Double major, minor, and elective courses

Monday, January 28, 2019
by Kyrie H., Grade 11 HS student blogger

How do I choose?

Kyrie with Vivian Diec outside Tatham Centre

Have no idea what the difference is between a double major, minor, or elective courses? I didn’t either until I started doing research on university. I originally thought that studying a double major was only for those studying for their masters or PhD, who wanted to further their studies. I now know that a double major is when you declare two majors, you do not have to be pursuing a masters or PhD. You can major in two subjects if you want to, depending on your entry program. I already knew what a minor was but I did not see much of a difference between a minor and taking elective courses. Elective courses are courses of your choice, that you take within your program to complete the required number of courses. For example, if I were to go into Honours Arts and Business (ARTBUS) I would have to take 10 extra courses called breadth requirements. Breadth requirements are courses you must take in the arts to make sure your education is more diverse and you are a well-rounded person. I could use elective courses to complete those requirements. I have considered doing a double major but with the two programs I’m looking at, the workload would be too much. If I go into ARTBUS then I may declare a minor in Theater and Performance as I feel I can manage the eight courses. I would not declare a minor if I go into the Accounting and Financial Management program as there is so much I need to do already with that program. Deciding between a double major, or a minor, or elective courses, can be a challenging task, I’d suggest looking at the program you want to go into and then decided which is a better fit for you. Meeting with an academic advisor to plan out your undergraduate program is also a good idea to make sure that you’re taking all the courses you need to fulfill your major, minor, and elective requirements for your program.