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Career, degree, major, or course
A career is the work you do over the years, a degree is the qualification, a major is your main subject in the US, and a course is a series of classes.
Quick rule
The job you build: career. The diploma: degree. US main subject: major. A set of classes: course.
The series of jobs you do over the years in one field: a career in medicine.
The qualification a university gives you when you finish your studies: a degree in engineering.
The main subject a student studies at a US college: my major is history. The smaller one is the minor.
A series of classes on one subject: a course in photography. In the UK it can also mean a whole degree programme.
How to choose
| Question | career | degree | major | course |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Is it the work or profession you do over the years? | Yes | No | No | No |
| Is it the qualification you receive when you finish studying? | No | Yes | No | No |
| Is it the main subject you choose to study at a US college? | No | No | Yes | SometimesSometimes |
| Is it a series of classes on one topic, with a start and an end? | No | No | No | Yes |
Why it trips people up
In English the four words sit at different points in a life: you study a course, choose a major, earn a degree and then build a career. They get mixed up because they all answer "what did you study or do?", but each one names a different step.
How each one works
Career
Years of work in one profession
She had a long career as a nurse.
career in + field
He is thinking about a career in medicine.
Professional progress
Her career took off after the first film.
Degree
degree in + subject
He earned a degree in engineering in 2019.
The level: bachelor's, master's
You need a master's degree for this position.
The studies that lead to it
She is working on her degree at night.
Major
major and minor together
My major is history, and my minor is French.
The main subject at college
Do you know your major yet?
declare a major: choose it
Most students declare a major in their second year.
Course
course in + topic
I'm taking a course in pottery this fall.
How long it lasts
The course lasts ten weeks.
Single subjects in a degree
Which courses do you need to graduate?
What comes next
career plus in plus field
She wants a career in music.
degree plus in plus subject
My brother has a degree in chemistry.
major plus in plus subject (verb)
He majored in economics.
course plus on or in plus topic
There is a short course on public speaking.
Set phrases
Career
- career path
- the jobs and steps a person follows in their working life
Degree
- bachelor's degree
- the first university degree, usually after three or four years
Major
- minor
- the smaller subject a student studies next to their major
Course
- online course
- a course you follow on the internet
Almost the same
She has a degree in law.
The university qualification.
She has a career in law.
The work she does over the years.
My major is art.
The main subject of the whole degree.
I'm taking a course in art.
A series of classes, not the whole degree.
In a conversation
- A:
What's your major?
- B:
Biology. I want a career in research.
- A:
Do you need a graduate degree for that?
- B:
Yes, a master's at least. I'm taking a statistics course now.
- A:
Is it hard?
- B:
The course is fine. The hard part is choosing a lab.
Common mistakes
Wrong: She majored on history.
Right: She majored in history.
The subject takes in: major in history, a degree in history.
Wrong: He did a career in engineering at the university.
Right: He did a degree in engineering at the university.
What you study at a university is a degree. A career is the work you do afterwards.
Memory trick
Ask what it is: the work you do over the years (career), the paper you receive (degree), the subject you choose (major), or the series of classes (course).
It depends
- Course in the UK and the US
- In British English a course can be a whole degree programme (a three-year course). In the US, a course is a single class or series of classes.
- Major as a verb
- To major in history is the verb, used in the US. In British English people say to study history or to read history.
FAQ
Major vs degree vs career?
A major is your main subject at a US college, a degree is the qualification you earn, and a career is the work you do afterwards.
Career and degree: what is the difference?
A degree is something you earn at a university. A career is a long line of work you build in a field.
Major versus degree?
A degree is the qualification, such as a bachelor's. The major is the subject written on it, like biology.