5. CANADIAN STUDIES
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The Colleges: Duke University; Johns Hopkins University; SUNY Plattsburgh; University of Vermont
Canada looms large and expansive just north of the United States, but most of us are pretty uneducated about what the heck goes on there. Students who want to learn more about our neighbors to the north can absorb the culture, politics, and history of Canada through a Canadian Studies major at one of several universities. This sounds like possibly the only major in which there’s a slight chance you’ll have to watch Strange Brew as part of your coursework, unless you design your own Rick Moranis Studies major.
4. EGYPTOLOGY
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The College: Brown University
We’re pretty sure that all of the great pyramids have been discovered, but on the off chance that there’s still a sphinx or two waiting to be stumbled upon, would-be Indiana Joneses would do well to have a degree in Egyptology. Established in 2005, Brown’s Department of Egyptology and Ancient Western Asian Studies—which offers B.A. and Ph.D degrees—brings students back to the birthplace of Western civilization as we know it with “Introduction to Classical Hieroglyphic Egyptian Writing and Language” and “Archaeology and the Ancient World” among their required courses.
3. JAZZ STUDIES
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The Colleges: University of North Texas, East Carolina University & University of Louisville
For whatever reason, jazz seems to inspire college music departments to start majors more than its fellow musical genres. A number of colleges around the country offer degree programs in jazz studies. These programs usually include both playing jazz and studying its history, cultural significance, and major figures.
2. BASSOON
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The College: The University of Arizona
After completing the basic requirements for a bachelor’s degree in instrumental studies, students at UA’s School of Music choose their melodic weapon of choice. And for some would-be musicians, that means a bassoon—that 19th-century woodwind that mimics the sound of a male baritone so well and plays prominently in a number of orchestral and chamber music ensembles.
1. PIANO PEDAGOGY
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The College: Belmont University
It may seem odd, since so many folks took their childhood piano lessons from someone who didn’t have collegiate training, but the B.Mus degree at Nashville’s Belmont University doesn’t sound like a bad career move from a stability standpoint; moms forcing their kids to take piano lessons is an economy-resistant tradition. Want to take that education one step further? The University of Oregon in Eugene offers advanced graduate degrees in the discipline.
