Career Paths
“Why are you at University?” Many students may reply, “To study” and that’s true. To ask a follow-up question, “Why are you studying?”
There are several reasons why students decide to study. For some, it might be because it was expected of them or for the pleasure of studying. But for most students the answer is likely to be “To get a job”.
It is, therefore, important to spend some time thinking about what career you would like to pursue. This depends on several factors such as your personality, your interests, your values, your aptitude, the resources and support that are available to you, family commitments, your matric subjects and your matric score. The degree that you select to study at University should be linked to the career that you would like to pursue. In other words, your degree should be a stepping stone towards achieving your career goals.
Some key careers that are linked to degrees offered in the College of Humanities are:
If you are not sure about your career choice, you may do a quick online questionnaire
https://www.ukzn.ac.za/spotlight/ukzn-course-guidance/
You could also see a student counsellor (Student Support Services) on any of the three campuses. See page 19 for details of where the offices are. The student counsellors will also be available during the registration week to help you explore possible career paths if you are unsure.
1. How does it all work?
2. Building your degree
3. Choosing your subjects
First, some explanations and technical terms
This will likely be your first degree. We call it an UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE. Some degrees are called GENERAL degrees – you choose which subjects and modules you will study. Other degrees are more STRUCTURED and most of what you will study is already selected for you. A list of general and structured degrees that are offered in the College of Humanities can be found here.
Each degree should have at least TWO MAJOR SUBJECTS. A SUBJECT (e.g. Psychology, Sociology, Drama and Performance Studies) consists of related course material that may be spread over several modules at one or more levels of study. A MAJOR SUBJECT is usually studied from first-year through to third-year level. Each major subject in a general degree will make up about one third of the curriculum for the degree as a whole. You may not select more than one major from another College.
A MODULE is any separate course of study for which you obtain credits when you successfully complete the module. Some modules have a PREREQUISITE module. A prerequisite module is a module that has to be passed with at least the minimum mark in order to study some other specified module.
Likewise, an ANCILLARY module is a module that is required as a corequisite or prerequisite to a proposed module. All such modules must have been passed before the relevant qualification may be awarded. Please refer to the College of Humanities Handbook for a comprehensive list of definition of terms.
Very Important
All students are expected to know the general rules of conduct of the University and the academic rules
of the particular degree that s/he is registered for. You will find the latest information in the Rules for Students (PDF) and the College of Humanities Handbook.
This guide does not replace the College Handbook.