People chasing UFOs used to be kooks. Now they are College Grads.
Those of you who were around the college scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s probably remember the demand generalists in that era. Every company wanted someone with a well-rounded education that was a jack of all trades. That era is long gone. Today specialists are in demand and colleges are rising to meet that demand with programs that can be a bit stunning to the graduate of decades past.
Food Industry
The days of easily grabbing jobs in the food industry are over. Today's market is turning out employees with specialized degrees in food sciences, from baking science to enology (wine). Today if a server sniffs your plate, she's probably not strange but merely a graduate of Cornell University's M.S., Ph.D. or M.P.S. program in Sensory Evaluation. In the program students study sensory systems and chemosensory functions with special consideration to olfactory senses. For conservation-minded students, the University of New Hampshire carries dual-major programs in EcoGatronomy, in which students learn to monitor all stages of food processing from the farm to your stomach and to evaluate the ecology and sustainability of eating.
Paranormal Studies
Many subjects that were thought to be fantasy just a few decades ago are now degree programs. The University of Glamorgan in the UK offers a degree program in Astrobiology, the search for extraterrestrial life. If you're interested in alien impact on our own planet, take the Tracking UFOs program at The University of Melbourne, Australia. If the paranormal excites you, Coventry University now has a program which teaches students to talk to dead people and hunt poltergeists as well as delving into mediums, ESP, telepathy and unexplainable events.
Alternative Medicine
Programs in Chinese medicine and herbology can be found at numerous colleges. The new sensation in alternative medicine specialization, however, is the Oakserdam University 13-week certificate program in growing medical marijuana. It is offered at the Michigan and California campuses and taught by leaders in marijuana legalization activism. It is yet to be seen if instructors will be empathetic with students who report that the "police confiscated my homework."
Sports and Recreation
The old-fashioned recreation degrees look a bit whimpy next to the new Adventure Recreation programs offered at Green Mountain College in Vermont. Students in these programs study whitewater rafting, snowboarding, rock climbing and other adrenaline-spiking adventure tourism activities. As sports studies develop specialties such as golf management and football studies, theology is entering the sports arena with Campbell University School of Theology's Sports Ministry program geared toward teaching future non-profit employees promote faith through sports.
Fun and Games
It can no longer be said that college is not all fun and games with new programs such as the Comedy degree offered at Southampton Solent University. The program examines production, performance and everyday life humor. At the University of Connecticut, muppets fans can entertain themselves in the Puppetry Arts program where they can receive a master's degree studying construct marionettes and stage and production management.
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