A major (also known as a major concentration or concentration) is a term for the specific group of courses that give you a basic knowledge of a field of study, which is in addition to your core curriculum. A major is a term most commonly applied to a program of study leading to a bachelor's degree. However, associate's degrees can also have majors, for instance an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in culinary arts.
Certificate programs do not have majors as such. Rather, they carry a designation (for instance a Baking and Decorating Certificate) which is much more specific than a degree title. Often, students in a community college or career college program--sometimes all the students in the department--will take a common set of core foundational courses in the first year (or term, in the case of shorter programs) which then enables them to pursue a specialized area of study. But generally, the field of study at the community college level is career-focused to the point where students do not take "elective" courses as they do for bachelor's degrees. Hence the designation of the certificate effectively stands in for the "major." |