Types of majors

Types of majors

Some degrees provide the opportunity to specialise in one or more areas of study. These are known as majors and different courses offer a single majors, double majors and advanced or interdisciplinary majors.

Single major

A single major is a group of subjects in a single discipline of study. A course with a single major has one dominant field of study.

Note: Bachelor of Engineering students complete a core first year of study and then select their specific single major.

Example showing the initial enrolment of a student in a Master of Science, single major in Marine Biology & Ecology:

The Marine Biology & Ecology major consists of 4 core components (12 credit points), and 2 option components (24 credit points).

Double major

A double major is when you have the option to select two single majors from the list of majors specified for your course. A course with a double major has two dominant fields of study. An example of a double major is:

• Bachelor of Arts majoring in Sociology and Archaeology

Advanced and interdisciplinary majors

Advanced and interdisciplinary majors are available in a small number of courses and may have special entry requirements.

Joint degree

A joint degree is one where the core components (subjects) and majors come from two different JCU awards. Some examples of joint degrees are:

• Bachelor of Arts – Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Engineering – Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Business – Bachelor of Laws

You will have a single study plan to follow, but may need to choose a major from each of the different programs.

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