As more and more high school graduates are choosing to get a higher education, students are being exposed to a variety of majors that many of us can't even fathom paying to study. If you thought Jewish studies, forestry, or classical studies were strange academic ventures, keep your mind open to the incredible amount of wacky degrees available to college students nowadays. Here are just a few to get your mind turning:
1. Citrus Studies Degree
There is only one college in the country that offers this program, located in Southern Florida. Courses covered in the program range from citrus grove management to disease management to pest control and post harvest practices; students obtain their degree from the horticultural sciences school, utilizing eighty varieties of citrus trees in their studies. Degree clad students can then become certifiable citrus grove managers or citrus fruit researchers.
2. Gerontology Degree
A Gerontology Degree is the study of aging, covering the physical, mental, and sociological aspects of this complex process. Students with this degree commonly go into employment with the elderly, most regularly in retirement communities, nursing homes, and longterm care facilities. Masters programs are also available in this course of study.
3. Puppetry Degree
This undergraduate program is offered at a handful of schools across the country, with one college even offering a Master's program in the craft. Classes in this discipline include paper sculpture design, shadow theatre, and rod puppet theatre.
4. Auctioneering Degree
Auctioneers nowadays run art and estate sales, must be well-versed in contracts and sales law, and study public speaking. Some courses of the major include audience communications and auctioneering law, with the standard expectation that all students already be able to talk incredibly fast.
5. Bowling Industry Management Degree
Bowling has evolved from more than a pastime to a serious business in need of college-educated management. One university with this undergraduate program offers an instruction facility with four lanes, pinsetters, and a drill machine. Students study speech, lane care, and mechanics with career expectations being that of a bowling lane manager or a manufacturer sales representative.
6. Comedy Studies Degree
This discipline was first created in the United Kingdom in 2009. Students in this major study comedy history, physical comedy, and comedy analysis. Who gets the last laugh with a degree like this?