Majors & Minors
Our majors and minors extend the knowledge and skills acquired in the Southern Virginia Core.
A liberal arts education develops students’ intellectual capacities by imparting general knowledge and higher-order thinking skills, in contrast to the specialized knowledge and skills of a vocational or technical education. Like other liberal arts colleges, Southern Virginia offers fewer, less specialized majors and minors to provide students with an educational foundation that is versatile.
We encourage students to postpone declaring a major until after their first year. Once they have taken several classes in the Core and have been exposed to a variety of disciplines, they are ready to refine and deepen their skills by selecting and pursuing a major course of study.
Our approach to liberal arts education produces graduates who rank highly in critical thinking, writing, and problem solving abilities, and who are prepared for graduate study in law, medicine, business, education, and many other professions.