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Majors
At Minerva, your major is more than a field of study. It is a way to apply how you think across disciplines, industries, and global contexts.
At Minerva, your major defines the focus of your academic journey while continuing to build the same cognitive tools introduced in your first year.
After completing your Cornerstone courses in year one, you will declare your major and begin taking coursework within your chosen field.
Across all majors, you will:
Apply foundational concepts to new domains
Build depth while maintaining an interdisciplinary perspective
Engage with real-world challenges through coursework and projects
Your academic experience is supported by advisors and coaches who help you align your studies with your goals.
Minerva offers five interdisciplinary majors:
Arts & Humanities
Arts and Humanities invites you to delve deep into the history of creative human thought and connect what you learn to events, ideas, policies, and human relations. You’ll be encouraged to challenge your worldview and engage with different eras and cultures. Through this exploration, you’ll develop a well-rounded view of the world that allows you to become a better thinker, leader, and innovator with the ability to implement your ideas and communicate persuasively.
Business
Studying Business at Minerva equips you with the skills to transform ideas into profitable ventures, scale local successes into global enterprises, and lead with innovation. Throughout your studies, you’ll develop a deep understanding of corporate and market dynamics, while mastering the strategies and mechanics that drive successful transactions.
Computational Sciences
Take on the tech world as a data-driven and curious individual who uses analytical tools, computational methods, and modeling to understand natural, human-mediated, and social phenomena. At Minerva University, you’ll learn how to harness data to make informed decisions and solve complex problems.
Natural Sciences
Gain the knowledge you need to become an innovative leader in scientific and technological organizations. Natural Sciences at Minerva University grants you access to a world of practical and theoretical knowledge that lets you use your theories and findings to develop new technologies that have a positive impact on the world.
Social Sciences
Uncover and hone the analytical and problem-solving skills to drive meaningful change and solve societal challenges. At Minerva University, you’re enabled to apply scientific methods to gain an understanding of the ways people think and act individually, in groups, and in societies.
Major-specific coursework begins in your second year and builds over time.
Year 1
Cornerstone courses to develop foundational skills and habits that underlie four core competencies
Year 2
Core courses introduce key concepts and frameworks within your field
Year 3
Begin concentration courses and experience specialized coursework
Year 4
Deepen your expertise and complete advanced electives and tutorials
Across all majors, students continue applying the same core skills in increasingly complex ways.
Within each major, you can choose a concentration to focus your studies on a specific area of interest.
For example, within Arts & Humanities, students may explore areas such as:
Global and Comparative Humanities
Philosophy, Ethics, and the Law
Design Across the Humanities
These concentrations allow you to tailor your academic path while continuing to build transferable skills.
Minerva encourages interdisciplinary learning.
Students often:
Take electives across different majors
Combine perspectives from multiple disciplines
Apply concepts in new and unexpected contexts
Many students pursue double majors or combine their studies with a minor, expanding the range of problems they can tackle.
In addition to your major, you may choose a minor in a different discipline.
Minors allow you to:
Explore interests outside your primary field
Build additional expertise
Complement your major with new perspectives
Your major is not just preparation for a single career path. It is a foundation for applying your skills across industries, roles, and challenges.
Graduates use their majors to:
Sanchita Shekhar
Sanchita Shekhar is a writer and researcher whose debut poetry collection, Only Don't Know, embraces absurdity, curiosity, and creative experimentation. Inspired in part by her Minerva experience, the book challenges readers to question assumptions and explore new ways of thinking through avant-garde poetry.
Wolu Chukwu
Wolu Chukwu is now a computational biologist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, where she develops algorithms to differentiate between somatic and germline genomic rearrangements in cancer cells. Her innovative work, supported by her diverse lab experiences and a strong foundation in both computer and natural sciences, underscores her dedication to advancing genomic medicine and enhancing patient outcomes.
Roujia Wen & Alisha Frederiksson
Roujia Wen & Alisha Frederiksson co-founded Seabound, a climate tech company that builds carbon capture equipment for the largest ships in the world. Backed by Y-Combinator, Lowercarbon Capital, Eastern Pacific Shipping, Pte. Ltd., and more. Both were named Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2023.
