The new semester started, so many students should be interested about their major and other majors. There is a way to take other courses outside of your major courses for students who are interested in another major. If you want to take other majors, how about taking a multi-major or a major with a minor.
  A multi-major is when students complete courses of their first major and a second major. A major with a minor is separated into the first major and a minor, and it is similar with the multi-major. However, a minor requires fewer credits than the second major. In the case of a multi-major, students who completed or will complete more than the first semester of their sophomore year can apply. However, in the case of a major with a minor, students who completed or will complete more than the second semester of their freshman year can apply. Chungbuk National University gives a degree for each major to students who complete multi-majors, and for a major with a minor, it gives just one degree with both their major and minor. That is why many students choose multi-majors because they can gain 2 degrees. Lim Hyun-jun(’14, Dept. of English Language and Literature) said, “I think the minor can improve students’ competitiveness as multi-talented students, but professionally it is lower than multi-major students.” Multi-majors are separated into three types: double majors, interdisciplinary programs, and student design process. The double major is the most common type because many students know about it. It can be hard to build friendships because the students who take it should have both a first major and another major. Jung Young-jin(’10, School of Mechanical Engineering) said, “A multi-major helps me have a broad outlook because it can provide much knowledge, but it is hard to bond with other people.” An interdisciplinary program is organized among various departments because society is changing. It is made of many majors, so student intake isn’t fixed. Also, in the case of multi-majors, 50% of the entire department can apply, but in the case of interdisciplinary programs, entrance numbers are not fixed. In other universities, there are only brief explanations about which interdisciplinary programs exist, while Chungbuk National University provides services which display them on the Chungbuk National University site. However, it is difficult to know concretely which programs we can complete in which interdisciplinary fields. Jeong Seok-yeoung(’09, Dept. of Chemistry) said, “I’m interested in the interdisciplinary programs, but it is difficult to find information about them.” The last type is a system where students organize and complete the multi-major from established majors. Students can choose their own interdisciplinary program, and then the  staff creates the program  especially for you.
  If you want to take a multi-major or a major with a minor, you should check your aptitudes because when you apply yourself without interest, you might waste your strength and money.

By Kim Soo-min
sm36@cbnu.ac.kr