Category Archives: Minors

Business, Majors, Minors

Three Ways to Major in Economics

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For students who take an interest in economics, there are multiple ways to build an academic plan that will suit each student’s unique career needs.  Students can choose a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business Administration, or Bachelor of Science degree plan.  What this means is that students who have an interest in double majoring have 86 possible choices for their second major.  Students can use this foundation to enter thousands of occupations, including business, law, and healthcare.  An Economics minor is also available.

Click here for some initial ideas on career possibilities with an Economics major.

Business, Career Exploration, Majors, Minors, Occupations

Entrepreneurship

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Do you have a desire to create your own company? If so, you might be called to entrepreneurship. Lucky for you, Baylor has just the program you need.  Click here to learn more about Baylor’s Entrepreneurship and Social Entrepreneurship programs.

Here are a few related articles you may find interesting:

6 Tips For Starting Your Startup From An Entrepreneurial Guru

Female Startup Founders Share Lessons Learned

I Started My Own Company: Ten Lessons I Learned

Majors, Minors

Majors for Physics Enthusiasts

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Did you know that the Department of Physics at Baylor offers a wide array of options for undergraduate students?  With majors, secondary majors, and minors available in physics, astronomy, and astrophysics, students can select academic plans with their specific career goals in mind.  For ideas on possible career pursuits with a background in physics, check out the following websites:

Office of Career and Professional Development

Job Prospects for Physicists (American Physical Society)

Business, Majors, Minors

Social Entrepreneurship: A New Track and Minor

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Students who want to use their business sense to serve others and make a positive impact on the world might be naturally drawn toward the field of social entrepreneurship.  What is social entrepreneurship, you might ask?  Check out this link from PBS.  Still interested?  You can review the course requirements for the Social Entrepreneurship track within the Entrepreneurship major or the Social Entrepreneurship minor.  For further information, visit the Majors Fair (which will also feature minors and secondary majors) on October 16th, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the 2nd Floor of the Bill Daniel Student Center.

Minors

Foreign Language Minors

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A foreign language minor could enhance your academic experience and open up doors for global opportunities.  Baylor offers minors in:

Modern Foreign Languages

Classical Languages

While it is not foreign, I would also like to note that Baylor offers a minor in Sign Language Interpreting for students who would like to communicate with populations who use American Sign Language.  It is also important to keep in mind that the foreign language classes that you take to fulfill general education requirements at Baylor, may or may not apply to a minor.  Consult the Undergraduate Catalog or your academic advisor for more details on any of these minors.

Graduate School, Majors, Minors

How Studying Philosophy Can Help You Prepare for Any Career

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I recently attended a presentation by Dr. Todd Buras, Associate Professor and Undergraduate Program Director in the Department of Philosophy.  He enlightened the group on how, contrary to popular belief, the study of philosophy can help prepare students for just about any career out there.  He shared that at the heart of the discipline is the search for wisdom, as students are taught how to think critically, form logical arguments, and communicate effectively.  Obviously, studying philosophy aids in the development of the person, not just the acquistion of job-specific skills.  The faculty in Baylor’s Department of Philosophy encourage students to view the texts and issues discussed from a Christian perspective, challenging the argument that faith and reason are at odds with one another.  Here are some ways you could enhance your career preparation with philosophy courses at Baylor.

1) Take an introductory philosophy course.  Your academic advisor can help you understand how an introductory course would apply to your current degree plan or other programs you are considering.  Taking a course is one of the best ways to get a sense of what philosophy is about, while developing some of the skills described above.  There are currently four introductory philosophy courses.

  • PHI 1306 Logic
  • PHI 1307 Critical Thinking
  • PHI 1308 Introduction to Ethics
  • PHI 1321 Introduction to Philosophy

Unlike course sections in other disciplines, the introductory philosophy courses revolve around topics and readings of the individual instructor’s choosing.  Make sure you compare your options by reading the descriptions on the Department of Philosophy website before enrolling.  The descriptions are updated for each semester.

As an aside, philosophy courses can provide excellent preparation for standardized admission tests, such as the GRE, LSAT, MCAT, and GMAT.  Logic and critical thinking are some of the key skills a student needs to employ to perform successfully on such exams.

2) Participate in a study abroad experience that includes philosophy courses.  Dr. Buras explained that philosophy courses can be taken as part of the Baylor in St. Andrew’s, Baylor in Greece and Turkey, and Baylor in Oxford programs.

3) Consider a major, secondary major, or minor.  Dr. Buras said that a student chooses to major in philosophy when they “love wisdom.”  Click here for more information on these academic programs.

Minors

Poverty Studies and Social Justice Minor

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The Baylor Interdisciplinary Poverty Initiative recently introduced a new, interdisciplinary minor called Poverty Studies and Social Justice.  Students must complete three required courses, plus 9 hours of electives.  The required courses are:

  • ECO 3355- Introduction to the Economics of Poverty and Discrimination
  • SWO 4322- Social Policy and Service
  • SWO 4315- Foundations of Social Justice

The nine hours of electives can be selected from courses in 29 different disciplines, such as Family and Consumer Sciences, Political Science, and Sociology.  For a full listings of course options, please follow the link above.

Announcements, Communications, Majors, Minors, Occupations

Career Spotlight: Reporter

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Dreams of being on air or publishing articles for the world to read are common for students with a natural talent for communication.  The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) describes the work of reporters, pointing out that these positions can be in television, radio, online, and print media.  Reporters must be effective at meeting deadlines, since there is pressure to be the first reporter to break a news story.  The OOH suggests that job prospects in television, radio, and newspapers are expected to be hard to come by, particularly in major markets.

Since education and experience are vital components, students should seek out ways to obtain the professional skills they will need in college.  Baylor offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism-News Editorial, a program that also requires a minor of a student’s choosing.  A minor is available in News Editorial, for those students in majors other than Journalism.  Media-minded students might also be interested in courses in Film and Digital Media.  Students interested in on-air broadcasting who would like to beef up their presentation and interviewing skills might also choose to take classes in Speech Communication.

This wraps up our posts for the 2011-2012 academic year.  Thanks for your readership during our inaugural year.  We will resume posting on the first day of classes this fall, August 20.  We hope you will take the summer to peruse our old posts, explore career possibilities, and get some real-world experience.  Summer jobs, internships, study abroad, and volunteer work are all excellent resume-builders.  The Career Counseling office will be open during the summer sessions and between semesters, so please feel free to contact us if you have any questions during that time.  Finally, best wishes on your final exams!

Creativity, Minors, Occupations, Web Resources

Careers in Music

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Music can inspire emotions, dreams, and actions.  Many students find so much meaning in music that they want involvement in music to be their life’s work.  Classical musicians usually train from childhood, then go on to major in music at a university or study at a conservatory.  What about the rest of the musicians and music fans out there?

The Berklee College of Music has put together an extensive list of various roles within the music industry.  You can learn more about the occupations of musicians and singers, as well as many related occupations, by visiting the Occupational Outlook Handbook.  The University of North Carolina-Wilmington and Northern Illinois University have compiled list of links pertinent to students with interests in careers in music.

Students are required to audition in order to major in music at Baylor.  However, an audition is not required to minor in music or church music.  Non-majors may also participate in bands, orchestras, and choirs, as well as registering for music classes as a non-major.  For more information on programs through the School of Music at Baylor, visit their website.