Should I Double Major or Major/Minor in East Asian Studies (Korean) vs. Biology?

College Majors
1

<p>I want to keep my career path open, but these are the most likely choices:
1) College Professor (Korean Language/East Asian Studies)
2) Physician Assistant
3) Dentist
4) Pharmacist </p>

<p>I have a knack for learning Asian languages (picked up Gujarati from a friend's family and eventually began to communicate with them fairly well through it), and I feel like East Asian Studies w/ Korean Language Concentration would be a good major for me. The only problem I have with this is the fact that I can't obtain a Ph.D in East Asian Studies in the college I'm going to, since they only offer up to a Masters. I believe that it's required for a uni professor to have a Ph.D in their area of study to even be qualified/considered for the job. </p>

<p>As for the other options, they all have a long list of prerequisites that I need to complete. I'm leaning more towards P.A. since I don't enjoy being overly authoritative. If I do make it into my state's only P.A. program, I want to be a Dermatologist Assistant. </p>

<p>Like I said, I don't like being too authoritative, but I've been working as an office intern for a dental office for 3 years now (it's closer to job shadowing rather than working an office job, really) and dentistry seems to be a compatible choice for me; I love working my hands and I'm extremely precise. Dentistry had always fascinated me since I began working there, so I'm definitely considering a job in this field as a life-long career. </p>

<p>As for being a pharmacist...well, let's just just say I see it as a "back-up" or a "Plan B". If I fail to pursue any of my other health-related careers, I'd be happy to opt for this job instead. I'm not as passionate about it, but I do like it a lot. But then again, "liking" something isn't good enough for the most part, hence why I only consider it as an alternative career. </p>

<p>I'm thinking of just majoring in Korean, since I can still go into a medical career with a B.A. in Korean, but not the other way around (can't become a foreign language professor w/ in B.A. in Biology...) However, since there's no Ph.D program, I'm not sure if I can even achieve the degree requirements for a college professor. </p>

<p>Since East Asian Studies & Biology have no overlapping courses and I have whole set of prerequisites to complete, which of these options seem the most reasonable to you? </p>

<p>1) Double Major in Korean & Biology</p>

<p>2) Major in Korean & Minor in Biology</p>

<p>3) Major in Biology & Minor in Korean</p>

<p>4) Major in Korean Only & Complete Prerequisites for PA Program/Dental School/PharmD</p>

<p>5) Major in Biology Only & Complete Prerequisites for PA Program/Dental School/PharmD</p>

2

<p>OP, it does not matter that the college you are attending does not offer a PhD in East Asian Studies. While some students do complete their bachelor’s and doctoral work at the same university, it is strongly encouraged that you go elsewhere for a doctoral degree so that you are exposed to new perspectives. </p>

<p>Also, when you mention “East Asian Studies” are you referring to a degree in language, literature, and linguistics (and, maybe, pre-modern history) , or are you referring to an interdisciplinary degree with a focus on language and area studies in related humanities and social science disciplines? If you are referring to the latter, usually such programs are offered only at the bachelor’s and master’s level. At the doctoral level, you will usually focus on a single discipline (though you still might take supporting coursework in other disciplines). </p>

<p>If you plan to obtain a doctorate in Korean, you should be aware that you probably will need a reading knowledge in other languages of scholarship (French, German, and/or Russian) as well as other East Asian languages (Chinese, and/or Japanese). While you can learn these additional languages once you’re in graduate school, it might give you an admissions advantage and shorten you time to obtain your degree if you enter graduate school at least having begun the study of other languages. </p>

<p>Study of East Asian languages also can be quite time-consuming and you should also plan on studying in Korea during your undergraduate years to attain adequate proficiency.</p>

<p>While it’s certainly possible to do a double major in biology and Korean, you should keep these considerations in mind. That said, Korean could be a useful asset if you enter the medical field in a city with a significant population of Koreans. Knowledge of Korean could also be an asset in several other fields, e.g., business, international relations, religion, etc.</p>

<p>Also, since you picked up Gujarati, do you not have an interest in South Asian Studies? Perhaps, you should consider learning Hindi.</p>