Research On Undergraduates' Major Selection Mechanism In American Public Research Universities

With the gradual popularization of higher education,undergraduate education in research universities has attracted more and more attention all over the world.And major selection has always been one of the most important issues in the field of higher education study.Majors are one of the most important bonds between the students and their parents,as well as colleges and the society.However,due to their own logic,universities cannot possibly meet all the needs of students and their parents and the society.Therefore,in order to seek the balance of demand and response,there requires a valid major selection and regulation mechanism.In this paper,ten public research universities in the United States are taken as examples to try to get an overall grasp of the major selection process and safeguard mechanism.This paper interprets the concept of majors and major selection,analyzes the three contradictory relationships between personal talent and social needs,current consumption and future investment,and general education and professional education from three aspects:talent growth,human capital and undergraduate education,traces down the ideological basis of major selection from the aspects of talents growth,human capital and undergraduate education.On the basis of the work above,it builds up a logical framework of the major selection mechanism constitutes of personal disposition and social demand,real consumption and future investment,and general education and professional education.Then,this paper introduces the basis of the professional selection mechanism from the two aspects undergraduate education system and professional settings,and major selection and major conversion.Also,it analyzes the role of multiple courses,cooperation between teachers and students,and the transition from high school to university from the aspect of the schools,aiming to reveal the construction and content of major selection guarantee mechanism of colleges and universities.Finally,this paper summarizes the characteristics of American college students' major selection mechanism as well as the enlightenment it brings to us from the perspective of comparison.