Learning Objectives
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- Understand how your major can be important to your career.
- Understand why majors are not always important to a career.
- Practice skills for selecting a good major.
- Explore a listing a majors for each of MCC’s six Schools.
Choosing a college major can have a big impact on your career choices, especially if you are following a technical or vocational program of study. After all, it’s hard to become a pharmacist if you study computer networking.
Choosing a major or program of study is one decision that often causes students stress or anxiety. The following information is intended to lessen some of those feelings:
- Your choice of major or program may be important only for your first job after college; most people change careers (not just jobs, but careers) five times or more in their lifetime, and there is no possible major that will cover that level of flexibility.
- Many majors and programs share foundation courses with other majors, so you can often change your major without having wasted time in courses unrelated to your new major. Chances are that if you change your major, it will be to something similar, especially if you have completed an occupational interest survey as recommended earlier in this chapter.
- Most students change their major at least once, and many will change majors two or three times before graduating.
- If a change in major does cause a delay in completing your degree, it may be a good investment of time to follow a career path with which you are truly happy.
While these thoughts might remove some of the stress of making the choice, there is no doubt that it is not always easy to make your choice. The following tips may make it a little easier and perhaps even fun.
- Follow your dreams. Your first instinct in choosing a field of study is probably based on your dreams and life experience. Make sure you base your choice on your own dreams and interests and not those of a parent, spouse, or friend.
Make it fun. What do you like to do for fun? What kinds of magazines do you read? What websites are bookmarked on your computer? What kinds of volunteer work have you done? What do the answers to these questions tell you about the kind of career you would enjoy?- Build on your skills. A good choice of a program of study is not based exclusively on your likes; it should also consider your skills. What courses did you “ace” in high school? Consider also courses that you found challenging in which you learned a lot. What do these courses tell you about what you are skilled at studying?
- Research. Check out websites such as: “What can you do with a major in?” (http://www.brockport.edu/career/majorsandcareers/majors/default.html) Find out the type of courses required in a certain major. Visit the Career Center (Building 3 Room 108, Brighton Campus) or Student Services (5th Floor, Damon City Campus) for more information.
- Ask around. Find people who are following the courses of study you are considering. Ask them what they like and dislike about their majors. If you can find recent graduates with that major, ask them about the value of their major.
- Be open to change. Once you have selected a major, don’t panic if it turns out to be the wrong choice; consider it a step toward finding the right program for you. Repeat the major selection process, but carefully consider what you learned from your original major choice. Why wasn’t it the right major? (Did it not match your interests? Was the workload too heavy? Were the courses too tough?) What do you know now that you didn’t know when you made your first selection that you should consider in making a new choice?
Guide to the MCC Schools and Holland Codes
In the previous section in this chapter, you identified your specific Holland Code. In the section below, you can use that code to help you choose an appropriate School and a major within that School. At our institution, there are six Schools, or Academic Clusters sometimes referred to as meta-majors, and each School offers a variety of majors from which students can choose. The purpose of the Schools at MCC is to provide academic homes and clear pathways to every student so they know they are on track to completing college and achieving their goals and dreams.
While programs at MCC lead to many careers under all of the Holland codes, below are typical Holland code career paths you may find in the respective Schools.
School of Arts and Humanities
Typical Holland Codes found in School: AES
| Major at MCC | MCC Code |
| Advertising: Commercial Art (A.S.) | AD01 |
| Cinema & Screen Studies (A.S.) | CN01 |
| Communication & Media Arts (A.S.) | CM01 |
| English Literature (Sequence) (A.A.) | LH03 |
| Fine Arts (A.S.) | FA01 |
| Interior Design (A.A.S.) | ID01 |
| Liberal Arts & Sciences – Arts/Humanities | LAS6 |
| Liberal Arts & Sciences: Humanities & Social Sciences (A.S.) | LH01 |
| Music Performance (A.S.) | MU01 |
| Philosophy (Sequence) (A.A.) | LH04 |
| Popular Culture (Sequence) (A.A.) | LH05 |
| Theatre (A.S.) | TH01 |
| Visual Communications: Graphic Design (A.A.S.) | VC01 |
| Visual Communications: Photo/Television (A.A.S.) | VC02 |
School of Business, Hospitality, and Entrepreneurism
Typical Holland Codes found in School: ECS
| Major at MCC | MCC Code |
| Accounting: General (A.A.S.) | AC01 |
| Business Administration (A.S.) | BU01 |
| Business: International Business (A.S.) | BI01 |
| Computer Information Systems (A.A.S.) | CI01 |
| Computer Information Systems (A.S.) | CI02 |
| Culinary Arts (Cert.) | HM09 |
| Entrepreneurial and Applied Business (A.A.S.) | EP01 |
| Food Management (Cert.) | HM08 |
| Golf Management (Cert.) | HM13 |
| Hospitality Management: Event Planning (Sequence) (A.A.S.) | HM12 |
| Hospitality Management: Food Service and Culinary Arts (Sequence) (A.A.S.) | HM02 |
| Hospitality Management: Golf Management (Sequence) (A.A.S.) | HM03 |
| Hospitality Management: Hotel Technology (Sequence) (A.A.S.) | HM04 |
| Hospitality Management: Travel & Tourism (Sequence) (A.A.S.) | HM07 |
| Hotel Management (Cert.) | HM10 |
| Liberal Arts & Sciences – Business, Hospitality, & Entrepreneurism | LAS1 |
| Nutrition (Sequence) (A.S.) | LA10 |
| Office Technology: Medical Office Assistant (Cert.) | OF06 |
| Office Technology: Office Administrative Assistant (A.A.S.) | OF02 |
| Small Business Management (Cert.) | BS02 |
| Travel & Tourism (Cert.) | HM11 |
School of Community Engagement and Development
Typical Holland Codes found in School: SRC
| Major at MCC | MCC Code |
| Addictions Counseling (A.S.) | AS01 |
| Addictions Counseling (Cert.) | AS02 |
| Child Care Practitioner (Sequence) (A.S.) | HU05 |
| Criminal Justice (A.S.) | CJ01 |
| Criminal Justice: Institutional Corrections (A.A.S.) | CJ02 |
| Criminal Justice: Police Science (A.A.S.) | CJ03 |
| Direct Disability Support Services (Cert.) | DD02 |
| Early Care (Cert.) | EE02 |
| Education: Adolescence (Grades 7-12) (A.A.) | EA01 |
| Education: Childhood (Grades 1-6) (A.A.) | EC01 |
| Education: Early Childhood (Birth-Grade 2) (A.A.) | EE01 |
| Emergency Medical Services (Cert.) | EM02 |
| Fire Protection Technology (A.A.S.) | FR01 |
| Homeland Security (Cert.) | EM04 |
| Human Services (A.A.S.) | HU01 |
| Human Services (A.S.) | HU10 |
| Human Services (Cert.) | HU02 |
| Liberal Arts & Sciences – Community Engagement & Development | LAS2 |
| Paralegal Studies (Cert.) | PL01 |
| Paramedic (A.A.S.) | EM01 |
| Paramedic (Cert.) | EM05 |
| Teaching Assistant: Adolescence (Cert.) | TA02 |
| Teaching Assistant: Early Childhood/Childhood (Cert.) | TA03 |
| Teaching Assistant: Technology (Cert.) | TA04 |
School of Health Sciences and Physical Wellness
Typical Holland Codes found in School: SIR
| Major at MCC | MCC Code |
| Clinical Laboratory Technician/Medical Laboratory Technician (A.A.S.) | CL01 |
| Dental Assisting (Cert.) | DA01 |
| Dental Assisting Rapid Track (Cert.) | DA03 |
| Dental Hygiene (A.A.S.) | DH01 |
| Health Information Technology (A.A.S.) | HI01 |
| Health Related (A.S.) | HS05 |
| Health Studies (A.S.) | HS01 |
| Liberal Arts & Sciences – Health Sciences & Wellness | LAS4 |
| Liberal Arts: Health Related (A.S.) | LA05 |
| Nursing (A.A.S.) | NU01 |
| Nursing: Advanced Standing 2 Semester Option for LPN’s (A.A.S.) | NU03 |
| Nursing: Advanced Standing 3 Semester Option for LPN’s (A.A.S.) | NU02 |
| Physical Education & Exercise Science (A.S.) | PE01 |
| Radiologic Technology (A.A.S.) | RA01 |
| Sports Management (A.S.) | SM01 |
| Surgical Technology (A.A.S.) | SG01 |
School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)
Typical Holland Codes found in School: RIC
| Major at MCC | MCC Code |
| Agriculture and Food Studies (Cert.) | AG02 |
| Air Conditioning Technology: Heating & Ventilation (A.A.S.) | HV01 |
| Applied Integrated Technology (Manufacturing) (A.A.S.) | AI01 |
| Apprentice Training: Machine Trades (A.A.S.) | PM03 |
| Automotive Technology (Cert.) | AT02 |
| Automotive Technology, Automotive (Evening) (A.A.S.) | AT01 |
| Automotive Technology: General Motors (A.A.S.) | AT03 |
| Automotive Technology: Toyota/Scion/Lexus (A.A.S.) | AT04 |
| Biology (A.S.) | LSB1 |
| Biotechnology (A.A.S.) | BT01 |
| Chemistry (A.S.) | LSC1 |
| Computer Science (A.S.) | CS01 |
| Computer Systems Technology (A.A.S.) | CP01 |
| Computer-Aided Design and Drafting (Cert.) | MT02 |
| Construction Technology (A.A.S.) | CT01 |
| Cyber Security | CY02 |
| Electrical Engineering Technology: Electronics (A.A.S.) | ET01 |
| Electronics Technology (Cert.) | ETX1 |
| Engineering Science (A.S.) | EN01 |
| Engineering Science: Aero/Civil/Mechanical Engineering (Sequence) (A.S.) | EN02 |
| Engineering Science: Chemical Engineering (Sequence) (A.S.) | EN03 |
| Engineering Science: Computer Engineering (Sequence) (A.S.) | EN04 |
| Engineering Science: Electrical Engineering (Sequence) (A.S.) | EN05 |
| Environmental Science (Sequence) (A.S.) | LS04 |
| Geosciences (Sequence) (A.S.) | LS05 |
| Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (Cert.) | HV02 |
| Information & Network Technology (A.A.S.) | IN01 |
| Information Technology (A.S.) | IT01 |
| Liberal Arts & Sciences – STEM | LAS3 |
| Mathematics (A.S.) | MC02 |
| Mathematics (Cert.) | MC01 |
| Mechanical Technology (A.A.S) | MT01 |
| Optical Systems Technology (A.A.S) | OT01 |
| Optical Systems Technology (Cert.) | OT02 |
| Optical Systems Technology: Electro-Optics (Sequence) (A.A.S.) | OT03 |
| Physics (A.S.) | PY01 |
| Pre-Chiropractic (Sequence) (A.S.) | LA12 |
| Precision Machining (A.A.S.) | PM01 |
| Precision Machining: Optical Fabrication (Cert.) | PM04 |
| Precision Tooling (Cert.) | PM02 |
| Precision Tooling Accelerated (Cert.) | PMA2 |
| Pre-Forestry (Sequence) (A.S.) | LS07 |
| Pre-Pharmacy (Sequence) (A.S.) | LS08 |
| Solar Thermal Technology (Cert.) | ST02 |
| Sustainability (A.S.) | SC02 |
| Sustainability (Cert.) | SC01 |
School: Social Sciences and Global Studies
Typical Holland Codes found in School: SIA
| Major at MCC | MCC Code |
| African American Studies (A.S.) | AF01 |
| Gender & Sexuality Studies (A.S.) | GE01 |
| Global Studies (A.S.) | GL01 |
| History (Sequence) (A.S.) | LA17 |
| Liberal Arts & Sciences – Social Sciences & Global Studies | LAS5 |
| Political Science (Sequence) (A.S.) | LA11 |
| Psychology (A.S.) | PC01 |
| Urban Studies (A.S.) | UR01 |
Key Takeaways
- Most students will change their major during their college years.
- Many people work and have successful careers in disciplines in which they did not major.
- There are resources to help you find out what you can do with different majors.
- Your Holland Code may help you determine an MCC School and major.
- Belonging to a School provides an academic home and a clear pathway to graduation.