Majorly Cool Majors: Paths of Study Off the Beaten Path
By Teresa M. Pelham

When you're 18, the most common question posed by aunts, uncles and other well-meaning grown-ups suddenly changes from "Where will you be going to college?" to "What's your major?" To ensure that your academic pursuits (and not your fake ID) are the topic around the dinner,table, you must choose carefully and creatively when it comes to charting a course of study, whether you're heading for the old standbys like English or business or are brave enough to tell your parents that you're majoring in sex therapy or billiards.
Choosing a college major-for young adults as well as for the growing number of adults heading to college later in life requires introspection, an eye toward the future, and above all, an open mind. Here's a sampling of some of the more imaginative and inspired majors being offered by our region's many colleges and universities.

Urban legends
If cows had more pressing social issues than being tipped, over by mischievous college students, the University of Connecticut might base its urban and community studies program at its main campus in Storrs.

But the areas surrounding UConn's Greater Hartford campus, as well as its Waterbury and Torrington campuses, provide students with more opportunities for internships and other involvement in community organizations.
"The Greater Hartford campus is a more natural setting than out in Sto.rrs," says Robert Fisher, director of urban and community studies and professor of social work at UConn.
Internships are built into the major, and those studying at the West Hartford campus have been involved in early-literacy programs at Hartford schools, and have earned valuable experience at community agencies and organizations, such as the Aetna Center for Families. Graduates of the new four-year degree program can then pursue careers in social work, human services, urban policy, nonprofit management, public administration, urban planning and government.
" The change from 'urban studies' to 'urban and community studies' reflects the breadth of the program and the careers associated with it," says Fisher. "It's not just urban problems; it's surveying the needs of a community and finding ways to improve those communities."