In a university with 46,000 students enrolled at its University Park campus, many majors boast hundreds of students. Although that large number of students may be a good way to form some quality study groups, large majors make forming close bonds with advisors and professors difficult. That’s why small majors can be beneficial for students; the personal interactions with instructors can help you on your path to your dream career.

Medieval Studies is one of the smallest majors at Penn State. There are only a dozen students enrolled. In this week’s edition of “Meet One Of Penn State’s Smallest Majors,” we’re talking to the Medieval Studies program, out of the College of the Liberal Arts.

Benjamin Hudson, Director of the Center for Medieval Studies, spoke benefits to the program’s small size. “The students tend to know all of their professors,” Hudson said.

But the student-professor relationship aspect isn’t the only advantage of a Medieval Studies major. “Medieval Studies provides training in a number of disciplines. It provides a solid humanities background,” said Hudson. That humanities background gives students a wide variety of career options. “A lot of students go into fine art dealership, fundraising, publishing. Some join the ranks of the clergy,” Hudson said.

Though it may sound like Medieval Studies doesn’t have a ton of career paths, that’s certainly not the case for this program’s graduates. Professor Hudson explained many students also go into law after receiving their diplomas. Whether it be graduate school or a career, Medieval Studies is far from an inopportune major. Not only does it provide students with skills to succeed in the real world, it opens doors for them.

Penn State is one of the few places students can actually major in Medieval Studies. In fact, it’s mostly only offered in Ivy League schools and other top-tier universities, according to Professor Hudson. It’s a very prestigious major to have, and Penn State is one of the best schools for it.

Medieval Studies is a major devoted to helping students gain skills in the humanities. It is also a major where the professors genuinely care about the students and their future success. ‘”[Our goal is to] help our students accomplish the most they can, to find work most suitable for them,” Hudson said.