Learn about majors and education programs
Learn about Majors and Education Programs
When choosing a college major or training program, there are a number of factors to consider -- degree of Holland “personality-major match,” course requirements and whether it is career- or Liberal Arts-oriented.
To make a good choice, you want to learn about the academic environments of the majors that interest you, to see how well they fit -- so you can weigh the pros and cons of each. Ideally, you want to investigate the major at the school where it is offered because the environments may vary somewhat from college to college.
Below are questions to ask and activities to find answers for a more confident education decision.
Questions to ask
How well does the environment of a major fit the way it is described by the Holland Theory? See the callout below for descriptions of the 6 college major environments.
For example, if you were researching a major in Chemistry, how well does its environment (Investigative) fit the description of the Holland Investigative environment?
How well does this environment fit my personality – my interests, abilities, and values?
How compatible are the professors’ personality to mine? The personality of the students in the major? To help you in thinking about this, use Holland’s RIASEC personality types.
How compatible with your preferences are the professors’
Teaching methods,
Course requirements, and
Classroom atmosphere
Holland College Major Environments
When you choose a major or program, you also choose an environment – surroundings and conditions that,
Encourage students with a certain personality, and often
Discourage students with a different kind of personality.
You want to choose a Holland major-environment that encourages you, one in which you will earn good grades and graduate on time. Here are descriptions of each one.
Realistic Majors
Professors who have a Realistic personality type "dominate" this environment. There are more of them than there are professors having one of the other five Holland personality types. They create an atmosphere and opportunities that encourage students to,
Do Realistic activities, like working with animals, tools, machines, or electronic equipment;
Develop technical skills and competencies in these activities;
Display traditional values and attitudes of being concerned about goods, money, and power.
See themselves as practical, mechanical, and realistic; and seeing the world in simple, traditional, concrete, direct ways; and
Become involved in Realistic occupations and roles.
Generally, these professors believe that students learn best by meeting specific, clear-cut requirements; and place a high value on grades, examinations, acquiring specific skills and credentials.
Examples of Realistic Majors
Crop Production, Aquaculture, Turf Management, Criminal Justice, Architectural Engineering Technology, Robotics Technology, Materials Engineering, Natural Resources Management.
Investigative Majors
Professors who have an Investigative personality type "dominate" this environment. There are more of them than there are of the other five Holland personality types. They create an atmosphere and opportunities that encourage students to,
Do Investigative activities, like systematic observation, understanding and solving science and math problems;
Develop scientific, analytical, and mathematical skills and competencies;
Display scientific values and attitudes, like scholarship, intellectualism, academic and scientific rigor;
See themselves as precise, scientific, and intellectual; having mathematical, analytic, and scientific abilities; and seeing the world in complex, abstract, and original ways; and
Become involved in Investigative occupations and roles.
Generally, these professors,
Believe that students learn best by meeting specific, clear-cut requirements; and rely more heavily on formal, structured teaching-learning strategies, like lecture-discussion;
Place a high value on grades, examinations, acquiring specific skills and credentials; and
Prefer rational and systematic methods of investigating questions; and encourage students to rely on thinking, gathering information, and careful, objective analysis.
Examples of Investigative Majors
Meteorology, Chemistry, Animal Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, Biotechnology, Ecology, Dentistry, Pharmacy.
Artistic Majors
Professors who have an Artistic personality type "dominate" this environment. There are more of them than there are of the other five Holland personality types. They create an atmosphere and opportunities that encourage students to,
Do Artistic activities, like art, drama, crafts, dance, music, or creative writing;
Develop skills and competencies in these activities;
Display Artistic values and attitudes; appreciate creativity, literature and the arts;
See themselves as expressive, original, and independent; having Artistic abilities; and seeing the world in complex, independent, unconventional, and flexible ways; and
Become involved in Artistic occupations and roles.
Generally, these professors,
Prefer more informal, unstructured teaching-learning situations in which students set their own goals and pursue their own interests.
Place a high value on students’ freedom and independence. They believe that students do their best work when they are on their own; they consider students competent to make their own educational decisions, to participate with faculty in planning courses and academic programs;
Put more emphasis on goals related to character development (students’ emotional development, deeper level of self-understanding, develop moral character);
Encourage students to use imagination and emotions in their work, to be original, expressive, and intuitive when solving problems; and
Prefer a collegial mode of interaction with students.
Examples of Artistic Majors
Applied Linguistics, American Literature, Philosophy, Creative Writing, Architecture, Graphic Design, Fine Arts, Dance, Acting, Music, Conducting, Journalism
Activities to Learn More
Interview the professors, students, and graduates in the major. Most people are happy to talk about this. You can use the techniques of “Information Interviewing” to do this. It’s a valuable skill to learn;
Read catalogs and course syllabi. They will help you understand the goals and requirements of the major;
Sit in on classes. This will give you an opportunity to observe teaching methods, classroom atmosphere, what is rewarded and learned, the abilities and interests that are strengthened; and
“Shadow” students. Major shadowing is like “job shadowing”, you follow and observe a student as he or she attends classes in the major, studies, attends department activities, and meets other students in the major.
All of these activities require some self-discipline and an analytical approach. It’s a good idea to write down what you want to learn beforehand and, then, what you learned afterwards.
And, finally, it’s important to make a good decision. We highly recommend that you follow our 4-step decision making process.