departments. Each class explored a contentious issue, sparking lively debates between the professors from contrasting perspectives. These courses are often elective and open to all undergraduate students, although they are not typically associated with a specific major or department. However, such courses are relatively rare, as few universities have the resources or infrastructure to offer them extensively.
Secondly, many universities offer specialized "interdisciplinary majors," such as environmental science, data science, and food science. These majors integrate knowledge from multiple disciplines. For instance, environmental science combines biology, chemistry, ecology, geology, and economics, while data science merges mathematics, statistics, and computer science. Faculty members for these majors often hail from various departments, forming interdisciplinary teams responsible for undergraduate instruction within the major.
c) What are the advantages and disadvantages of studying interdisciplinary majors?
Universities offer these majors because complex problems—such as global warming or resource conservation—require individuals with interdisciplinary backgrounds to address them. Consequently, job prospects are promising for graduates entering industries aligned with these majors. For example, students majoring in environmental science may pursue careers in clean energy development, environmental governance, or urban planning for environmental protection.
However, the main drawback is that many of these jobs demand technical expertise beyond what an
undergraduate degree can provide. Interdisciplinary majors involve studying multiple subjects, making it impossible to master any one discipline fully in just four years. At best, these majors lay a solid knowledge foundation. It is usually necessary to obtain further education at the graduate or doctoral level in order to delve deeper into the technical aspects of the field. For instance, if you study environmental science at the undergraduate level, you might specialize in designing engines for new energy vehicles for your PhD.
d) What kind of students are suitable for studying interdisciplinary majors?
First and foremost, students should excel academically in the subject areas related to their major. In four years of undergraduate study, they will cover a broader range of subjects than students in traditional majors.
Secondly, it is crucial to have genuine interest in the field. Pursuing an interdisciplinary major often entails obtaining a master's and possibly a doctoral degree, necessitating six to ten years of study before entering the workforce.
Additionally, when applying for interdisciplinary majors, most schools, especially in the UK and Canada, have specific requirements for high school courses and corresponding grades in each subject.
For instance, while regular majors may require students to achieve grades ABB in their A-levels, there may not be strict restrictions on which subjects they need to take, or which ones require an A grade. However, for environmental science, applicants might need an A* in biology, choose a second subject from chemistry, mathematics, or physics, and have the freedom to choose a third subject.
Therefore, students interested in interdisciplinary majors must review the school's requirements early to avoid discovering late in the application process that they've chosen the wrong courses and are ineligible to apply.
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