Top Ten Bizarre College Degrees

There truly is almost a degree for anything these days. If you want to go to college, but none of the traditional degree programs sound interesting to you, then perhaps you should consider one of these far-fetched real life degrees:

10

Packaging

Shockingly several universities around the United States offers degrees in packaging. For example, the University of Wisconsin at Stout offers a bachelor of science in this apparently fascinating topic. They claim on their website, for the 2011-2012 academic year, 100% of program graduates were offered jobs in the field upon graduation with salaries ranging from $25,000 to $75,000 with the average being $55,000. That isn’t bad money by any means.

9

Ufology

The metaphysics institute, although not accredited, offers a both a Master’s and Doctoral degree in ufology and in several different fields relating to ufology including ufology and abduction. Perhaps if you have an obsession with aliens, and things that may or may not exist outside this world, this degree is for you.

8

Citrus Studies

The University of Florida Citrus Research and Education Center is an academic institution that focuses solely on citrus research. The campus itself includes 600+ acres of orange groves, a juice processing plant, and more than 40 different laboratories. A sample of offered classes include: citrus pest management, citrus processing technology, flavor chemistry, citrus pathology, citriculture I, and citriculture II. The classes and institution takes the research very seriously and sponsors students and staff who have a passion for all things citrus.

7

Paranormal Psychology

Two different accredited institutions offer a doctoral degree in paranormal psychology, or often called parapsychology, the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and Utrecht University in Holland. In addition, although they don’t offer degrees in the subject, several other universities offer classes on it. The University of Arizona and Penn State University are two examples. The nature of the topic makes it difficult to research and produce scientifically relevant or significant results.

6

Racetrack Management

The University of Arizona offers a degree program revolving around the concept of racetrack management. Surprisingly, graduates have a job placement rate, in field, exceeding 80%. The program aims at preparing students for a wide variety of professions within the horse racing industry. There are two degree tracts students can pursue, one that focuses on the business aspects of horse racing and the other that focuses on the animals. Graduates can except to find jobs as entry to mid-level managers or animal breeders or trainers.

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5

Anime

Kyoto Seika University in Kyoto, Japan began offering an accredited Bachelor’s degree and Master’s in anime and manga in 2006. The faculty for the courses consists primarily of professional magna artists, anime creators, producers, and editors. Enrollment in the program exceeds 500 students as of 2009. These skills do not come at a small price, tuition is listed as $17,000 per year on top of a one-time enrollment fee of $2,500 due upfront plus a very high cost of living in the Kyoto area which averages about $20,000 per year on the low-end. In total getting a degree in anime or magna will set you back close to $140,000 plus books and fees.

4

Auctioneering

The Harrisburg Community College in Pennsylvania offers a certificate program that revolves around all aspects of auctioneering. In the program students learn how to become auctioneers and the history and psychology involved with auctions.

3

Puppetry

The University of Connecticut’s School of Fine Arts offers a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in puppetry. Classes range from traditional theater classes to puppetry practica. All aspects of the theatrical art are analyzed thoroughly. It truly takes a passionate individual to pursue a degree in this rather specific topic.

2

Clownology

There are a number of colleges around the world that offer a degree in clownology. If you are a graduate, you can expect to be the big hit at the next local birthday party. When speaking with graduates,  they say finding full time work is the number one complaint, immediately before throwing a pie in your face and escaping in their clown car.

1

Wood and Paper Science

Although bizarre, wood and paper science graduates do quite well. The average salary of a Bachelor’s degree holder in this field is roughly $62,000 per year, putting it well above the average salary in the United States. The program teaches individuals wood and pulping chemistry, paper making technology, paper properties and additives, production management, environmental issues, and critical thinking skills. In the digital age, it will be interesting to see how long this degree is kept around.

 

Featured Image: Flickr by allaboutuni2307

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