Criteria for Choosing a University Major

Students seek criteria for university major choice, a critical career-defining decision

Many students search for the criteria for choosing a university major, as it is one of the most critical decisions a student may make that determines the course of their educational journey, ultimately affecting every aspect of their life.

Skyline Education will help you learn the most important criteria that will make choosing your university major easier, in addition to offering you some tips that may inspire you to make the right choice. Finally, we will present the university majors that attract a large number of both Arab and international students in Turkey.

We wish you an enjoyable read.

What Are the Most Important Criteria for Choosing a University Major?

It is natural to feel confused when you finish high school and start thinking about the appropriate university major for you—especially since every major has its own unique characteristics, encompassing a number of advantages as well as some disadvantages, all of which are determined by your passion and abilities. How? Here are the most important criteria that will help you:

1- Knowing Your Interests

You must understand one important thing before choosing your university major: your performance will improve the more the major aligns with your interests.

This means you should observe where your passion lies and follow it, considering it one of the fundamental criteria for your choice. For example, if you find that you don’t mind spending hours in front of a computer delving into its programs, then technical fields and computer engineering might be the right choices for you, and so on.

2- Making Use of Your Abilities and Skills

By “abilities” we mean everything you are capable of doing, which in the process of choosing a university major can be divided into two main categories:

Personal Abilities

These are the skills you possess in a specific field. Knowing the subjects in which you excel will undoubtedly inspire you to make the right decision. Skills vary among individuals—some have strong numerical, mathematical, or artistic abilities. In this sense, your skills act as a compass that directs you toward the appropriate university major.

So, if you have always struggled with mathematics throughout your previous studies, choosing a major in mathematics or any other field that requires advanced mathematical skills would certainly not be a successful choice.

Financial Capabilities

One can never ignore one of the most important criteria for choosing a university major—your financial capacity, as it has become a decisive factor in today’s era. Unfortunately, it is not an exaggeration to say that it often outweighs all the other criteria.

Therefore, before choosing a university major at one of Turkey’s institutions, take a look at the costs of studying different majors in various Turkish universities, or search for fully or partially funded scholarships that can alleviate your study expenses. Incidentally, the Turkish government offers such scholarships annually to a large number of students.

3- Future Job Opportunities for the Major and Their Financial Returns

The goal of any student in pursuing university studies is not only to acquire knowledge but also to secure a suitable job in the labor market. Therefore, you must investigate the nature of the job opportunities available for the university major you wish to study—either by researching online or by consulting with graduates of that major, which is the best way to get detailed information about the opportunities available to you after graduation.

Furthermore, the financial return from job opportunities is considered one of the most important criteria for many, if not most, students. So, do not neglect to review the financial benefits you might earn from your future job to form an accurate picture of the social status you will enjoy after graduation.

4- Recommendations from a Specialized Academic Advisor

This is one of the most important criteria for choosing a university major, as these experts have previously interviewed hundreds of students and will provide you with many valuable guidelines and tips.

Do not overlook this step; the expert might suggest a suitable major that you had not considered before! Therefore, be well prepared for the session and compile a list of the most important questions you wish to ask.

Thus, we have mentioned the most important criteria for choosing a university major in Turkey, aside from high school results, which are already a well-known and inherent primary criterion for selecting a university major.

5- The Future of the Major and Artificial Intelligence

In recent years, some professions have experienced a decline in employment due to the flourishing field of artificial intelligence, where some jobs have been replaced by machines and robots, posing a potential threat to certain positions in the near future.

The website Will Robots Take My Job provides a percentage that indicates the likelihood of the major you are interested in being replaced by artificial intelligence in the coming years.

The Most Important Tips You Should Know Before Choosing a University Major

Here are some final tips that can help you find the right major for you:

Choose your major during high school by dedicating part of your time to reviewing the majors available at Turkish universities and identifying which ones spark your interest.
If your goal is to work in a specific job, determine the university majors that will lead you to that job and choose the one that is most suitable for you.
Carefully choose the university where you wish to study.
Familiarize yourself with your university’s registration procedures and application deadlines.
Consider choosing dual majors that allow you to study more than one field at the same time.
Do not hesitate to take a "personal abilities test" that helps you determine your interests, inclinations, and the most suitable majors for you based on your abilities and skills.

What Are the Most Important University Majors in Turkey?

After reviewing the criteria for choosing a university major, we will now present the best university majors in Turkey—that is, the majors that are most in demand in the future in terms of returns and salary:

1- Human Medicine

Human medicine remains one of the most popular majors among students in Turkey, as it is offered at some of the most affordable universities for studying medicine compared to European countries and the United States.

Medipol, Atılım University, Bahçeşehir University, and Istanbul Aydın University are considered among the best Turkish universities for studying human medicine.

2- Aviation Engineering

This major is considered one of the best to study in Turkey because Turkish universities offer numerous practical training opportunities in various aviation companies to graduate the best professionals.

Moreover, Izmir University of Economics and Gelişim University are among the best institutions that offer the study of Aviation Engineering.

3- Business Administration

Due to the global economic expansion and the increasing number of companies and various institutions, the business sector has grown in all its branches such as accounting, management, marketing, public relations, commerce, human resources, etc.

For a country like Turkey, Business Administration is one of the best majors since it is an economic powerhouse hosting thousands of Turkish and international companies.

Okan University, Yeditepe University, Beykent University, and Gelişim University are considered among the best universities offering this major.