All Things University: Choosing the right modules

 

In most universities, the spring term will mean the release of optional modules for the upcoming academic year. In today's post I want to share my tips on how to choose the right modules for you. As most of you will know, I'm a BA Liberal Arts student and my entire degree is made up of optional modules so I have plenty of advice to share with you. 

Always look at the details

I made the mistake of not looking at the finer details with a lot of my modules for this year, my department sent me a list of the option titles available for this academic year. I tried to make my decisions purely on the titles because I wasn't sure where to find more information. In hindsight I wish I had just asked a member of academic staff because some of my choices may have been slightly different. 

Credit Variation 

It's also worth keeping in mind the number of credits each module is worth, every degree programme will have a maximum credit value per year, the variation of 15/30 credit courses varies from department to department. In my experience, niche courses tend to be 15 and broader ones tend to be 30. I have a balance of 15 and 30 credit modules in my programme. I personally think that this gives me a broad scope of specialisms. 

Career Prospects

The further you get into your degree programme you might want to consider the career prospects for the modules you have opted to take. This is especially important when going into final year, this can influence your dissertation or final project. For me, I want to choose modules that either relate to a masters programme, have strong career links or can equip me with transferable skills.

Assignments 

Think about the ways the work best and try and choose your modules based on this. For example, I'm better at coursework so I try and look at the options that are more heavily weighted in this area. Of course this can't be the deciding factor because in some cases your favourite module may not line up with your assignment preferences but it's something to think about. 

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Stay Safe xx