Strangest College Degrees and Classes of the 21st Century

Leave it to the brick and mortar universities to find ever more effective ways to waste your time and money. Here are some of the strangest classes that you can take, along with their real life applications. These are classes that waste your time and cost you money, you will not find these types of classes at University of Phoenix Online.

The Art of Walking; Centre College Danville, KY

Image By: Lauren Weinhold Creative Commons

Okay, the idea behind this class is laudable. Professor Ken Keffer wants to revive the lost art of walking in today’s culture. According to Keffer, the modern world has all but destroyed the benefits of walking. Two points for trying to do something about America’s expanding waistlines, but do you really want this on your resume?

Real life application: Dog walking pays pretty good, and it keeps you shape.

Learning from YouTube; Pitzer College

At the other end of the scale, Pitzer College looks to the future when YouTube will be the source of all knowledge. Students examine the learning opportunities afforded by YouTube.

Real life application: Paid pharmaceutical test subject.

Image By: Ian Wilson Creative Commons

Sex, Rugs, Salt and Coal; Cornell University

This course is a grab bag of trivia topics that shift from year to year, thus ensuring its utility for generations.

Real life application: Jeopardy contestant.

Image By: Michael Condouris Creative Commons

The American Vacation; University of Iowa

Examines the history and practice of vacations, and how a student’s vacation experiences shape their thinking.

Real life application: travel agent, provided you took other, useful courses like finance, marketing and accounting.

Image By: Janet McKnight Creative Commons

The Adultery Novel; University of Pennsylvania

The class is an in-depth examination of novels and films that feature adultery. Students use various critical approaches to discover the meaning of adultery in context.

Image By: Janet McKnight Creative Commons

Real life application: This literature class at the University of Pennsylvania prepares students for an exciting career in, uh, adultery.

Feel the Force: How to Train the Jedi Way; Queen’s University, Belfast, Ireland

This course teaches you how the imaginary issues from the Star Wars movies­like destiny and the Force–relate to the real world issues of paying the bills. No, you don’t learn how to yield a lightsaber, and you don’t learn how to yodel like a Wookie.

Real life application: “I am not the applicant you are looking for.”

Image By: Official Star Wars Blog Creative Commons

Daytime Serials: Family and Social Roles; University of Wisconsin

It took a brick and mortar college to lead the way into the educational void surrounding daytime soap operas. This offering from the University of Wisconsin asks students to follow the convoluted lives of soap opera characters.

Real life application: unpaid celebrity blogger.

Image By: Sergio Savaman Savarese Creative Commons

Star Trek and Religion; Indiana University

What is it with hokey religions from movies and TV shows? What’s next, the teleology of The A-Team? Like the goofy Jedi course offered in Ireland, students relate real life religious issues to the Vulcan nerve pinch.

Real life application: public access cable talk show host.

Emotional Intelligence Course at University of Phoenix

Ever make a poor decision based on emotions? Maybe some moments you would rather elect to forget. University of Phoenix offers classes to help manage emotional decisions and give you strategies for approaching complicated situations so you don’t wind up being labeled a “Britney Spears” or an “Amy Winehouse”. This is keeping up with their motto of not wasting your time. Time is valuable and courses like this make much more sense than ones on how to be a jedi or an adulterer!
Earn an accredited degree and get up-to-date skills for teh real world. Get more info on studying online or on campus at the University of Phoenix now!

What do the best jobs in America have in common? The need for advanced education. Meanwhile, the worst jobs are united by their lesser educational requirements.

In all, the list reinforces the adage that education is an investment in your future, because it will pay for itself through improved pay and job satisfaction. Read the full lists of ten best jobs and ten worst jobs.

Some of the benefits of distance education cited in the article were flexible scheduling, accessibility, course availabilty and increased student enrollment.

However, the article also notes that the design of distance learning courses is paramount. In addition, copyright issues sometimes provide a hurdle to supplying the necessary supporting materials to distance learning students.

Read the full article here.

The causes of this trend are unclear. It’s possible that students are drawn toward cheaper state universities, or that more students are delaying college plans.

From the article:

If some private colleges are grappling with the specter of too few applications, public universities and community colleges are having the opposite problem — more students at a time when their state financing is being slashed.

In California and Florida, some public institutions have been forced to cap enrollment. And even in states like Pennsylvania, where the number of high school graduates is declining, applications to public universities are growing.

In addition, more students are applying for financial aid. “At Connecticut College, for example, 42 percent of the accepted early-decision students applied for financial said, compared with 34 percent last year — and 36 percent qualified for aid, compared with 24 percent last year.”

It’s likely that these trends in applications and financial aid will gain even more steam as the recession deepens. More students will require financial aid, while more students who would have otherwise attended small liberal arts schools will instead be drawn toward cheaper public institutions.

Read the full article here.

Of course, another way to save money on higher education is by non-traditional learning programs like the ones offered by the University of Phoenix. These programs allow you to work full-time while earning your degree.

Read the full New York Times article here.

My family loves to tell the story of my aunt, who began as a biology major, then switched to statistics, music, and physics before settling on library science. At the opposite end of the spectrum, everyone knows the person who knew from age 6 that they wanted to major in X, Y, or Z.

But what if you’re somewhere in between? What if you have a variety of academic interests, but want to make sure you choose a major that will enhance your marketability after you graduate?

These guidelines for choosing a college major should help you narrow down your options. When in doubt: relax, follow your interests, and never forget that you can change your mind.

If you are considering distance education, getting to know the tactics used by diploma mills is an absolute must. This article, Five Ways to Spot a Diploma Mill, is a great primer on the tell-tale signs that an online “university” isn’t a university at all.