There are many cases in which understanding the ESC Area of Study Guidelines in your area and SUNY General Education Requirements is “enough” academic research for you to plan your degree.  But there are other instances in which fuller academic research is helpful, such as if you are developing a unique, individualized concentration; addressing field-specific expectations; preparing for professional certification; or preparing for graduate school.

Unique, Individualized Concentration

If you’re planning something unique, it may be useful to look at other colleges to compare your plans with what they offer.  Of course, you do not have to mimic those other college programs.  But you can use the evidence you find to validate your unusual focus, by showing that there’s some precedent for degrees focused in the same general area. For example, a student who was a professional chef with interests in farm-to-table, ecology, and sustainability found that the group of courses he was interested in taking, which built upon his previous transcript credit in culinary arts, tended toward a focus on culinary sustainability.  This is not a degree focus commonly offered in most colleges.  It made sense for this student to search and find a college (Kennesaw College, if you’re interested) that offers a degree in this field.  It also made sense to discuss these findings in his rationale essay, as a means of validating his choices for his degree that went over and above the general ESC interdisciplinary guidelines.

Field-Specific Expectations

Some academic fields are related to professional organizations that have expectations for content in undergraduate degrees.  If you intend to enter that field professionally, it’s good practice to know and address those expectations in your planning.  For example, the American Psychological Association publishes Guidelines for the Psychology Major that identify the knowledge and skills needed in degrees.

Preparation for Professional Certification

If your goal is to get a specific certification along with or after you complete your degree, it’s important to research requirements for certification as part of your academic research.  For example, if you intend to become a certified public accountant, you need to research undergraduate course requirements needed to sit for the CPA exam, which include very specific courses and credit amounts.  The same holds true for the long-term goal of elementary or secondary education, for which you would need to research the specific teacher certification requirements for your state.  If you want professional certification in Early Childhood, or Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counseling, it’s important to research certification requirements as a means of identifying some courses to take in your degree.

Preparation for Graduate School

If one of your goals is to attend a graduate program, even if it’s a few years after you complete a bachelor’s degree, it’s important to “work backwards” and research particular programs to which you want to apply.  Different graduate programs have different preliminary course requirements, and some programs even require certain majors as a prerequisite to acceptance.

Fully-Informed Study Choices

If you have not had time to review ESC’s full array of offerings, then take the time to review the online catalog, looking for courses that interest you and that offer coursework in your field of study, general education, or “elective areas.”