Interactive Games and Media
All guys have one thing in common with each other. You’re probably thinking chicks or beer, which would be true, but I’m going another direction with this: Video games. Don’t even try to pretend you’ve never been out at the bar partying and thought, “Man, I could really go for some Call Of Duty right now.” It’s cool, it happens, but you ever wonder how these games are made or who the lucky bastard is behind the scenes making the cash? Luckily for you, colleges have majors that allow you to become that person.
At the Rochester Institute of Technology, students can major in Interactive Games and Media. It is a lot more time consuming than you may believe and it’s definitely not all fun and games, but still who wouldn’t want to major in video games? The courses teach you how to design and create games from the ground up. Courses include: Programming (digital and new media), Web Development, Digital Media, and Modeling and Animation. If you were the kid socializing with their GameBoy rather than the girls on the playground, this could be the right path for you.
Horticulture
College is all about education. Right? But we all know with the vast amount of extracirriculars endeavors, it’s tough to keep up on those grades. Good thing for you there’s a college that takes at least one of those things that might make you suffer in the GPA area, and turned it into an entire major. Horticulture, specifically cultivation of plants, specifically cultivation of Marijuana. Try not to piss yourself in excitement.
In 2007, Richard Lee founded Oaksterdam University in Oakland, California. A school that would take Cannabis enthusiasts (AKA Stoners) and turn them into scholars of Mary Jane studies. Don’t get us wrong, it isn’t all Purple Haze and AK47. Oaksterdam University is just as legitimate of a university as any other. Students enrolled at “Cannabis College” take courses such as politics and history, legal rights, and economics. But then again there’s a whole lot of ingestion (cooking), and the science of cannabis type classes as well. So if you’d rather sit in your dorm room watching seeds grow than reading Ernest Hemingway, Cannabis College might be the spot for you.
Another thing Oaksterdam excels in is teaching students about the benefits of legalization and how to arm themselves politically so they can fight the system, one perfectly legal bong rip at a time. We might not all smoke week at Campus Socialite, but we respect anyone’s right to get as high as they please. So when it comes time to tell your parents that you’ll be attending school to learn about all the wonders of growing weed and taking it to the man, explain to them that you will be immersed in biological cultivation practices as well as modern political theory. They’re sure to understand.
Puppetry
Ah, good old UConn. First two things that come to mind are probably Kemba Walker and a hell of a good time. Unless you’re that kid who enjoys spontaneously busting out show tunes in the middle of class, the last thing you think of is the drama department. At the University of Connecticut, they offer one of the oddest, yet kinda cool majors we’ve heard of; puppetry. I know what you’re thinking… who freakin’ cares? Apparently, lots of kids.
Starting in 1964 in the Theatre Department at UConn, the classes became so popular that enrollment was limited. The out of the ordinary major expands into courses including costuming, lighting, voice, and marionette performance just to name a few. Puppetry majors create their own productions open to viewing at the university. Since the founding of the program, about 500 “puppet shows” have been produced.
Comic Art
As college students, we all have the same routine. Wake up, maybe shower, brush your teeth, go to class. After awhile (or the first day of the semester), we’re already over classes, especially with that feminist professor who has it out for you we all tend to have. Now if you’re like me and can’t focus, I doodle. I’m not talking about Jonah Hill’s infamous doodling obsession in Superbad, but just about what’s going on in my head. Have you ever thought that maybe your classtime cartoons could lead to a degree?
At the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, you can major in Comic Art. Don’t go to thinking that you can draw a stick figure of your monotone professor and call it a day, these classes are serious work. Courses for the major included introduction to comics, history of comic art, comic book publishing: print and web, comic storytelling, an internship, and of course a senior project. Although comic books have been around for decades, this up and coming major is sure to be a hit.
Brewing
Beer: one of God’s greatest creations. Whether you’re a broke college student (21 or older of course) funneling a few Keystone Lights or your old school Italian dad throwing back Peronis, we all appreciate a nice cold one. At the University of California, Davis campus, you can become a brewing major. Now before you pop open a few and celebrate, realize that being a brewing major doesn’t mean playing beer pong at your dorm room pregame counts as a prerequisite. The courses for this major are pretty tough.
Courses for brewing include pre-calc, microbiology, cell physiology, biochemistry, organic chemistry, and chemical engineering (just to name a few). Whoa. Although that’s a hell of a lot of work, won’t it be worth it when the next generation of drunk bar goers are ordering your beer you created thanks to your brewing degree? We thought yes too.
Folklore and Mythology
So. Folklore and mythology. If you’re just a normal everyday dude you probably have no idea what this even means. On the other hand, if you’re one of those kids from Role Models going to the park to LARP (Live Action Role Play… you’ve heard of it, don’t deny), you might find this next major to spark your interest. At Harvard University, one of the most scholarly universities in the world, you can earn your degree in folklore and mythology.
This major is basically studying cultural documents, such as fairy tales and myths in particular countries and cultures. Courses include cultural studies, fairy tales and fantasy literature, American folklore, and hero and trickster. With these courses you can actually do more than you think. Students have even moved on to careers in law, medicine, journalism, and of course teaching. Even if you weren’t that kid in class with his face in a book rather than talking about how hot that girl across the lecture hall is, this might be appealing to you.
Bagpiping
We all know the band kids weren’t always the most popular or well liked in high school. Ever wonder what might have happened to the mute kid whose only friend was the clarinet you made fun of? It is highly possible he moved on to graduate from an ivy league school and is now dating Gisele Bundchen’s less hot twin sister. Or maybe he’s this kid: Nick Hudson.
At Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Nick Hudson is the only student in North America to major in bagpiping. Being a university that started from Andrew Carnegie’s Scottish roots, bagpiping is a pretty big deal and is close to the university’s heart. His classes included electives involving bagpiping, composition, performance education, and music and technology. So if you happen to have the odd hobbie or talent of bagpiping, take a chance, apply to Carnegie Mellon, and maybe you can be the second bagpiping major in North America.
Eskimo
One of the most forgotten states in North American territory is Alaska. When you think Alaska you think cold, snow, igloos, and Sarah Palin. I don’t know about you but none of these things sound very appealing to me or the majority of mankind. Unless you’re planning on running for Vice President and getting your own show on TLC, you probably have zero interest of ever visiting the forgotten state. Did you even know there were colleges in Alaska? Well there is.
University of Alaska, Fairbanks is a university with about 8,500 undergraduate students. The university is just as normal as any other school in the country; except for this odd major. Eskimo. Yes, you can get your degree in Eskimo. Courses for this unconventional major include elementary, intermediate, and advanced languages, teaching methods for Alaska native languages, historical linguistics, Alaska native music, and Alaska native politics. If being an Eskimo has been a life-long dream of yours, then we highly suggest this major. Or socializing.
Bowling Industry Management
Every little kid had that stereotypical bowling alley birthday party. C’mon you know you thought your Batman themed birthday was the stuff (even it might have been when the latest Dark Knight came out in theaters). Now that we’ve got you thinking about it, you realize that bowling alleys are a prime part in every person’s childhood. At Vincennes University in Indiana, you can major in bowling industry management.
Courses for this major include lane and pinsetter maintenance (I and II), lane and pinsetter lab (I and II), lifetime fitness/wellness, hotel conventions and marketing, speech, and first aid. Granted bowling is a dying past time sport in most areas of North America, it’s still pretty cool how schools like Vincennes want to save the staple sport. When I first discovered this major, I thought why the hell would you ever do go to school for this? But hey, you know when your channel surfing and come across the bowling matches on ESPN2, you get sucked in. The best way to describe this major is a little ridiculous yet totally awesome at the same time.
Sexuality Studies
The top 2 things on every guy’s mind: food and sex. I’m no genius, but I can guarantee that you were just thinking about one or the other or both before you started reading this article. Before you get all hot and bothered and start running to your college advisor to switch your major, take a second, chill and read the rest.
At San Francisco State University, the department of sexuality studies includes courses about sexual functions and reproduction, intimate relationships, sexual and gender role development, and social, cultural, and historical contexts of sex. Your parents or girlfriend may not necessarily approve of getting a degree in sexuality studies, but we here at Campus Socialite give you mad props (in the most intellectual way possible).
1. Comic Art
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
120 credits
Required Courses:
Introduction to Comics
History of Comic Art
Comic Media and Concepts
Comic Book Publishing: Print and Web
Experimental Comics
Drawing: Figure
Comic Storytelling
Professional Practice
Internship
Advanced Comic Art Seminar
Senior Project
http://mcad.edu/academic-programs/comic-art
2. Bowling Industry Management
Vincennes University, Indiana
Some suggested curriculum:
Lane and Pinsetter Maintenance (I and II)
Lane and Pinsetter Lab (I and II)
Lifetime Fitness/Wellness
Hotel Conventions and Marketing
Speech
Lineage Development
First Aid
http://www.vinu.edu/cms/opencms/academic_resources/majors/factsheets/factsheet_0008.html
3. Eskimo (Inupiaq, Yup’ik)
University of Alaska, Fairbanks
120 credits
Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced Languages
Teaching Methods for Alaska Native Languages
Language Acquisition
Native Cultures of Alaska
Historical Linguistics
Alaska Native Music
Alaska Native Politics
http://www.uaf.edu/catalog/current/programs/eskimo.html
4. Puppetry
University of Connecticut
Curriculum:
Intro to Costuming
Intro to Lighting
Voice and Diction
Theatre History
Intro Acting (I and II)
African-American Theatre
Trends in Contemporary American Puppetry
Marionette Performance
Marionette Construction
5. Bagpiping
Carnegie Mellon
This is the only University to have a student graduate with a degree in Bagpiping, Nick Hudson.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09127/968364-298.stm (Nick Hudson)
http://thetartan.org/2006/10/2/news/bagpipe (School Newspaper article on Nick Hudson)
http://www.tepper.cmu.edu/news-multimedia/tepper-stories/hysterical-preservation-programs-now-underway/index.aspx
6. Packaging
Michigan State University
Curriculum:
120 credits
8 packaging courses
6 packaging electives
12 credit business cognate
Writing
Integrative Studies
Macro or microeconomics
Calculus
Physics Statistics
Advertising
Packaging economics
Environmental Issues
http://packaging.msu.edu/packaging/b.s._degree_program
7. Horticulture
Oaksterdam University, Oakland, CA
Created in 2007; “Cannabis College”
Curriculum:
Federal vs State Law
Politics and History
Legal Rights
Horticulture
Methods of Ingestion
The Science of Cannabis
Patient Relations
Economics
8. Folklore and Mythology
Harvard University
Curriculum:
Culture and Belief, Performance, Tradition, and Cultural Studies
Hero and Trickster
Fairy Tales and Fantasy Literature
American Folklore: Plants and People
Quilts and Quiltmaking
http://web.me.com/folkmyth/Folk_%26_Myth/Welcome.html (main page)
http://web.me.com/folkmyth/Folk_%26_Myth/Courses.html (classes and descriptions)
9. Brewing
University of California, Davis
Curriculum:
Pre-calc
Microbiology, Cell physiology, or biochemistry
Organic, Inorganic, or Analytical Chemistry
Heat and Mechanics or Process Control (Physics)
Mechanical or Chemical Engineering
http://extension.ucdavis.edu/unit/brewing/
10. Interactive Games and Media
Rochester Institute of Technology
Curriculum:
Game Software DEV 1, 2, 3
Intro to Programming for New Media
Programming II for New Media
Intro to Interactive Media
Intro to Web Development
Interactive Digital Media
Modeling and Animation
Programming for Digital Media
http://games.rit.edu/
Sexuality Studies
San Francisco State University
http://www.sfsu.edu/bulletin/programs/humsexst.htm#343503
