Although it sounds reasonable on the surface, forcing students to take courses outside their major field of study may actually do more harm than good. First, there are those students who may have no interest in pursuing a field of study at all. Forcing them to take unrelated courses does not benefit them in any way. Second, there are those students who do want to major in a field, but whose interests change, or who learn that there are better options available to them. Forcing them to continue to take courses in a field they may not find interesting or worthy does not improve the situation

In the first place, forcing people to take courses outside their field of study may actually cause students to become disinterested in exploring alternative careers. Many people are under the impression that once they have graduated college, they can jump right into their careers of choice. However, in many cases, this is not the case. Many fields, such as medicine, law, and engineering, require extensive education. In most cases, students must take four years of undergraduate school, then spend at least another four years earning their master’s degree. This leaves very little time for students to explore other career fields. By forcing students to take courses outside their field of study, universities are forcing students to choose between two undesirable options: either pursuing a degree in a field they are uninterested in, or wasting valuable time and resources on additional education. In addition, when students are forced to take courses that they find irrelevant or boring, they may decide to drop out of university altogether. Although universities encourage students to take as many courses as possible, doing so may discourage some students from continuing their education

Finally, forcing students to take courses outside their field of study may not result in an increase in career options for students. Most universities require students to take a certain number of core courses, such as statistics, biology, and calculus. These courses are intended to prepare students for their chosen careers. By forcing students to take unrelated courses, universities are hampering their chances of finding a job. Of the students who do take courses outside of their field of study, few will be able to find jobs that will allow them to use their newfound skills. Therefore, forcing students to take courses outside their field of study may do more harm than good.