What College Majors Should You Choose If Your Classes Are Online

A growing list of colleges have announced that they will offer most or even all of their classes online during the coming academic year.

That prompted one student we know to ask, “So, should I forget about declaring myself pre-med next year? I mean, how am I going to get those lab classes completed in an online format?”

That’s a smart question to ask. Granted, colleges could be resuming normal in-person classes sooner than we expect. If that happens, the current shift to virtual classes could become little more than a troubling memory. But still, it is wise to think and plan ahead, and ask some questions like these.

What Percentage of Classes in a Major Rely on Face-to-Face or Lab Instruction?

This is an interesting question to ask. You can explore it by reviewing a college’s course requirements for the completion of different majors, or by calling your college to speak with an academic advisor.

And when you do explore it, you will find that a number of different college majors – not only science or engineering – rely so heavily on in-person training that it might be smart to wait before making them your choice.

It’s a diverse list that includes:

Construction trades, which require extensive hands-on learning, and which may require apprenticeships outside of the context of college learning
Cooking and culinary arts, which require classes that cannot be entirely taught on computers
Education and teaching, which have a classroom component
Fine art and painting, which require participation in studio art classes
Forestry, which requires participation in group studies and classes
Mechanical, chemical aerospace and electrical engineering, which combine theoretical knowledge with knowledge that is gained in laboratory and even workplace environments
Medical support professions, which require extensive hands-on experience
Nursing, which requires a mixture of subjects that can be taught online (like anatomy and pharmacology) and hands-on (infant and new mother care)
Performing arts such as dance and music, which require instructor-led learning and participation in classes and ensembles
Physical therapy, chiropractic, and other “hands-on” medical professions
Pre-dental concentration, which requires participation in clinics
Pre-med, which requires extensive laboratory classes, as well as studies in clinical settings
Pre-veterinary studies, which require labs and hands-on learning

Other Majors and Careers that Require Less than 10% Classroom or Face-to-Face Learning Experiences

And then we come to the following careers and college majors. Here is a list of 60 of the most popular college majors today, all of which can be begun and pursued nearly to completion through online courses:

Accounting
Advertising
American Studies
Anthropology
Architecture
Art Education
Asian Studies
Astronomy
Biological Sciences
Business Administration
Child and Family Studies
Civil Engineering
Classical Civilization
Classics
Clinical Laboratory Science
Communications
Comparative Literature
Creative Writing
Criminal Justice
Ecology
Economics
English
Environmental Sciences
Exercise Science
Finance
Food Science
Foreign Languages
Geology
Graphic Design
History
Horticulture and Plant Science
Hotel and Tourism
Human Resource Management
Interior Design
Journalism and Electronic Media
Languages
Latin American Studies
Linguistics
Logistics
Management
Marketing
Mathematics
Music, Non-Performing Studies
Nuclear Medicine Technology
Nutrition
Physics
Plant Sciences
Political Science
Pre-Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science
Psychology
Public Administration
Recreation and Leisure Administration
Religious Studies
Retail and Consumer Sciences
Social Work
Sociology
Sports Management
Statistics
Wildlife and Fisheries Science
Women’s Studies

We Invite You to Explore Your Career Options with Us. . .

Participate in the National Career & College Pathway Study to gain new insights about making educational decisions that align with your interests, passions, and aptitudes. Participants will receive information on college and career opportunities that match their interests.

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