Selection of a Major
In designing a program of study, the student ought to plan for depth of concentration as well as breadth of scope. To study a subject in depth can be one of the most rewarding and energizing of human experiences, and can form the basis of the interests and occupations of a lifetime. Knowledge advances by specialization, and one can gain some of the excitement of discovery by pressing toward the outer limits of what is known in a particular field. Intense study of a seemingly narrow area of investigation may disclose ramifications and connections that alter perspectives on other subjects. Such study also sharpens judgment and acquaints a person with processes by which new truths can be found.
In order to gain exposure to this kind of experience, students must elect and complete a major, that is, the subject in which they will work more intensively than in any other. A list of the more than seventy possible majors in Yale College is given in chapter III. The department or program concerned sets the requirements for each major, which are explained in chapter III.
Some students will have made a tentative choice of a major before entering college. Others will have settled on a general area—for example, the natural sciences or the humanities—without being certain of the specific department or program of their major. Still others will be completely undecided. Many students who arrive with their minds made up change them after a year or two. Even students who feel certain of their choices should keep open the possibility of a change. In selecting courses during their first two years, students should bear in mind not only the distributional requirements, but also the need for some exploration of the subjects to which they feel drawn.
