Despite its compact environment, ABAC has several options for anyone still considering a major. From business and history to biology and nursing, ABAC’s diverse degree options can help you make that decision.
Feeling like you have to plan your entire future the moment you leave high school is a huge undertaking. This one seemingly simple choice will determine the classes you take, the degree you earn, and the types of jobs you’ll qualify for after graduation. But that decision is made easy at ABAC.
While some consider ABAC to be solely an agricultural school, there is a wide array of majors to choose from.
ABAC is divided into four schools: the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources (SANR), the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS), the Stafford School of Business (SSB), and the School of Nursing and Health Sciences (SNHS).
Within the SANR, you can choose between several different majors: natural resource management, environmental horticulture, agriculture, agricultural technology management, agricultural education, agribusiness, and agricultural communication. All of these (except for natural resource management) are also available as minors.
As an agricultural communication student, for example, you can take classes that are also outside of the agriculture field, like political communication. These majors are both tailored to suit your career goals and flexible in the courses they offer.
In the SAS, you can choose to stick with the core curriculum, or you can choose between biology, history and government, writing and communication, rural community development, music, and criminal justice. Of these, you can minor in biology, history and government, rural community development, and writing and communication.
I am a history and government major, so I do have some bias, but this major is great because it gives you the best of both worlds without having to do history and government as two separate majors or with one as a minor.
Rural community development is for anyone interested in rural studies, psychology, and sociology. Some students even opt for courses in the history and government department.
In the SSB, you can both major and minor in business.
In the SNHS, you can choose between nursing, AS (an associate’s) or nursing, RN to BSN (a bachelor’s).
While these options might help you decide, it’s important to remind yourself that you may not know what path you want to take right away, and that’s completely okay. At just 18 years old, you probably aren’t certain about your career plans.
It’s okay to take time to consider not just ABAC’s options but what you find personally fulfilling and gratifying. Don’t make a choice based on money or what your friends are doing or what you’ve been told to do—choose a major based on your desires, values, and strengths (even if those strengths need some fine-tuning—that’s why you’re here!).
Even if you’ve been set on a major for a while, it’s okay to change direction, no matter how far along you are.
After my first semester, I changed my major from art education to history and government—a near-complete 180. In high school, I felt certain that teaching art was my purpose. But once I got into college and did some reflecting and learning about myself, I realized, while I still have a passion for art, that I would feel more fulfilled within a different path.
Some people change their majors more than once. My brother began as a music major, and he switched to art before graduating with a degree in geology. He still makes music on the side, but he finds gratification in teaching geology classes.
Having to map out your life with a single choice of a degree—especially at age 18-22—is incredibly daunting. But remember, you can take your time making that choice, and that choice does not have to be final. College is all about growth and learning, and that includes learning about yourself, too.
If you need career-related guidance or help selecting a major, you can visit the Career Center on the third floor of the Carlton Center, or you can find their resources on the ABAC website under Student Success in the Academics tab. You can also find more details on ABAC’s schools and programs under the same tab.
If you want more information on ABAC’s degree options, you can contact the deans of each school: Dr. Andrew Thoron for SANR (andrew.thoron@abac.edu); Dr. Matthew Anderson for SAS (matthew.anderson@abac.edu); Dr. Michelle Boyce for SNHS (gwendolyn.boyce@abac.edu); and Dr. Franzelle Mathis-Pertilla for SSB (fpertilla@abac.edu).