HANDBOOK- CHOOSING

The choice of an academic major is one of the most important decisions you will make during your college career. Students also need to determine if they need a minor to graduate and, if so, which minor would be most appropriate given their special interests and goals. Some students want to take more than one major or minor. It is to these concerns that we now turn our attention.

Which Major Should I Choose?

Perhaps the best advice one could give a student is to choose a major or minor in an area of study in which that student performed well in high school or in an area of study the student particularly enjoys. If you're not sure what area of study would be best for you, consider taking the Strong-Campbell-Hall Interest Inventory through the Counseling and Testing Center at Missouri State.

The Hall Occupational Orientation Inventory might also be taken. Given the results of these inventories, the Counseling Center staff and your academic advisor will be better able to help you determine an appropriate major or minor - and perhaps provide some insights on a possible career as well.

If you are interested in taking the Strong-Campbell-Hall and/or Hall Inventories, call the Counseling Center at 836-5116 (Carrington Hall 311) for an appointment. The inventory takes about 30-45 minutes to complete and you will have the results in about two weeks.

The university also provides its students with an opportunity to work on SIGI. SIGI is a very user-friendly computer program designed to assist students in determining what career or careers may be most appropriate given the students' interests and abilities. There is no charge for using SIGI and, in some cases, when used with Strong-Campbell and Hall is a valuable guide. SIGI is available in the Career Planning and Placement Office. Advance reservations to use SIGI are usually required.

Do I Need a Minor?

According to the Missouri State Catalog, in addition to maintaining a 2.0 GPA or better, satisfying the General Education Requirements, etc., students must satisfactorily complete either 1) a comprehensive major or 2) a non-comprehensive major with a minor in order to graduate.

Like many degrees offered at Missouri State, the sociology major is not comprehensive. In other words, students majoring in sociology will need a minor. The minor may complement the student's major or may be career oriented, oriented toward graduate study, or chosen for any reason.

Students majoring in sociology may NOT minor in sociology although they may minor in Crime and Society, Anthropology, or in any other field found in the university.

How Many Majors and Minors Should a Student Have?

A student majoring or minoring in sociology needs to have only one major and one minor. However, a look at the following calculations suggest that more than one major and/or more than one minor is possible.

HOURS	DESCRIPTION
125	Minimum hours needed to graduate
-45	Minimum hours needed to satisfy the General Education Requirement
80	Hours remaining
-36	Minimum hours needed for a major in sociology
44	Hours remaining for a minor
-18	Number of hours for a typical Missouri State minor
26	Hours remaining after all requirements have been met*

*A lot can be done with those remaining 26 hours. A second minor could be completed, or possible a second major, or the student could simply take a variety of courses in which they have some special interest.

We advise our students to think about focusing most if not all of those 26 hours by using them to complement, augment, or enhance their vocational and/or graduate school objectives. Having more than one major or minor may be more beneficial as a means of enhancing a student's attractiveness to potential employers or to graduate school admission committees.

How Can Students use the General Education Requirement to their Best Advantage?

The General Education Requirement (G.E.R.) at Missouri State requires between 45 and 46 credit hours. Students are advised to read about the required placement exams for English and Mathematics in the Missouri State Catalog. If you are interested in the field of sociology, you may find that, from all of the courses you may choose in the G.E.R., certain ones are more relevant to a sociology degree than are others. They are noted below....

In the Humanities portion of the G.E.R.

REL 100 (Religion and Human Culture) is relevant as is REL 131 (Religion in America) are relevant to a degree in sociology.

In the Social Sciences Perspective portion of the G.E.R.

	SOC 150 (Introduction to Society) can satisfy a portion of your G.E.R. and, at the same time it satisfies one of the requirements for a degree in Sociology.
	ANT 100 (World Cultures) is of interest to sociologists and may also be taken as part of your G.E.R. under the Social Sciences Perspective.
	GRY 108 (Ecology and Society), also available in the Social Sciences Perspective area of the G.E.R., offers a multidisciplinary inquiry of population pressures, environmental pollution, and socio-political perils and opportunities through an integrated approach by staff drawn chiefly from the natural and social sciences.

In the Social Behavioral Perspective portion of the G.E.R.

ANT 125 (The Human Story) and SOC 160 (The Individual in Society) may be taken in the Social Behavioral Perspective portion of the G.E.R.

PSY 101 (Psychology for Personal Growth) and PSY 121 (Introductory Psychology) are available in the Social Behavioral Perspective area of the G.E.R. Either or both of these courses would be suitable for a student working toward a degree in Sociology. You only need take one or the other to satisfy the G.E.R. requirement in this category.

Students wanting to use the General Education Requirement to their best advantage should become familiar with the courses available in the various components of the G.E.R.