can someone explain to me about credits? how about majors and minors?

You need x amount of credits (hours of class) to graduate. Mostly you take general education classes for the first two years, then start your major classes. I go to Ohio State. I need 191 hours to graduate since I go to a quarter school (Semester schools ask for 128). Classes are usually about 5 credits (or 5 hours a week in class). My major requires 50 hours of history classes (10 courses). I also had about 125 hours of Gen Ed. classes, which is ridiculous.

Majors are what you get a degree in, your primary area of study. Minors are like mini-majors (require fewer classes), but you don’t get a degree in that area (I think you get a certificate). They’re nice for resumes (show you have many interests outside your field and makes you a well-rounded person).

I have a History major and and English and Medieval and Renaissance Studies minors. I take classes from several different departments (English, Art, History). I really like taking classes so I chose 2 (might drop one, though)

At my university, 123 credits are required to graduate. For the business school, I believe it may be 128. Credits are points that you get for taking college-level courses. At my university, remedial courses do not count as college credit and you do not receive credit points for those. How many credits you have determines what your classification is (i.e. Freshman (0-35 credit hours), Sophomore (36-59 credit hours), Junior (60-89 credit hours), Senior (90-123 credit hours). This varies by university.

A major is the major subject that you will spend the majority of your college career studying. A minor can be a second disclipine which either complements the major or is totally different and unrelated to the major. A minor can enhance your major and increase your chances of finding a job, but it cannot decrease your chances of finding a job. It may or may not be necessary to complete a minor, but again this varies according to the university. Some universities require that certain majors declare a minor, but mine doesn’t. Hope this helps.

Credits are a way of measuring classes. Most classes count for three credits, with the exception of wellness classes and a few other exceptions (first year seminars, career planning, etc), that only count for one credit. Usually, classes that involve a laboratory (science), count for four credits. I have never seen a class that was only two credits, but I guess anything is possible.

Usually, to obtain a Bachelor’s degree, you will need to accumulate 120 credits total. This includes both your general education classes (math, science, history, etc), as well as your major-specific classes. For Associates degrees, I don’t know the specific number, but I believe they require about half of the credits a Bachelor’s degree does.

A major is the specific subject in which you will become an expert on and obtain your degree in (Criminal Justice, Biology, Math, Computer Science, Psychology, etc.). If you have more than one interest or you want to expand your job possibilities, you can dual major, say in Business and Communications (for example, I am majoring in both Criminal Justice and Psychology to possibly get into Criminal Psychology).

Minors are a way to learn more about things that interest you. They do not result in a degree, but they do look good on a resume. They show that you have an interest in something, and have done the research on it to be more knowledgeable on the subject (example: in addition to my two majors, I am also minoring in Women’s Studies because it will make me more marketable and assist me in counseling and dealing with women in a psychiatric or criminal setting). Minors are not mandatory, but optional depending on your work ethic and your interests.

Hope this helped!