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Going to university is a huge deal. Your decision about what direction to pursue in your studies is going to massively affect the rest of your life. But it’s often an agonizing choice. Do you pick economics, computer science, or engineering to be practical? Or do you follow your heart and embrace literature, archeology, or whatever else you’re passionate about?
It’s tough when there are so many different paths you can follow. However, there are way more degrees out there than you think. Redditor u/GazelleHistorical705 sparked a really fun discussion after asking people to share the most ridiculous college majors they’d ever heard of. World domination, becoming an influencer, and being a certified pirate are just the tip of the iceberg! Scroll down to check out the rest.
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#1
At MIT you can be certified in being a pirate if you complete the courses of pistol, archery, sailing, and fencing.
BlindAres 2 years ago
Lord baby jebus... please dear baby jebus.... say the graduation scroll was printed on a black skull flag.
pep Ito 2 years ago (edited)
It is the physical education and wellness general course baptized with a cool name. From the course description: The MIT Pirate Certificate is designed to recognize the completion of the undergraduate Physical Education & Wellness General Institute Requirement. The MIT Pirate Certificate is only made available to MIT students and is an incentive for undergraduate students to complete their Physical Education & Wellness General Institute Requirement of 4 physical education & wellness courses. It is not a stand-alone certificate. Non-MIT courses and life experience are not counted towards completing the certificate. The MIT Pirate Certificate is for entertainment purposes only and does not give the recipient license to engage in piracy or any pirate activities.
El Cucuy 2 years ago
A friend of mine graduated from MIT. I'm going to ask him if he got his pirate certificate!
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Lyone Fein 2 years ago
Which would probably make you hirable on numerous private ocean going vessels from yachts to cruise ships. Actually more practical than many other college majors.
Mark 2 years ago
You don’t actually major in piracy. If you take those subjects as either breadth or elective, MIT will present you with a certificate of piracy.
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RELATED:
#2
At a graduation at the University of Redlands. They have a degree whereby you basically take the classes you want and call it what you want.
The degree conferred was, I kid you not: “Still trying to figure out who I am.”
Eunice Probert 2 years ago
That's not daft. I have an Open degree from the Open University. BA (Hons) as well. I studied the English language, children's literature, religion, mythology, and art. It was not an easy course.
Awesome At Being Autistic 2 years ago
There's a lot more to it than just taking the classes you want. It's actually more work than a Liberal Arts degree, because with a Liberal Arts degree, it's fairly structured. If you don't have serious self discipline, for that open degree, you will not graduate. It's work. My kid went to University of Redlands, and while they thought about doing that open degree, they decided that it was too much work.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
I agree with this as a model for a degree, totally makes sense. Would sign up.
Shannon Mallory 2 years ago
New College in Florida was like this, too, you designed your own curriculum and followed your own course of study. There was good faculty oversight, and they were very successful with this model until the total destruction imposed by DeSantis during his tantrums. Now it's bleeding faculty, staff and students like crazy.
Upstaged75 2 years ago
There's a place in Florida called New College which is similar. My cousin went there briefly.
ginshun 2 years ago
Purdue had Interdisciplinary Studies as a major when I was there. You basically picked your own classes. You had to come up with your own curriculum with a common theme / goal and it had to be approved in some manor, but it was a thing. Pretty sure lots of colleges have this actually.
#3
That new "Influencer" degree in Ireland. My generation keeps disappointing me...
BlindAres 2 years ago (edited)
Yeesh. Ireland sounds lovely until you think about the bitter cold and now this. Edit: I mistook Ireland for Iceland in my head. Sometimes mistakes are made...
Elizabeth Elliot 2 years ago
..It's not bitterly cold; it has the gulf stream which warms it up! Wet, yes.
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IndigoViolent 2 years ago
So, a specialized media/marketing degree. Honestly, half of these people sound like someone thirty years ago saying, "'Web design'? What a stupid idea."
Think about what the future might look like. Consider how the landscape of the job market will change. It’s impossible to know for certain what the future will bring, though. Degrees that are in demand now (e.g. nursing, culinary arts, computer science, business admin, and accounting, according to Indeed) might be supplanted by other majors in the years to come.
Ideally, you want to find a degree that you’re happy with. That might sound obvious, but it’s important that you’re passionate about whatever that you’re going to spend years and years studying. It means setting all the social pressure you might feel aside, and really thinking deeply about what you’re good at, what you care about, and how practical your major will be once you enter the job market.
What you’re going for is a degree that’s at the intersection of your talents, your passions, financial security, and what the world as a whole needs. Of course, you’ll need the diligence, drive, and discipline to follow through with your studies!
#4
IIRC, like 20 years ago some college in Indiana offered a major in World Domination
Lyone Fein 2 years ago
This would actually be a useful major if it was serious. You'd need to learn politics, history, psychology, economics, media.....and how they all interact.
Curry on... 2 years ago
Judging from all the warmongers and tyrants we have today, I suspect that major is still being offered, albeit underground.
#5
My college briefly had a major in Nordic Lesbianism
LokisLilButterknife 2 years ago
I tried researching this and couldn't find any college or university that currently offers or offered this major. I understand if it was part of a course for a gender studies major, however, I really think that this person is pulling our leg by saying it was a full major at their college.
Lola Rogers 2 years ago
This was no doubt the name of a seminar or course offering, not a major.
Sir Panda 2 years ago
Ships on vigor of the waves are skimming Barren summits to the verdant plains Each horizon is a new beginning Rise and reign Far from the fjords and the ice cold currents Ravens soar over new frontiers Songs and sagas of a fate determined Shields and spears Vows of favor or the thrill of plunder Pull together for the clan and kin Clank of hammers and the crash of thunder Pound within Oh-ho-oh The echoes of eternity Oh-ho-oh Valhalla calling me Oh-ho-oh To pluck the strings of destiny Oh-ho-oh Valhalla calling me Valhalla calling me Sails a' swaying on the crimson rivers Blood and glory in the fighting fields Shields a' shattered into splintered timbers Iron and steel Fires are rising and the bells are ringing Glory take us into Odin's halls Golden glimmer and the sound of singing Asgard's call Oh-ho-oh The echoes of eternity Oh-ho-oh Valhalla calling me Oh-ho-oh To pluck the strings of destiny Oh-ho-oh Valhalla calling me Valhalla calling me Wind and the waves will carry me Wind and th
Catlady6000 2 years ago (edited)
PUNCTUATION!!!! And this is from someone who never ends their comments with a period! Other than that, this is beautiful, thank you
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Ronnie Beaton 2 years ago
Can I just say, "Nordic Lesbianism" would be a *fantastic* name for a band?
Ralph Watkins 2 years ago
Could have those classes here in the Poconos. We do have white supremacist, redneck lesbians here among other unusual groups.
#6
An old friend majored in *post-medieval Russian music*, which is a field that can only lead back into academia.
BlindAres 2 years ago
I mean.. sure? It did score him (presumably) a higher education career (probably) with tenure.
Vul Va 2 years ago
That's a lot of presuming. Much more likely that he got a job doing something completely different, as most graduates of degrees with limited career paths.
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censorshipsucks 2 years ago
well it can also lead to the Orthodox Church in Moscow. So there's that.
ЛеснойКороль(they/he)🇺🇦🇷🇺 2 years ago
i’m a classical musician who was born in russia and i can easily say that there’s a LOT of post-medieval russian music, especially some that i was required to study to become a musician. So i suppose while that specific degree could only run back to academia, the obtainee would assist all sorts of musicians and music tech people and historians with their studies.
Lyone Fein 2 years ago
Um, let's see, this is a degree that includes music, Russian history and culture. Yes, it could lead back to a higher level degree. Or it could qualify you to work in an embassy in Russia. Or you could become a musician, you know?
Khall Khall 2 years ago
Yeah no reason to hate on niche historical topics. We need experts in these fields too.
PeeledPotato 2 years ago (edited)
uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ok
Your parents might want you to be a doctor or a lawyer because they’re in-demand professions that pay well. And that’s all fine and dandy, but if you literally have no interest whatsoever in either of those paths, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by going down them.
If you truly hate what you do, you can’t expect to do well in your studies or, later, in your job. Nobody wants a doctor who loathes what they do or is well-paid but miserable; they want someone who sees purpose in their career.
But you have to understand why your family might push you down a certain path. They have a lot of life experience and they understand the importance of financial stability and reputation. Someone with a high-profile degree is seen as a valuable member of society. Someone with a ‘serious’ degree is going to have more flexibility and job offers than a person with an incredibly niche set of skills.
#7
I think it was annother reddit post somewhere else, but One guy knew annother guy who had majored in egyptology, where the only way to make money was to get a masters in egyptology and teach egyptology, a literal pyramid scheme.
LokisLilButterknife 2 years ago
Egyptology is indeed a legitimate field, especially if you plan to work in archeology or in a museum. It is in an extremely competitive field though.
IndigoViolent 2 years ago
This is literally a joke. As in, a thing someone thought of and said to make other people laugh.
#8
An old friend has a Bachelor's degree in Outdoor Activities. He was never able to explain exactly what that meant, though.
arthbach 2 years ago
We have degrees like that where I live. They are designed for people who are going to be working at outdoor activity centres. It involves managing venues, safeguarding, health and safety, conservancy, and learning how to educate children to meet with curriculum goals from school.
M O'Connell 2 years ago
My alma mater offers a BS in "Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration" with focus options of Adapted Recreation and Inclusion; Community Organizations; Outdoor Recreation Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management
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Kraneia The Dancing Dryad 2 years ago
We have one called "Outdoor Education". It's handy for getting a job in the outdoors and related industries such as private camps, "Adventure Tourism", etc. I have this as a minor. Similar program but less PE classes to do.
Boop the Snoot. Pound the Paw. 2 years ago
This is not that uncommon in the states. It’s Outdoor Recreation and Management. There are lots of career paths out of this type of degree. Forester, Natural Resource Warden, Park Ranger, conservation educator etc.
LokisLilButterknife 2 years ago
My university has a course in Outdoor Education. It was targeted at students who were interested in pursuing a career in outdoor recreation, physical education, and eco-tourism. I really wanted to apply to it as I love nature.
#9
Puppetry. You can become a doctor of puppetry at UConn
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 2 years ago
This is good. I daresay even puppets get sick sometimes.
The Original Bruno 2 years ago
Doctor of puppetry? Good luck getting your medical insurance to cover that.
Lola Rogers 2 years ago
There's no reason not to offer a degree in puppetry in the same way that degrees in dance or acting are offered.
sturmwesen 2 years ago
In about 7th grade it was, what was recommended to me by a online test , sponsored by our Arbeitsamt (it's what pays your unemployement benefits and is supposed to bring citizens and employers together - I let you guess how good that works)
It might be worth considering whether you can combine the two in some way. Say, going for a major that’s a bit more robust, while using your spare time to focus on your other passions, whether that’s puppetry or fencing.
Depending on where in the world you live, your choice of a college degree can saddle you with student loans for decades to come (e.g. in the US), or… education is (practically) free (e.g. in many European countries). Money aside, you’ll be spending years of your life at college. It only makes sense that you don’t jump into something you’ll regret, whether that’s following a fading passion for art or giving in to massive pressure from your relatives.
At the end of the day, the choice is yours. Just make sure that you’re aware of the time and money you’ll be investing in a particular course before signing up for a ridiculous major.
#10
somebody got a degree from just studying the Beatles
hardrad2009 2 years ago
Well it’s not totally bonkers, my friend got a degree in music history studying hair metal and glam rock.
iseefractals 2 years ago
The Beatles disbanded more than 53 years ago, john Lennon was murdered 43 years ago. The band existed only for a decade, gone before any of them were 30 years old, and half a century later they continue to be one of, if not THE most influential music act in modern history. While they all continued to put out music, nothing ever came close to the success of The Beatles. The sum was truly greater than the parts. They had a greater impact on the world before the age of 25 than most people could hope to have with infinite lives. But no, highlight this as some sort of absurdity and not the degree's for studying Britney spears or Justin bieber .
kissmychakram 2 years ago
If you can get a degree from studying Rachmaninoff, why not Lennon and McCartney?
Lene 2 years ago
Me too! Haha! I was obsessed with the Beatles as a kid and I was born 4 years after Lennon died. So... I think that this degree would make me feel like a kid again.
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LokisLilButterknife 2 years ago (edited)
That's really not that bonkers if you are majoring in anthropology with a focus on the cultural and historical influence of music or majoring in music history
#11
Frisbee. A friends roommate at Amherst was in some kind of “create your own major” thing and chose frisbee.
His family had momey and college was just a formality.
#12
Golf.
It was made so the Vice Chancellor could buy a private golf course for the university, so he could play on it. I believe it had 5 enrollments ever, and one was a joke that didnt show up or pay. It got cancelled the first year, but he got to enjoy his own personal golf course for some years after.
pep Ito 2 years ago
More than a few PGA golfers have gone through college and played on college teams. It's just another sport with athletic scholarships like American football, basketball, etc.
Upstaged75 2 years ago
Yes, but they have to take actual academic classes, not just play golf for credit. I earned credit all 4 years of college for horseback riding, so I probably shouldn't talk. :) It was a PE class - I did earn a real degree in English.
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#13
Masters Degree in Magic and Occult Science from the University of Exeter in the UK. No idea what the f**k they're playing at.
Mavis 2 years ago
I think this is studying the history/infuence/literature of it rather than actually learning how to cast spells or whatever.
Sylvia Schmitz 2 years ago
Well, where would all the witches and wizards go to further their studies after Hogwarts?
IndigoViolent 2 years ago
See, this is why higher education is important: it teaches you to stop and think for ten seconds. This is obviously a history or literature degree.
Lene 2 years ago
Oh I had classes about magic and the occult and "alternative sciences" from the ancient Greeks and up until modern times. I just studied religion at the uni of Southern Denmark. I loooooved those classes. And I loved writing that paper about how Jesus Christ was a wizard. 🤓😜😁
Lene 2 years ago
Replying to my comment: I am a big fan of Richard Kieckhefer. Look up his magic in the middle ages-book. Oh! Just found that he has a wikipedia page! Look him up. He is soooo awesome 🤓
Load More Replies... #14
Indiana University in Bloomington has a program where you can create your own degree. Will Shortz made his degree enigmatology.
#15
My university had an Interdisciplinary Studies department that served mainly to get super duper seniors graduated. They would cobble together the random credits people got because they changed majors every semester into a "degree". You get some wild majors like a BA in Culinary Traditions and Music in the Former British Empire.
IndigoViolent 2 years ago (edited)
Yeah, no, that's not how it works. You get a BA in a subject. Unless they created an entire Department of Culinary Traditions and Music in the Former British Empire, nobody got a degree in that. What they did was look at somebody's credits and say, "Okay, you took a bunch of courses that normally wouldn't add up to a history degree, but we can argue that these classes in musical theory and these classes in food science did teach you something about history in a specific context, so we'll count them toward your credit total if you do an independent study credit where you write a short thesis bringing it all together."
John Dilligaf 2 years ago
as long as these "super duper seniors" are paying why would the university want to get rid of them? I'm sure there's not enough of them to crowd out classes or anything like that.
Tim Douglass 2 years ago
Basically after about 6 years they come to the college and say "I'm running out of money. How can I turn all these classes into a degree?" It's about what I did, but it turned out I actually had all the requisite credits for a Computer Science degree (plus an English minor).
Load More Replies... #16
Peace Studies. She works part time in a coffee shop. For the last 8 years.
BlindAres 2 years ago
I find it absurd to think all humanity will be peace loving individuals however... peace studies, with its absurd name, has a very legitimate use in government.
BrownTabby 2 years ago
Yeah, it sounds like the conflict resolution degree at my university. https://www.aut.ac.nz/study/study-options/Additional-majors-and-minors-for-bachelors-degrees/conflict-resolution
Load More Replies... Lyone Fein 2 years ago
This is a legitimate academic field at numerous universities around the world. Don't you think we need more people trained in it?
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
seems legit actually. Probably a sub-course under international relations or politics department?
Lola Rogers 2 years ago
I think Peace Studies is the study of diplomatic relations and conflict resolution--a branch of political science. Not that weird.
Daniel Rhodes 2 years ago
I teach social work and we have a peace & conflict studies program. We work very, very closely with this program (and I have published in peace journals)! Many of our students minor and double major in it. I have also attended the Summer Peacebuilding Institute at Eastern Mennonite University. People from all over the world, especially areas where there have been devastating conflict come to take courses and get degrees in conflict transformation and peace studies, with the intention of going back to their home countries and try to rebuild after war. There are plenty of opportunities out there for people with this degree and it is much needed in the world.
XanthippeⓐWulf🇨🇦️️🇬🇧 2 years ago (edited)
I'm surprised that no one on this list mentioned the degrees that are available in cannabis cultivation or cannabis biology & science.
Sir Panda 2 years ago
Peace Corp is a Multi-National Special Forces clandestine military operators that answer to a multi-national Deep State known by the code name COBRA. Their aims are to rule the world through COnversion by Blackmail, Revolution, & Anarchy.
LokisLilButterknife 2 years ago
What the hell are you talking about. Stop spewing idiotic false facts.
Load More Replies... #17
Cat psychology. My college had a hippie offshoot and the rumor was my year a gal graduated with a degree in cat psychology.
Kabuki Kitsune 2 years ago
This is important if you're becoming a veterinarian seeking to specialize in the treatment of felines. What's more, it also plays into zoology, if you intend to work (for example) in a zoo where you'll be tending animals like Lions, or Tigers, or similar.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 2 years ago
Jackson Galaxy is doing pretty well with that sort of thing.
IndigoViolent 2 years ago
Someone at my university majored in underwater basket weaving. It must be true, I heard a rumour about it one time!
#18
My mothers best friend had a PhD in Genocide studies.
That's not really ridiculous but.
She was the happiest most chipper person I had ever met and I was always thinking.
"is she taking something to be like this? Or is she just a little crazy? Because I would be depressed."
arthbach 2 years ago
I am very grateful to the people who are able to do the really awful things that would have the rest of us wanting to bleach our brains. A friend was a lawyer who worked with children who had been abused. There is no way I could do her job - I'd fall apart mentally, but I am very glad people like her exist to help those who are in terrible situations.
Shark Lady 2 years ago
Probably started off in Forensic Anthropology and then gradually specialised into genocide studies.
Ralph Watkins 2 years ago
Right there with a someone I met at a PTSD seminar. A Suicideologist.
LokisLilButterknife 2 years ago
One of my siblings works in urban and economic development and had to take a course in genocide studies as part of their major. He works a lot with international aid organisations.
#19
I once worked at a pharma company, and worked with a guy with “Dr.” in his name on his door.
Later found out his phd was specifically in “decision making”. Sounded insane until he explained it was related to ethics in the field of philosophy.
Lyone Fein 2 years ago
Right. So his PhD was in Philosophy. And he wrote his dissertation on decision making.
Leah Brown 2 years ago
Pharma companies and ethics are definitely NOT something I consider to go hand in hand. Or his job is just for show maybe?
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
yep, my doctorate is also in something apparently useless. I announce this when I meet MDs/GPs. I say, I'm also a doctor but the useless kind.
Debby Keir 2 years ago (edited)
I know someone with a 'Doctorus Adamus cum flabello Dulce' PHd in sweet F***y Adams from the Unseen University - it was an examined course too.
IndigoViolent 2 years ago
Before any of the people falling for all the "at my university you could major in pixie dust and hugging!" stories above start freaking out about this - Unseen University is a wizard university in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. It is, obviously, not real.
Load More Replies... #20
Not sure if still available, but in Japan you could get a degree in making tea. Admittedly the whole traditional process is very much like a dance or performance rather than just boiling the kettle and using a teabag but when I first heard of it I was like wtf, kids these days.
The Scout 2 years ago
Tea ceremony is an art form. It is an extremely detailed ritual, there are tea masters who have been studying the subject for decades. In japanese history, society was extremely hierarchic, but in the teahouse the social rules were totally different. While sometimes resembling a dance, it is more like getting into a specific mindframe while establishing a host-guest-hierarchy and executing traditional processes. Nothing in this resembles the act of using a teabag (which should be a crime in itself, and no, I am not british). Japanese tea (matcha, which many people only know as a milky Starbucks drink, but really is a very fine green tea powder) is foamed in a special cup using a bamboo brush, using hot water from a coal basin, not a stove... Neither the Brits nor the no-less tea prone Fresians (northern Germany and Netherland) ever have developed something of a similar complexity, and even the Chinese tea rituals (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_tea_culture) are less evolved.
BrownTabby 2 years ago
Yeah. That study is a way of keeping part of their culture alive.
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Sister Mary Jane 2 years ago
That is comparable to being a vintner. There is a ton of chemistry that goes into the wine industry. I imagine there is the same for tea.
The Scout 2 years ago
Only that in case of the Japanese tea ceremony, the tea itself only plays a minor role. It's all in the rituals, the ambience, even the water.
Load More Replies... Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 2 years ago
I'll take a degree in coffee. I never know how much to put.
#21
PhD in general studies
Khavrinen 2 years ago
I once heard it said that a specialist is someone who learns more and more about less and less, and a generalist is someone who learns less and less about more and more, until the specialist knows everything about nothing and the generalist knows nothing about everything.
#22
Even in the 80s, the US produced more journalism majors than there were journalists.
Edit: To clarify, more majors every single year than journalists employed.
BlindAres 2 years ago
Journalism needs to be viewed as a serious major. The real lack of actual journalistic integrity around this hel*hole, is exponentially contributing to disinformation
Kabuki Kitsune 2 years ago
What's more, a journalism degree plays into far more than just working for a paper, or news reporting agency. It can play into everything from technical writing, to even public relations.
Load More Replies... pep Ito 2 years ago
Journalism should really be complementary studies to other studies. So at least they would know what they are writing about when they write about economics, business, politics, science, sports, etc..
Jessica Bertram 2 years ago
Many employed journalists end up on a "beat" where they do become experts in a field. Nina Totenberg is a great example.
Load More Replies... iseefractals 2 years ago
This trend holds true in many majors to this day. Kids "follow their dreams" with no regard for what the job market will look like, and end up with a degree that has 2-5 applicants for every available job, and no concept of what the actual job will entail. But that doesn't matter, right? Because multiple generations of kids have been brought up to believe that "i'm special! and everything will work out as long as i work hard and try my best!" So they end up with a degree and $100k+ in student loan debt before defaulting into no-skill jobs that are being eradicated as quickly as possible, while they wait around for someone to finally acknowledge their "brilliance" as the presumption seems to be that if you don't succeed in achieving your first and only plan you're somehow a failure. When the reality is that accepting your limitations doesn't make you a failure....imposing them upon yourself based on some ego-centric view does.
IndigoViolent 2 years ago
Love how you blame young people for believing literally all the adults around them about needing a university degree, going out and getting one, and only then realizing the situation. The actual problem is that a university degree is not supposed to take an eighteen year old kid and in four years turn them into a person who can do exactly one job perfectly upon graduation, which they will hold until the day they die. It was never designed for that purpose and it's stupid to expect that.
Load More Replies... Momica98 1 year ago
I've been a journalist for 20 years. The outlandish assumptions and misinformation here are a lot to unpack. Take Jane for example. Why do people assume we do nothing but write about our own political beliefs when people learn we're journalists? Don't lump us in with the talking heads.
Cassie 2 years ago
When I took journalism, we were taught to verify and investigate, even how to go out in search of stories. These days, one person generates a story and the rest all repeat it without verifying at all and so many journalists do not seek out stories or investigate anything and just wait for stories to drop in their laps from sources like social media where the story is already being told and often twisted. So much goes on in my area that never gets reported on because the local news is too busy regurgitating stuff they found on social media that didn't even happen in our area.
Jane Hower 2 years ago
Most aren't 'journalists' but people just wanting to scew the 'news' to promote their own lib/progressive/commie view points. disgusting
aubergine10003 2 years ago
I got a Masters in Journalism purely as a side complement to my actual MA (it was only one additional semester). All of the professors were adjuncts who were first and foremost working journalists. The one recurring theme of the program was: "you don't need a degree in journalism to be a journalist." In other words, just get out there and start freelancing! It always used to make me laugh, because I was taking classes with all these kids who were paying $24k/year (this was 30 years ago... NYU is way more now) for a degree they didn't really need.
#23
P.E.I. Bonewits got an B.A. from UC Berkley in "Magic."
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 2 years ago
There are many different traditions of magic. I would definitely be interested, myself.
Thomas Ewing 2 years ago
Berkley sounds like the place to get it. Great school with a lot of genius.
Jason Melvil 2 years ago
As in history of witchcraft and such? Or as in performing magic shows like P&T?
IndigoViolent 2 years ago
Oh, you'll love this - there are whole *schools* that are dedicated not just to studying imaginary creatures, but one in particular. Seriously! They spend actual years just focusing on this one non-existent being. They're called "seminaries".
#24
Non-Violent Studies. A friend majored in it. I never figured out exactly what it was but he eventually became a professor of American Studies.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
I am guessing non-violent studies would be something like poststructuralism/postmodernism applied to social constructs around online narratives, e.g. analysing the various forms of microaggression, cultural appropriation, mansplaining, etc.
Khall Khall 2 years ago
Interpersonal conflict resolution was the best class I ever took in my life. Has helped me more in the real world than all the math, physics, English, etc classes I took put together.
Iron Penguin 2 years ago
Would verbal judo include training on how to unsynch your dialog from your mouth? Or is that only for verbal kung fu?
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#25
Did some pre reqs at a school that offered Storytelling as a degree. Also had a Bluegrass major. I actually think they're both really interesting fields, and I appreciate Appalachian culture being preserved that way. Sadly, surviving late stage capitalism doesn't leave a lot of people time to study things because of passion. It's all about the grind.
Pheebs 2 years ago
And here I thought it was progressive my college allowed non-physical science majors to take a Biological Themes in Film course to replace Biology. I took the film class, as between high school and college, I’d already taken the “typical” science classes available (Earth Sci, Bio, Physics, Chemistry, and Astronomy) and really didn't feel like repeating content. Plus I got to watch like 20 films and answer a series of questions related to whatever the chapter was.
#26
Underwater basket weaving.
Lola Rogers 2 years ago
This is an old joke. Presumably, a course in traditional basketweaving methods that submerge the fibers to keep them supple was offered in an art or craft department somewhere, and it's been synonymous with silly academia ever since. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwater_basket_weaving
Kraneia The Dancing Dryad 2 years ago
Had a teacher in high school who taught German. She said things like "dis is not de undawata basketweavin class". She also liked to say it wasn't underwater marble shooting.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 2 years ago
Nope. Basket weaving is fine, but we don't do WET.
#27
I met a guy from Texas A&M who said all the jocks and meatheads majored in "poultry science".
Kabuki Kitsune 2 years ago
It sounds like a joke, but keep in mind, in the name Texas A&M, the A&M part stands for Agricultural and Machinery. Poultry science is a pretty interesting degree, in that it teaches sustainable and cruelty free farming practices for raising turkeys, chickens and egg producing birds. Furthermore, it also plays into human immunology, as many vaccinations are first developed using poultry embryos. So there's a hell of a lot more to it than what the poorly chosen image, would imply.
DC 2 years ago
That image sure doesn't represent any good ... but, it does represent the normal reality in poultry industry pretty well, sadly so. Cruelty free ... is a nice target, but for the time being, it's as realistic as a subway trip to the moon - it's theoretically kind of something in sight of possible, a bit, but nobody is building that line or vehicles therefore.
Load More Replies... XanthippeⓐWulf🇨🇦️️🇬🇧 2 years ago (edited)
Poultry science isn't that strange is it? When I was in vet school, one of my friends was majoring in poultry science while also earning their DVM. Eventually, he parlayed that into a career with the USDA. In parts of Texas, farming/ranching is a huge industry, so I have no issue with "jocks" thinking about a career outside of/not hedging their future on sports.
usernameorwhatever 2 years ago
Most people who go into Poultry Science do so to become a veterinarian or even a poultry veterinarian. College students who go into that field can set up Poultry Judging contests. I’m a FFA and 4H High School Poultry Judger. Poultry Science is really fascinating. It’s funny that y’all think this is a weird degree. I grew up around this program lol. I’m from Texas if you couldn’t tell.
usernameorwhatever 2 years ago
By the way, I can answer any questions about poultry judging or poultry science. I’ve been doing it since middle school!
Load More Replies... Robin Roper 2 years ago
Poultry Science is insanely challenging and difficult. There's a ton on Biology, Animal Physiology, and Chemistry. A person majoring in Agriculture, is a person with a science degree.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
I'll be ok with this if they have co-majors on avian-human viruses and ethics.
#28
My college in Florida offered a major in Canadian-American Relations. Edit: Wow, really struck a nerve with the CAR majors of reddit
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 2 years ago
Alex Keaton was going to invade Canada once. Cute episode.
Chewie Baron 2 years ago
The US Government had blueprints to invade Canada up until the early 1940s. They never really trusted the British until the start of the Second World War. By the end of it, that’s when the ‘Special Relationship’ really started. There’s a full documentary about it on YouTube. Very interesting.
Load More Replies... IndigoViolent 2 years ago
What's so ridiculous about this? Canada is the US's largest trading partner.
Jay Cee 1 month ago
Oh how times change! TACO Trump wants to annex Canada and make it the 51st state. This pisses off Canadians so much that even Quebec is standing shoulder to shoulder with the other Provinces and Territories!
Load More Replies... #29
Bible. Not religious studies or theological history, it's just Bible.
Kabuki Kitsune 2 years ago
"Bible" as the OP puts it, is the short hand reference for a "Biblical Studies" degree. Biblical studies are the academic investigation and interpretation of the Scripture of the Old and New Testaments. Drawing on disciplines ranging from history to Greek and Hebrew to literary criticism, a Biblical studies degree offers training in how to interpret what is written, relating it back to historical documentation and references found in non religious texts. For example, taking the crucifixtion of Christ and relating back to Roman practices in execution.
pep Ito 2 years ago
The bible is a complex book, originally written in several languages and made up of books that have been added and removed throughout history. It is a good object of research
Ralph Watkins 2 years ago
I understand what you saying. I would love to talk to someone like that. Are they really brilliant or just nuts? There is a fine line. I got a private audience with an Islam scholar once. He was very informative & brilliant.
Jason Melvil 2 years ago
It's just called Bible because if it would be called Bible Studies - It would be initials BS
Robin Roper 2 years ago
I know people who have PhDs in New Testament and other's who hold degrees in Old Testament.
#30
Wasn't there a school that ended up doing a e sports degree? Guess if you wanted to start a league or team it would be nice but kids just joining to "get good" is not good lol
Alyssa Phillips 2 years ago
My neighbor's nephew just got a full scholarship for e sports. 🙄 I didn't get the draw until I asked my teen why he liked watching other people play video games on YouTube/twitch and he asked me why my dad likes watching other people play football on ESPN...🤔
#31
I have a BS in Turfgrass Science.
#32
FSU has a “High Flying Circus” program
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 2 years ago
I'd be interested in taking the Monty Python Flying Circus study. And now for something completely different... SPLAT.
HangryHangryHippo 2 years ago
I would love to study something like that! Sounds very soul-fulfiling
#33
General Studies... I attended a graduation for a good friend and some guy who was also getting g his diploma got his degree in General Studies. Still have no clue what that means, but congrats to the random stranger I never met. He got a degree!
Tucker Cahooter 2 years ago
With the option to proceed to a Ph.D. in General Studies, as listed above
Tim Douglass 2 years ago
General Studies is sort of the modern equivalent of the medieval university course. Math, history, philosophy, literature, language. What every person really should get before specializing.
#34
Why on earth has nobody mentioned [clown colleges?](https://clownswithoutborders.org/top-clown-schools-u-s/)? As in, ACTUAL colleges where they teach people how to be professional clowns. There is also a [McDonald's college](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburger_University). Which has no relation to clown college, but it would be fair to call anyone who attends a clown for their poor decision making.
BlindAres 2 years ago
Like what? Did you think clowns were born and bred clowns at the professional circuses that actually make money? They had to learn their trade somewhere. They also have a magic college. 🤷🏻♂️
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
I always thought clowns occurred as a result of childhood trauma and/or possession.
Load More Replies...
Elizabeth West 2 years ago
A high school friend became a professional clown. He went to the Ringling Brothers clown school in Japan. He developed an act with Jack Russell Terriers and toured with Ringling Brothers for a number of years.
#36
Wood. You can major in wood at Purdue, where you’re learning about wood processing after it’s harvested for lumber.
Only about 6 folks enrolled at any time.
Isabella 2 years ago
Nothing ridiculous about it. I have studied the Wood processing technology in the University for 5 years, though I am not working in the field for some years now. It is a huge industry with so many ways to process the wood which requires complex production flows and machinery/installations. It is not as easy and simple as some people think.
Iron Penguin 2 years ago
But getting an MS degree to become Master of Wood sounds like someone is either an obscure specialist from the world of Avatar - The Last Air Bender or an adult film actor who picked their screen name after too many tequila shots.
#37
I had a friend who got a 4 year full ride academic scholarship. At our college the honors program had it's own major, with stringent writing and course requirements you had to complete along with your (ideally) primary major.
My buddy graduated in **5** years, paying for the last one, with a major in only Honors, minor in Sports medicine.
Lyone Fein 2 years ago
The main purpose of an undergraduate liberal arts degree is to teach younglings how to analyze arguments more clearly, how to write better, and how to become critical thinkers. No matter what your major is, this is what your professors are trying to help you to accomplish. It is a plus if you also absorb some content in your chosen field.
Lyone Fein 2 years ago
I speak as someone who taught college for 20 years.
Load More Replies... pep Ito 2 years ago
These are classes of few students who are supposed to have high academic abilities.
Load More Replies... #38
Macalester College in Minnesota has Bag Pipes as a major
Will J Dochartaigh 2 years ago
Almost all countries throughout history had a version of bagpipes. Few survived to modern times, but it was a standard deal in musical development & history.
#40
I ran into a college at a career fair that was shilling at degree in esports management. Like a degree in managing esport teams. The guy got offended when I told him that it was a ridiculous concept.
Daniel Atkins 2 years ago
Money aside why do you need a degree in it? Sounds like something you can do online.
Load More Replies... #41
I remember a basketball player who majored in French. I was impressed. Until I realized he was a foreign student from a French speaking country.
Annik Perrot 2 years ago
I'm French, and our French classes in high-school were hard enough work. Some of my friends went on to study French literature and language at the University., along with semantics, linguistics, and etymology. One of them ended up in a prestigious library, another went to à publishing house.
BrownTabby 2 years ago
That just sounds like your basic “there for the sporting program” taken to its logical extreme.
#42
Knew a guy who went to Harvard for folklore.
hardrad2009 2 years ago
But he still has his Harvard diploma and it’s really sometimes the only thing that matters.
Upstaged75 2 years ago
I took a folklore class in college. It was really cool. I have a friend with a graduate degree in it. I believe she works for a museum.
#43
I had an advanced rhetoric teacher who was getting a PHD in something related to reality television. Part of our homework was to watch an episode of 24 before every class. Turns out the portfolio at the end of the semester was worth 90% of the grade so I just skipped the class and wrote about 90 pages worth of rhetorical criticism essays on the war on drugs during a three day adderall and redbull fueled binge at the end of the semester. Got a C+
#44
I had a friend who graduated with a degree in turf management. He worked on golf courses
Bored something 2 years ago
Quite a few sports where this could be a valuable skill. Bowls, cricket, all the various footballs, hockey, equestrian, tennis etc. Not a stupid course, just specialised.
#45
A friend of mine failed out of the nursing program his last semester of college. Nearly 4 years wasted so they let him graduate with a “life sciences” degree.
What do you think ?
Lyone Fein 2 years ago
Most of these are not ridiculous majors. The purpose of learning is to become a better person. College/university is not supposed to be a vocational training program. The reason why so many employers want to hire people with college degrees is NOT because they think a history/psychology/english major is just what they need. It's because they think that going to college (and graduating) means you are a better thinker than others.
Will J Dochartaigh 2 years ago
College should prepare students with the basics & theory for their future employment.
Load More Replies...
Sebastián Rodríguez 2 years ago
Universities are businesses too: if it sells, they will offer it. Whether it's useful or not, that's a problem of the ones who study it.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
I think it's ok to study something and get a degree for it even if it is ""useless"" to the capitalist meatgrinder. Life is about more than just working as an indentured servant until death. If you are interested in something obscure and fringe that has no value to the capitalist meatgrinder, that's 100% ok with me. You do you. The only issue is the cost of it. In USA it seems to me that the cost of such a degree is prohibitive because there's no way you'd be employable to pay it back. If you want to do a degree with mere aesthetic or identity-culture value, maybe enroll in Germany where it's free.
Brian bell 2 years ago
There is no such thing as a useless degree if a person in interested in the field of study. Nobody has a right to judge others on what they have a passion for. Whatever you choose to do with your life live it the best you can. I know of a guy who has a PhD in "Batman."
David Paterson 2 years ago
The best PhD thesis title I know is "What, precisely, is Uncertainty?"
IndigoViolent 2 years ago
Almost all of these were written by people who don't understand the difference between a degree and a focus or a specialization within a degree, or even (like the Nordic lesbians one) a single class. At least two are actual jokes.
Steve Hall 2 years ago
It's no wonder that universities are looked down upon in today's social climate.
ॐBoyGanesh 2 years ago
Lol!!! I went to undergrad in the early thru mid-90’s at my university’s College of Creative Studies. I double-majored (two separate BAs) in Anthropology of Human Sexuality and Sociology of Film, both with a concentration in writing for journalism. For grad school I got my degree in Social Theory. I was one of 16 who ever got an MA on this subject. Luckily, I also had what they called a “cross-specialization” in Journalism. They just took our money & basically let us be as creative as college could be. And, yes, it did take me 9 years full-time.
Jason Melvil 2 years ago
Awhile ago (over 20+ years), a university here required people to take 1 sports class. A friend of mine looked at the options and picked the one he thought was best for him: Bridge. As in the card game... But he couldn't take the class until he got a doctor's approval. That doesn't mean a note saying he can't do basketball and such - it's a doctor's note that says he is physically able to do the activity he chose. To play Bridge. Also, it was an actual class - each lesson they learned one rule and by the end of semester they learned the whole game. Seriously.
Lisbeth Guz 2 years ago
If I had the money and time I would enroll in a couple of them...many seemed very interesting
Lisbeth Guz 2 years ago
Not the Nordic Lesbianism you dirty minds (Nothing wrong with that BTW)
Load More Replies... Lyone Fein 2 years ago
Most of these are not ridiculous majors. The purpose of learning is to become a better person. College/university is not supposed to be a vocational training program. The reason why so many employers want to hire people with college degrees is NOT because they think a history/psychology/english major is just what they need. It's because they think that going to college (and graduating) means you are a better thinker than others.
Will J Dochartaigh 2 years ago
College should prepare students with the basics & theory for their future employment.
Load More Replies... Sebastián Rodríguez 2 years ago
Universities are businesses too: if it sells, they will offer it. Whether it's useful or not, that's a problem of the ones who study it.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
I think it's ok to study something and get a degree for it even if it is ""useless"" to the capitalist meatgrinder. Life is about more than just working as an indentured servant until death. If you are interested in something obscure and fringe that has no value to the capitalist meatgrinder, that's 100% ok with me. You do you. The only issue is the cost of it. In USA it seems to me that the cost of such a degree is prohibitive because there's no way you'd be employable to pay it back. If you want to do a degree with mere aesthetic or identity-culture value, maybe enroll in Germany where it's free.
Brian bell 2 years ago
There is no such thing as a useless degree if a person in interested in the field of study. Nobody has a right to judge others on what they have a passion for. Whatever you choose to do with your life live it the best you can. I know of a guy who has a PhD in "Batman."
David Paterson 2 years ago
The best PhD thesis title I know is "What, precisely, is Uncertainty?"
IndigoViolent 2 years ago
Almost all of these were written by people who don't understand the difference between a degree and a focus or a specialization within a degree, or even (like the Nordic lesbians one) a single class. At least two are actual jokes.
Steve Hall 2 years ago
It's no wonder that universities are looked down upon in today's social climate.
ॐBoyGanesh 2 years ago
Lol!!! I went to undergrad in the early thru mid-90’s at my university’s College of Creative Studies. I double-majored (two separate BAs) in Anthropology of Human Sexuality and Sociology of Film, both with a concentration in writing for journalism. For grad school I got my degree in Social Theory. I was one of 16 who ever got an MA on this subject. Luckily, I also had what they called a “cross-specialization” in Journalism. They just took our money & basically let us be as creative as college could be. And, yes, it did take me 9 years full-time.
Jason Melvil 2 years ago
Awhile ago (over 20+ years), a university here required people to take 1 sports class. A friend of mine looked at the options and picked the one he thought was best for him: Bridge. As in the card game... But he couldn't take the class until he got a doctor's approval. That doesn't mean a note saying he can't do basketball and such - it's a doctor's note that says he is physically able to do the activity he chose. To play Bridge. Also, it was an actual class - each lesson they learned one rule and by the end of semester they learned the whole game. Seriously.
Lisbeth Guz 2 years ago
If I had the money and time I would enroll in a couple of them...many seemed very interesting
Lisbeth Guz 2 years ago
Not the Nordic Lesbianism you dirty minds (Nothing wrong with that BTW)
Load More Replies...
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