As an undergraduate, you probably took one or two strange college courses that allowed you to explore new subject areas and career paths, just because you could. But did you ever consider majoring in something like interpretive dance? Even if you decided to study something more traditional, you may want to shake things up by going back to school to earn a new degree or specialize in a particular area that will open up new opportunities for you. During your graduate school search, try looking for niche degrees that will set you apart from the crowd, even if they sound a little, well, different. Here are 20 weird, but potentially useful master’s degrees to get you started.

1. Popular Music Studies: Music theory, performance, education are all popular music degrees for future teachers and performers, but the University of Liverpool actually offers an entire master’s degree — not just a class — in popular music studies. According to the University of Liverpool’s website, the program was established in 1990, making the university the first university to offer a postgraduate degree program in the field. The year-long program includes classes like The Recording Industry as a Cultural Industry, Music and the City, and Popular Music and Daily Life.
2. Oriental Medicine: Alternative medicine is being accepted more and more in Western hospitals and health care centers, but at Kyung Hee University Seoul, you can study the entire evolving relationships between East and Western medicine. This master’s and Ph.D. program focuses on Oriental medicine but through research, students will try to understand how Western physicians are adopting ancient or alternative treatments. Classes are offered in nutrition, analytical biochemistry, Oriental medical theory, acupuncture and natural products chemistry.
3. Science Writing: This highly specialized graduate program offered by MIT is considered part of the MIT School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. Students prepare to work as writers of scientific publications and science news sources, and is generally open to qualified “English majors, working scientists, journalists, freelance writers, and others,” according to the program website. In addition to taking writing classes and completing a thesis, students must take a class in documentary making, ethics classes, and more.
4. Wildlife and Wildlands Conservation: As environmental preservation projects have begun to receive extra support and attention in recent years, getting a MS in Wildlife and Wildlands Conservation may actually be a smart way to compete for new jobs in the green economy. This degree, offered by Brigham Young University, allows students to specialize further in the following areas: wildlife ecology, wildlands, restoration science or rangeland ecology. Students must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours to graduate, taking classes in geographical information systems, soil sciences, model testing and others.
5. Peace Studies: This untraditional degree program from Kyung Hee University has graduated 327 students since it was established in 1984. Designed for future leaders in politics and beyond, the award-winning Graduate Institute of Peace Studies offers classes in the humanities, philosophy, social sciences and ethics for an interdisciplinary approach to analyzing political relations, economics, global conflict and social change. Students may choose to specialize in one of the following areas: Peace and Global Governance; Asia-Pacific Studies; or New Politics and Future Governance.
6. Buddhist Studies: Buddhist Studies is a field usually introduced in undergraduate religion programs, but at the University of California – Berkeley, students can pursue a graduate degree in Buddhist Studies. Courses are offered from a variety of departments, including East Asian Languages and Cultures, art history, Psychology, and South and Southeast Asian Studies. As students study Asian history and culture, those entering the doctorate program must also learn to read Buddhist texts in two Asian languages, including Pali, Classical Japanese, Classical Chinese, Classical Tibetan or Sanskrit.
7. Folklore: The University of California at Berkeley makes our list again for its Folklore Graduate Program, which “trains intellectual leaders in folkloristics for the twenty-first century.” The program focuses on folklore from the seventeenth century to the present, from all over the world. Students are encouraged to take classes from another field to supplement their M.A. in folklore, and concurrent enrollment in a different Ph.D. program — in the humanities or social sciences — is also allowed. Overarching themes discussed in the program include race and ethnicity, sexuality, folkore theory gender, nationalism, and gender.
8. Acoustics: Penn State actually offers three different graduate program tracks in acoustics: a Master of Engineering, Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy in Acoustics. Depending on each student’s specialization, classes like underwater acoustics, thermoacoustics, vibrations or medical ultrasonics may be taken.
9. Convention Management: As degree programs in hospitality management expand, programs like Kyung Hee University’s Convention Management degree garner more attention. Offered through the Graduate School of Tourism, Convention Management trains students to work in an internationally-driven convention industry. Students are expected to have a solid understanding of and participate in discussions about global economics, finance, marketing, culture and tourism. Classes include The Practices of The Financial Management on Conventions, The Practice of Exhibition and Exposition Planning, and Convention Marketing.
10. Wood Products: Penn State’s School of Forest Resources offers undergraduate and graduate specialties in Wood Products. Facilities are located near mountains, forests and lakes, in which students are encouraged to conduct research and gain hands-on experience conducting experiments. According to the department website, graduate students work with advisors to tailor a degree program to his or her specific career and research goals within the field.
11. Demography: UC Berkeley’s Department of Demography leads cutting edge research programs in demography studies as the landscape of world cultures continues to change. Lifespan, economics, fertility, poverty, and human rights are all discussed in depth in this program, which was founded in 1965. Students are encouraged to customize their degree to match their personal passions, goals and projects in the social sciences, as they take classes in anthropology, statistics, history and other disciplines.
12. Horticulture: The Department of Horticulture at Penn State offers a Master of Agriculture and Master of Science in Horticulture, as well as a Doctor of Philosophy program in the field. Students take classes in experimental procedures in plant science research, ecophysiology, ecology and root function, and areas of specialty include genetics, molecular biology, plant breeding, plant nutrition, marketing, plant physiology, and production of horticultural crops, ecology, and post harvest physiology. Graduates of the program have a solid scientific and aesthetic understanding of methods used when working with “flowers, fruits, ornamental and vegetable plants,” according to the department’s website.
13. Scandinavian Graduate Program: Because of dramatic changes in world politics and the global economy, more and more students are choosing to enroll in Middle Eastern and Asian studies programs, but Berkeley’s Scandinavian Graduate Program chooses to highlight a less conflict-ridden part of the world. The program combines classes and research in Scandinavian literature, culture and language, with a special concentration on Old Norse, modern Scandinavian literature and film, intellectual history and cultural history of the area. The school prefers new students to already possess knowledge of one Scandinavian language, like Danish Norwegian or Swedish, and M.A. students are expected to choose one specialization and one secondary field of study.
14. Rural Sociology: In contrast to many urban studies programs, Penn State’s Rural Sociology program centers around the unique culture, history and dynamics of country life. Specializations include agriculture and food systems, community and international development, natural resources and environment, and rural social demography. Students may also choose to pursue a dual-degree in Women’s Studies or Demography, along with Rural Sociology. Through a rigorous curriculum involving statistical research and theory, students prepare for work in government, academia and professional fields.
15. Archival Studies: The University of British Columbia offers this extremely particular degree program for library students and those who would like to work in archives. The program has been designed in accordance with both the Association of Canadian Archivists and the Society of American Archivists, and it has been recognized by the Canadian and American Library Associations since 1962. Students wanting to work in library sciences or archives in either country will master the practical methods and theoretical foundations of the field.
16. Taxation: Students learn the industry standards, laws, and theories behind taxation as they take classes from expert tax professionals and lawyers in this program from Golden Gate University. The program teaches both practical solutions to tax issues as well as analytical research methods, and classes cover income, realization, constructive receipt, tax benefit rules, tax timing, federal tax procedure, federal income taxation, common law, and other tax topics.
17. Sacred Music: Luther Seminary’s Master of Sacred Music offers two concentration paths in either organ or conducting. Pastoral musicians take courses in applied music, composing, worship, arranging, children’s choirs, biblical studies, and hymnody as they develop skills for fusing worship and music and preparing liturgy services. Students must audition as part of their application.
18. Conflict Resolution: Business degrees are expanding as new sub-fields in human resources and management emerge, and Georgetown’s Conflict Resolution program offers professionals who want to compete for jobs in business another opportunity to prepare for leadership roles in all industries. The program aims to provide an interdisciplinary approach to analyzing and studying conflict resolution, combining courses form a variety of fields like psychology, theology, government, communication, public policy, foreign service, law and business. Students are allowed to choose several electives to tailor their degree to their own career goals in various leadership roles.
19. Sensory Evaluation: Cornell’s Sensory Evaluation program can award students an M.S. Ph.D., or M.P.S. in the field. Along with minors outside Sensory Evaluation, students take courses in food science, food processing, food engineering, sensory evaluation, enology, microbiology and dairy science, among others. Basic and applied research tracks are available, and students can work with faculty on a variety of concentrations to customize their degree.
20. Animal Breeding: Offered within Cornell’s Department of Animal Science, the Animal Breeding degree is designed for students who want to direct leading edge programs and systems for farming, recreation, or animal “companionship.” The M.S. program requires students to choose a major and minor, and students may decide to work with different groups of animals, including pets, laboratory animals, farm animals or exotic animals. Degrees may focus on conservation, education, medicine, biotechnology, agribusiness, veterinary medicine, animal production and other niches, and class offerings include nutrition, growth, and genetics.

Source: www.onlineclasses.org