What’s Your Major? College Majors as Markers of Creativity

Abstract

The present research explored the value of students’ college majors as indicators of creativity, particularly creative traits, accomplishments, and interests. Two samples of undergraduate students indicated all of their majors, minors, and degree concentrations; each person was then simply classified as having a major in the arts or a conventional major. Consistent with past work on individual differences in creativity, students with arts majors scored significantly higher in openness to experience, knowledge about the fine arts, creative accomplishments, everyday creative actions, and creative self-concepts; they also described their major as affording more opportunities to develop and express their creativity. Taken together, the findings suggest that students’ majors offer interesting information about individual differences related to creativity