Major Madness: Exploring the Wacky World of College Majors

It goes without saying that the college major you choose influences your career path later in life. But what if you want to coach a sports team at your local church? What if you want to be a scientist, studying cows and chickens? What if you want to be a bashful bowling businessman? What if you want to be a lemon specialist? Well, here are the majors for you.Meat Science and Food Safety: This rare major is offered at Penn State University under the College of Agricultural Sciences. Students study everything from how to breed the best cattle to how to fully understand the culture surrounding food consumption. Students grill each other on beef grading and meat cut yields among other things, to enhance their knowledge on the subject. After a job well-done in the classroom, students from the program enjoy the weekly Penn State meat sale where items sold include Penn State-made summer sausage, snack sticks,  scrapple and a variety of meat cuts. It goes without saying that this is a prime major to pursue.Auctioneering Management: Offered at Trine University, the auctioneering management program’s rigor and impressive track record has sold many people on this hands on major. With courses focusing on oral communication skills and business management, nothing is forbidden. Students perfect the skills necessary to sell everything from artsy antiques to lovable livestock. The program prides itself on providing its students with the means to develop strong social skills that allow them to enter into the world of business or become astounding auctioneers.Citrus Studies: Florida Southern College finally lives up to the state’s infamous claim as the “orange state” with the creation of the nation’s only bachelor’s degree program specifically in citrus sciences.  The sublime program aims to prepare students for a career in anything citrus, from being a citrus grove manager to a citrus consultant or even a researcher in the citrus industry. Required courses include scientific studies such as basic botany, plant physiology and soil science along with basic business courses which include citrus grove management and the principles of micro/macroeconomics. The program prides itself on its boundless and beneficial hands-on experiences that demonstrate to the students how the fruits of their physical labor can help them understand principals in the classroom.Poultry Sciences: This college major is anything but paltry. At the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (Texas A&M), students are given the unique opportunity to specialize in the technical and business aspects that are essential to profitable poultry production. Founded in 1910, the Poultry Science department at Texas A&M is one of the most recognized in the world. Having such a prestigious alma mater, it’s fair to say some graduates can’t help but feel a little cocky when entering the working world of poultry and poultry management. Students who take advantage of this eggs-ellent opportunity enroll in classes such as Poultry Meat Production, Breeder and Hatchery Management, Commercial Egg Industry, Investigation of Professional Development in Poultry Science, Poultry Processing and Products and Poultry Nutrition and Poultry Feed Formulation. The poultry and poultry products market is booming, and not taking advantage of such a special opportunity would be just fowl.Bowling Management: This major doesn’t come with bumpers. At Indiana’s own Vincennes University, students have the opportunity to become bowling experts, with the option to major in Bowling Industry and Management Technology. Students utilize an on-site 18-lane bowling center used as a laboratory setting for a hands-on experience under the watchful eye of the instructor for the bowling management program, Gary Sparks, who is also a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Coaches Hall of Fame. In their spare time, students play the sport itself, and Vincennes can boast continuously ranking as one of the top collegiate bowling teams in the country, with multiple NJCAA National Team Championships. Learning about food sanitation, lane maintenance, and managing a business, students split their time amongst many endeavors, but it’s fair to say that you can’t get a better bowling education anywhere else.Fermentation Sciences: All over the country, college students’ lives revolve around alcohol and old food. However, in places such as Appalachian State University, Colorado State University and Oregon State University, this concept takes on a new meaning. Instead of brewing up trouble, students attending these schools have the chance to major in Fermentation Sciences, which focuses on how microorganisms are used as processing agents to make wine, beer, cheeses, yogurt, bread and other fermented foods/drinks. In the program, students (the majority of whom are under 21 years-old) study the science, processing, preservation and health principles of fermented foods in addition to the social and cultural implications of beverage and food fermentation. Students have hands on experiences to further study these aspects of the industry, under the supervision of adults over the age of 21, of course. There has been a great buzz surrounding these new programs, to the point where the astonishing amount of career opportunities in the food and beverage industry for students in this major are dizzying.Sports Ministry: Some people watch college football religiously, others coach it that way. Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, Kentucky is home to one of the most well-recognized sports ministry programs in the nation. Professor Ted Taylor, who heads the sports ministry degree program, has stated that he sees this degree as a natural extension of the morphing of sports with religion. Mastering courses such as The Christian Coach, Introduction to Evangelism and Sports Ministry Internship, students can feel confident that, come graduation, they will be well-versed in both the word of God and of National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell.Canadian Studies: A class all about The Great White North sounds pretty interesting, eh? From Canada’s founding in 1867, to the divide between Quebec and the rest of Canada, this major promises to reveal the secrets of America’s hat. The major is offered at renowned colleges around the country, including University of California Los Angeles, University of California Berkeley and Duke. The programs aim to educate students about Canadian issues so that the are able to work to preserve Canadian-U.S. relations. Students usually end up in fields of study where they work with other educated people from both Canada and the U.S. to address issues about the economy, the environment and the social institutions of the countries.