Why are you here?
Every student has a reason for attending Ohio State. Maybe you want to complete a specific degree, to have a special type of experience, to earn admission to a graduate program, or to prepare for a job or career field you’re interested in.
Defining why you are here helps guide some of your academic decisions. Sharing your goals with advisors helps them recommend useful options for you to choose from. Here are some examples:
- I want to be a doctor, so I will choose a social science GEN course in Psychology to help me work better with others.
- My ideal job requires a lot of travel, so I’m completing the Intercultural Competence for Global Citizenship certificate to make my resume stand out.
- I’m passionate about improving the lives of children, but I don’t know what career paths exist in that area, so I plan to volunteer with BuckeyeThon to meet others with similar interests and learn from them.
- I want to develop lifelong friendships, so I’m going to pledge one of the divine nine fraternities/sororities.
It’s important to remember that there are almost no right or wrong decisions. Your advisor will usually help you identify multiple possibilities and explain how they will help, but it will be up to you to make the final choice.
Know your academic options
To understand what academic decisions you will be asked to make, it helps to understand Ohio State’s curriculum and your options.
What is a curriculum?
The curriculum is the group of classes, the order of classes, and the closely related additional experiences (like internships) that help a student prepare for life after college. The curriculum is created by faculty in your department, who are experts in your area of study, along with recommendations from employers and professional organizations (such as accrediting bodies, who set standards for education programs in certain professions like nursing or engineering).
What is included in a curriculum?
In Ohio, a bachelor’s degree usually contains a minimum of 120 credit hours.
- Major classes – these are usually the classes you’re most excited to take. Lower-level classes introduce the basic theories in an academic field, while upper-level classes teach advanced approaches.
- Electives – these are classes that you have more choice over.
- Major electives – provide specialized study in specific topics within the major.
- General electives – classes you can take to earn additional credits, explore minors you’re considering completing, or learn something you’re interested in that is unrelated to your major. An example of a general elective would be ARTSSCI 2121 – Academic Online Research.
- General education – the GE teaches a broad foundation of problem-solving approaches, a variety of frameworks to use to interpret the world, and multiple career skills such as communication and data use.
What are my other options?
- Double majors – you can complete two majors if the combination will create a strong starting point for your after-graduation plans. For example, a student who wants to be a genetic counselor could major in Molecular Genetics and Psychology.
- Dual degrees - there are some majors that can’t be combined; usually the majors have multiple specific requirements. Students interested in combining specialties can complete two degrees at the same time. For example, a student who wants to create adaptive music equipment for people with body differences could complete a Bachelor of Music Education and a Bachelor of Science in Design.
- Minors – a minor provides an overview of a different field of study. Minors are usually 12-15 credit hours, about half the minimum size for a major.
- Certificates – a certificate provides another option for getting an overview of a special topic. Certificates can be taken independent of a degree, or while completing a degree.
- Service Learning – some classes include built-in community involvement; they offer opportunities to practice leadership on a local level and begin creating a network of working professionals to learn from. This could be an option for students with limited time for similar experiences outside of the classroom. Explore Service Learning.
- Undergraduate research – this option helps students gain experience with the research process as well as creating and sharing new knowledge. Some research can be done for academic credit, and some can be done as a paid, volunteer, or extracurricular activity. Explore Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry.
Check out the First Year Success Series topics
Check your understanding
If you've explored the links provided, by now you should be able to:
- Describe your general or specific academic goals
- Explain the purpose of the general education
- List some general or specific additions to your major curriculum that could help you reach your goals