4 answers
5
Asked 417 views

What is the benefit of incorporating a minor into a college degree?

I am thinking of adding a machine learning minor to my psychology major in college. However, I am unsure if this is the right path. I am not well versed in computer science and simply wanted to gain knowledge on the topic. Any advice is appreciated.

ai machine-learning college-minors psychology-and-machine-learning
Answer This
5

4 answers

0
Updated
Share a link to this answer
Share a link to this answer

Sandeep’s Answer

Hello Samantha,

A minor can help you broaden your skill set and make your background more unique. In your case, a Machine Learning minor could complement psychology well, especially in areas like behavioral research, data analysis, cognitive science, and AI applications.

You don't need to be an expert in computer science to start. If you're genuinely interested in learning how AI and data are used to understand human behavior, it could be a valuable addition to your degree and open up more career options in the future.
0
0
Updated
Share a link to this answer
Share a link to this answer

Dennis’s Answer

Understanding artificial intelligence for any major will be beneficial. However, machine learning minor might involve a lot of coding in Python. I would just check a curriculum. See if you're comfortable with that.
Thank you comment icon Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I will check the curriculum and do some research before moving forward. I appreciate your advice! -Samantha Samantha
0
0
Updated
Share a link to this answer
Share a link to this answer

David’s Answer

In general I'd encourage learning whatever it is you want to learn, I think as AI becomes more prevalent, it reveals how valuable it is to have people who are unabashed generalists who can put together all the pieces of the puzzle even if they can't dive deeply into one. Saying that, I would not generally encourage a minor unless it happens to fit well into the courses you already wanted to take. As a piece of paper, it's arguably not even better than a certificate. Use the minor or major curriculum as a guide for what classes to start with and see where your interests go from there. If the ML minor winds up being in easy reach, then grabbing it is a plus, but I wouldn't trade other things you might want to do for it. I personally switched majors a ton and had almost enough credits for music and english and neuroscience minors, but ultimately I graduated with just the computer science degree and did not regret not having them.
Thank you comment icon Thank you for taking the time to answer my question and include some personal perspective. I also have a love for music and have been singing since I was young. That is another minor I am interested in pursuing. I appreciate you sharing your personal journey as well. Thank you again ! Samantha Samantha
0
0
Updated
Share a link to this answer
Share a link to this answer

Ilan’s Answer

Hello Samantha,

That is a great question!

Professionally, a minor has very little relevance especially if it is in computer science which is already a very competitive field. I have seen some friends being able to transition into a role just because they were able to finess their minor or some experience into the role and show how it was compatible with the role, but that was for a small firm, and some luck.
Computer science unfortunately currently is oversaturated, and a lot of people with a major, even masters cannot find work in that field. A minor will not be that helpful if your goal is to potentially transition into a full time job in Computer Science.

Academically, I would say it is nice to expend your horizon; you never know if you might like the field and end up changing your major completely. I have known many people with 2-3 minors on their degree, but they never ended up using them as their major is all employers really looked at.

Personally, go for it! As I said, expending your options, discovering a new path, maybe a whole new hobby is all college is for. I have known many people dead-set on a major, that took a minor out of interest, and ended up switching their minor to their major and completely changing their professional path.

Depending on what you are trying to accomplish I hope my answer helps!

Good luck!
Thank you comment icon Thank you for your in depth response! I am grateful for the time you took to answer my question. I have been pondering the return on investment that minor would add. Your response has definitely given some clarity. -Samantha Samantha
0