Of the wide variety of majors offered by Gonzaga University, it is no secret that some are more popular than others. Majors like Business make up a large portion of the student body, while other studies are rarely selected and may even be viewed in a poor light. Some of these majors are significantly underrated and should be far more popular than they are.
Take physics and chemistry, both well-known subjects and yet most students only take them for their core science credit. According to the U.S. Department of Education, physics and chemistry majors each made up 0.5 percent of the 2023 graduating class here at GU.
Physicists are responsible for many accomplishments in the STEM fields, such as Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity and Isaac Newton’s three laws of motion. There are famous chemists too, such as Dmitri Mendeleev who created the periodic table, and Alfred Nobel who invented dynamite. These people are impactful figures in science fields, so it is surprising that more GU STEM students haven’t taken up these undoubtedly impactful majors.
If you’re studying engineering, you likely know that civil engineering is somewhat looked down upon by the other engineering focuses. It is widely regarded as the easiest of the engineering majors, with one of the lowest credit requirements necessary at 130-137 credits.
Despite its relative accessibility, civil engineering is a very versatile degree that is a great gateway for many engineering disciplines including environmental engineering, structural engineering, transportation engineering, water resources, construction management and geotechnical engineering. This wide range of specializations also significantly broadens the number of jobs available to civil engineering majors. We depend on civil engineers for our homes, utilities and infrastructure, some of the most critical tools we use in our daily lives. The work done by civil engineers affects the way we live significantly.
For the burgeoning media professional, the broadcast and electronic media studies major is significantly underrated in an impactful and rapidly changing field. With the ubiquity of electronic devices in the homes and pockets of people across the world, keeping up with the current state of digital media is paramount for any university.
To address the recent developments in the digital media space, the College of Arts and Sciences changed its broadcast and electronic media studies major to digital media production starting this fall. The program received a significant revamp to its curriculum, keeping the most successful parts of the old broadcast and electronic media studies program while adding courses covering newer digital mediums.
The newly offered digital media production major has a slim 36 credit load, making it relatively easy to double major or work on passion projects related to digital media outside of classes. This degree is extremely versatile and tackles a subject that is constantly evolving and affecting the content we consume every day.
Despite their reputation or unpopularity, all of the majors I've mentioned have characteristics that make them great. Physicists and chemists have made some of the most impactful contributions to the field of STEM while civil engineers build our buildings and maintain our infrastructure. The new digital media production major is an up-to-date course on a field that is constantly altering the way we live and think. All of these underappreciated majors can and should be counted as some of the most impactful that GU has to offer.