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Types of majors

Some courses provide the opportunity to specialise in one or more areas of study, which are called majors. Different courses offer different types of majors, such as single majors, double majors and advanced or interdisciplinary majors.

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.

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

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

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.