With over 200 majors and minors to choose from, everyone’s path at Miami looks different. What’s more, more than half of students change their major at least once in their college career. So whether you are an incoming student trying to decide what major to choose or a current student looking to make a change, here are some ways current Miami students chose their current major.
Finance Major
“During COVID, I started reading a lot of financial knowledge and financial literacy books in my free time. I learned a little about the financial markets and ever since then, my love for finance took off. I enjoy speaking to people about financial literacy and trying my best to speak with them about the market up to my best of ability. I would love to be able to help people with their finances as a career post college.”
Marketing Major
“I started off my freshman and sophomore year as kinesiology pre-med with hopes to go to PT school. Then my sophomore year my mom sent me over a job application for a social media role because I have always loved working in a creative outlet. I loved the job so much that I went to my advisor and started the year-long process of accomplishing pre-reqs needed to get into the Farmer School of Business and pursue Marketing. I took the freshman core as a junior, and added an IMS [Interactive Media Studies] minor. Despite being told this track could not be done in two years, I am graduating on time!”
Strategic Communications Major
“I started out as a psychology major, which I quickly realized wasn’t for me. When I started college classes online during the pandemic, I got really into social media because I was stuck in my house all the time. When it was time to research different majors and what I might like to do instead, I discovered the strat comm major and digital marketing minor. Both of these together would allow me to pursue a career in PR or social media marketing and the required classes were all right up my alley. It felt like a perfect fit for me.”
Communication Design Major
“I chose my communication design major because of my experiences in high school. I got involved in yearbook during sophomore year and fell in love with editorial layout, design, and copywriting. I explored further design routes both in and out of school and found that this creative outlet was both enjoyable for me and a growing industry. I applied to the communication design major at Miami because it was a competitive program and I knew I would be receiving a range of real world design experience that focused on versatility and adaptability, all skills employers are searching for. I have since added a general business and digital marketing double minor onto my plate to hopefully open up more opportunities for myself post-grad and continue my working knowledge of design in the business world.”
Sociology Major
“I started off as a biology pre-med major and switched to a sociology major my sophomore year. In high school, I was in a trade school program that taught students practical working skills and through that I became a licensed dental assistant. I decided to pursue a major that would lead me to dental school, but after my freshman year I found that it was more of a draining experience than one that was exciting and inspiring. I decided to switch to sociology with a criminology focus because I have had an interest in criminal justice and law so I decided to pursue that instead. Since then I have been a teaching assistant, gotten to work in a law firm, and interned with the court system. I was so terrified of starting over, but it couldn’t have been more worth it.”
Miami Resources
Beyond learning from others’ experiences, Miami has some resources that can help as you decide what major might be the best fit for you.
- Miami’s list of majors (and minors). Not a bad place to start to know what options are available.
- Take a Focus 2 assessment. This assessment helps you learn more about your interests and how they relate to career fields.
- Find Your Career Cluster. Take a short survey to discover your cluster. Miami has several resources based on cluster!
Of course, when you start getting into classes and learning more about various fields, you may change your mind on your course of study, and that’s okay! Keep an open mind and use the resources available to you.
