AMU Careers & Learning Military Online Learning

Top 10 Strangest College Degrees

10. Pop Culture

Image Courtesy BET.com
Image Courtesy BET.com

Students who love television, movies, comedy and magazines will certainly enjoy majoring in popular-culture studies at a certain Ohio University. The school says the major provides an opportunity to use “television programs, movies, cars, houses, music, museums, celebratory events, holidays, magazines and many other manifestations of culture insights to examine society presently and historically.  “Popular-culture studies courses offered by the university include “Popular Culture Research,” “Introduction to Popular Film” and “You in Popular Culture.” Students majoring in popular-culture studies often end up in careers in advertising, public relations, journalism, mass media, teaching, and library and museum work.

 

9. Gunsmithing

gunsmith
Image Courtesy History.org

From pistols to rifles, a popular California school offers students a chance to learn everything they can about guns. Students at the California College can earn an associate’s degree in gunsmithing, with a focus on either firearms repair or general gunsmithing. Among the courses students can expect to take while majoring in gunsmithing are “The Fundamentals of Rifle Shooting,” “Firearms Safety” and “Open and Optical Sight Installation.”

 

8. Comedy: Writing and Performance

Image Courtesy Festivalforcomedy.com
Image Courtesy Festivalforcomedy.com

If you’ve dreamed of becoming the next Kathy Griffin, you can make that dream come true by studying Comedy at Humber College in Canada. Humber recognizes that you need more than skill to excel in the world of comedy: you also need an understanding of the commercial aspect of the industry. Humber College offers the opportunity to learn about the industry while improving your comedy skills. Classes include “stand-up, improvisation, scriptwriting, sketch comedy, and all other aspects of the craft.”

 

7. Motorsports Science and Engineering

Image Courtesy Quattroworld.com
Image Courtesy Quattroworld.com

Welcome to the South, where you can essentially major in the study of NASCAR. #7 on our list is the only University is “the only Historically Black College and University to offer a Bachelor of Science degree program in Motorsport Management,” according to their website. It’s certainly not a common field of study, but the website says that “one study indicated motorsports generated a total of 24,406 jobs in 2003 for the state economy of North Carolina.” So it might be a good time to switch into the motorsports science lane. Classes in this major will prepare you for a career in Motorsport Operations, Motorsport Marketing and Event Planning.

 

6. Decision-making

Image Courtesy Business2community.com
Image Courtesy Business2community.com

Employers searching for solid decision-makers should be scouting this Indiana school’s graduates. This Bloomington college offers a doctoral program in decision sciences that focuses on the quantitative methods used to aid decision-making in business environments. The school says the program emphasizes the use of mathematical models and analytical reasoning to solve problems in such areas as operations and supply-chain management, information technology, marketing, finance, management and economics. Classes that students enrolled in this program take include “Operations Research,” “Operations Design and Control” and “Systems Simulation.”

 

5. Professional Nanny

Image Courtesy Nannyresource.com
Image Courtesy Nannyresource.com

This university offers an online degree in what they believe is a growing concern: nannying. The school is producing Professional Nanny Graduates who they believe are skilled, educated and “ready to join your team as an in-home childcare provider.” Nannying can be a high-paying job if you manage to find a stable position with a good family. Having a degree in Professional Nannying will give you a leg up on the competition, but crossing over into another profession with this degree won’t be easy.

 

4. Retail Floristry

Image Courtesy Cannonbeachflorist.com
Image Courtesy Cannonbeachflorist.com

Who knew that selling and arranging flowers required a degree? Well, you can get one in Retail Floristry at this Mississippi school. They are one of only a few universities in the country that offers a degree in floristry management. The program is truly one-of-a-kind. The university boasts, “A unique retail floristry program gives students hands-on experience in managing a business operation.”

 

3. Fermentation Sciences

Image Courtesy Comradebrewing.com
Image Courtesy Comradebrewing.com

Some may joke that they “majored in beer” in college, but a university in North Carolina literally gives students that opportunity. The school offers a degree in fermentation sciences, which, among other things, examines how beer and wine are made. Students pursuing this degree get exposure to the principles of fermentation sciences, systems design and engineering, as well as hands-on experience with production systems, water treatment and environmental remediation. Students also have the opportunity to work in the school’s Ivory Tower Brewery, where they learn how to improve operating efficiencies or develop new recipes. Among the classes offered are “Social Implications of Fermented Beverages,” “Brewing Science and Analysis” and “Viticulture: Vine Physiology and Vineyard Establishment.”

 

2. Puppetry

Image Courtesy Sydersden.com
Image Courtesy Sydersden.com

Students at the University of Connecticut can spend their days training to be the next Kermit the Frog or Oscar the Grouch. Offered by the school since 1964, puppetry has been a staple of UConn’s Dramatic Arts department. Among the classes puppetry students must complete are introductory classes in costuming, lighting and scenery, as well as courses in marionette performance and construction. Students can earn both bachelors and master’s degrees in puppetry at UConn.

 

1. The Beatles

Beatles
Image Courtesy Today.com

Few can claim to love the Beatles more than those who earn a master’s degree on John, Paul, George and Ringo from Liverpool Hope University in the United Kingdom. The university, located in the band’s famed hometown, is the only school in the world to offer a master’s degree in the “The Beatles, Popular Music and Society.” The yearlong program examines the significance of The Beatles’ music in the construction of identities, audiences, ethnicities, industries and localities. Among the classes students pursuing this degree take are “Topics in History: Liverpool” and “Musicology and the Beatles.”

 

For career-focused degrees that you can use inside the military and out, check out American Military University!  Our university has service members and veterans studying with us around the world, supported by a vast array of staff and faculty who are also veterans or reservists. As a result, the university truly understands the specific needs of our country’s service members, veterans and military families.

Read More

Wes O'Donnell

Wes O’Donnell is an Army and Air Force veteran and writer covering military and tech topics. As a sought-after professional speaker, Wes has presented at U.S. Air Force Academy, Fortune 500 companies, and TEDx, covering trending topics from data visualization to leadership and veterans’ advocacy. As a filmmaker, he directed the award-winning short film, “Memorial Day.”

Comments are closed.