Understanding College: What's Required for your College Degree

Tamra Kerns

What Classes Do I Need to Take to Graduate from College?


Your roughly 125-135 credits break into three parts. 


1. General Education (30-40 credits)


Classes everyone at the university or college takes for a well-rounded education.


Typical General Education (sometimes called Core Curriculum) requirements:


  • English/Writing (6-9 credits) - Composition, sometimes literature
  • Math (3-6 credits) - Algebra, statistics (varies by major)
  • Science (6-9 credits) - At least one with lab
  • Social Science (6-9 credits) - Psychology, sociology, economics, etc.
  • Humanities (6-9 credits) - History, philosophy, literature
  • Arts (3-6 credits) - Music, art, theater
  • Sometimes: Foreign language (2 semesters)


Example: Even Biology majors take English, and English majors take science with a lab.


2. Major Requirements (50-60 credits)


Your primary field of study that will be listed on your diploma.


Within your major, there will be two types of courses:


  • Core Major Courses (required for everyone in the major)
  • Example for Psychology: Intro to Psych, Research Methods, Statistics


  • Major Electives (courses within your major that you choose based on interests)
  • Example for Psychology: Choose from Cognitive Psych, Social Psych, Sports Psych, etc.


3. Electives (20-40 credits)


Courses you choose! Use these to:


  • Explore interests
  • Build skills
  • Add a minor
  • Take prerequisites for grad school



Majors vs. Minors vs. Concentrations


Now that you understand the three parts, let's clarify these confusing terms:


Your Major


  • What: Your primary field of study
  • Required? Yes
  • Credits: 40-60 credits
  • Structure: Core Major courses (required) + Major electives (your choice)
  • Example: Psychology major takes Intro to Psych, Research Methods (core) + chooses from Cognitive, Social, Sports Psych (electives)


Concentrations


  • What: A focus area WITHIN your major
  • Required? Sometimes (depends on major and college)
  • Credits: Part of your major credits 
  • Example: Business major with concentration in Marketing, Finance, or Entrepreneurship
  • Key point: It's NOT extra—it's how you specialize within your major


Minors


  • What: A secondary field, completely separate from your major
  • Required? No—totally optional
  • Credits: 15-22 credits (5-7 courses)
  • Can be: ANY subject, related or unrelated to major
  • Example: Business major + Spanish minor, Biology major + Art History minor



When Do You Decide?


  • Core Curriculum: Start first year
  • Major: This is dependent on college. Some colleges require you to apply to their school with a major.  Others will not let you declare a major until your sophomore year. Some will let you change your major if you start and decide you want to do something different, and others can make that very difficult. So it is critically important that you understand this by college. And you should NEVER assume you can apply to get into a college with one major and then easily switch majors to a more competitive major later. 
  • Minor/Concentration: Usually sophomore/junior year
  • Electives: Throughout college


Important: Some courses count for multiple requirements. A Psychology class might count as both gen ed AND major requirement if you're a Psych major.


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