Science Major...What to Minor In?

<p>If you were a Bio, Biochem, or Chem major, what would you minor in if these were your choices:</p>

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[quote]

Studies:
European Studies
Film and Media Studies
Asian American Studies
Japanese Language and Literature
Korean Literature and Culture
Chinese Language and Literature
Comparative Literature
English
Urban Studies
Women’s Studies
Asian Studies
Educational Studies
International Studies
Italian Studies
Jewish Studies
Latin American Studies
Native American Studies
Queer Studies
Russian Studies</p>

<p>History:
Global Cultures
History
Anthropology
Art History
History and Philosophy of Science
Classical Civilization
Criminology, Law and Society
Archaeology
Philosophy</p>

<p>Techy:
Informatics
Information and Computer Science
Biomedical Computing
Biomedical Engineering
Materials Science Engineering
Digital Information Systems
Earth and Atmospheric Sciences</p>

<p>Math:
Mathematics
Accounting
Economics
Statistics</p>

<p>Mindful:
Psychology
Psychology and Social Behavior
Sociology
Humanities and Law
Linguistics
Urban and Regional Planning
Civic and Community Engagement
Conflict Resolution
Global Sustainability
Management</p>

<p>Health Related:
Biological Sciences
Medical Anthropology
Public Health</p>

<p>The Arts:
Studio Art
Digital Arts
Environmental Design

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<p>I vote either Information and Computer Science or economics. In fact I’d make the science your minor and the other degree your major. You don’t need the upper level science courses and science in general is not likely to give you good job prospects.</p>

<p>Statistics.</p>

<p>Math or some form of IT. Reason? Even biology these days count on mathematics or programming. Examples, Biomathematics, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, even evolutionary biology requires mathematics, as well as genetics. I’m deciding myself, whether to stick with a Chemistry major and minor in physics or to entirely change over to physics, as topics such as astrophysics, fusion as an alternative energy source, Multiverse theory, String theory, atomic and nuclear physics all interest me, but the thing that entices me about chemistry is the development and research of biofuels, as well as coming up with new chemicals that may benefit humanity without being overly destructive.</p>

<p>^Scientificmind, could you tell me more about IT? I’ve heard it many times on this forum but still can’t figure out what it really is about. All I know is that it stands for Information Technology. Is it similar to computer science?</p>

<p>Yes, it falls under that category. I believe its main component is programming. But it also includes things such as database, network security and things of that sort.</p>

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<p>What about chemical engineering if you are interested in developing biofuels and chemicals?</p>

<p>Or physics with a minor in chemistry? Better job and career prospects than the other way around, even though the jobs may not be in your preferred areas. But it is easier to get a new and better job when you already have a good job than when you are unemployed.</p>

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<p>IT is mostly concerned with management of computers, storage, networks, and the like. It is generally less technical than CS, though CS courses in operating systems, networks, databases, and security will be helpful when it comes to the actual computer system and network administration. IT or MIS degree programs are commonly found in business schools, since there is a significant “business” component (financial analysis, accounting, human behavior, etc.).</p>

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<p>Actually, a lot of IT people have little programming skill (often too little, so they are tediously doing repetitive tasks instead of writing a small program to do them automatically). Having some CS courses (as described above, which depend on being able to program) will be helpful, but a full CS degree is not needed.</p>

<p>UC, I’m definitely going towards a Physics degree over chem. As for going the engineer route, I’m not really interested in designing reactors. I’m more research orientated on the theoretical/experimental side. I know engineers also do research, but I believe their main focus is designing an area to contain whatever type of research is being carried out. If anything i can go for my graduate degree in an engineering field since the two fields are closely related.</p>

<p>Personally, I would minor in sociology. Just because I find it fascinating and retrospectively I regret taking so many science classes and not more social sciences.</p>

<p>My list would come down to…</p>

<p>Film and Media Studies
Educational Studies
Philosophy
Psychology
Sociology
Humanities and Law
Digital Arts
Environmental Design</p>

<p>Of these, I’d look closely at which program is best, most realistic, most attuned to my intellectual passions, and most enjoyable. At my school, I’d pick sociology. At a school like USC, I might pick film studies or digital arts. Catch my drift?</p>

<p>As a side note, being well rounded is important for me. A minor is a great excuse for that.</p>

<p>I’m going to major in biochem or molecular biology, and I’ll be getting a minor in some kind of physics (bio, astro, or vanilla), although I have taken a pretty good gamut of physics/math courses. </p>

<p>I would like to end up with a job at a research lab in genetics, and would rather not have to find a way to take computer science, just for job-prospects I’m not sure I’m interested in. But, a solid background in math should give me everything I need!</p>

<p>Statistics, anything computer related, or a foreign language. Colleges aren’t preparing their students at all for the real world these days (including myself).</p>

<p>with biochem or mol bio you will be lucky to end up with any job at all. If the point of college is to get a job that has a positive return on time and money invested most fields of biology and chemistry are self defeating.</p>

<p>Except I thought that Biotechnology, BME, and pharmacology, among other large fields, used biochemistry majors. I think it was you in another thread…as soon as someone said anything about a science major, you tried to jump on it and extinguish the fire. </p>

<p>Not everyone has to be an engineer/business major to get a good job…</p>

<p>No but business/engineering sure helps.</p>

<p>I have a biochem BS and a Chem-Biochem MS. The field is full of applicants willing to take $15 crapo temp jobs and jobs fleeing to China/India and h1-b’s taking the ones here. Companies and our society as a whole see science majors as toilet paper. A cheap commodity to use and discard with little thought.</p>

<p>I want people to not be delusional. The most likely outcome of any Bio/chem/biochem degree is poverty. As for Pharma/biotech guess which industry has laid off the most workers several years in a row. You guessed it Phrama. Which company announced the largest layoff of 2011. Merck-a pharma.</p>

<p>Pharma industry laid off ton of workers. Hmm…I never heard of it</p>