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I was told the word 'major' is used in NZ, AUS, US and Canada but not UK. Is this true? If so, what do Britons call it? 'Speciality'?

Source: http://wikidiff.com/major/speciality

Danny
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    In the UK, students often just study ('read') a single subject at University. Though they may take a main subject and a subsidiary. Or joint honours. – Edwin Ashworth Aug 24 '17 at 22:59
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    Do you mean that someone at Cambridge reading Maths, for instance, will take only Maths classes, and no classes in anything else than Maths? That sounds unlikely. – John Lawler Aug 25 '17 at 05:43
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    When I was at university in the '70s, students normally took three subjects in their first year, but only one (or two, if it was 'joint honours') in subsequent years. – Kate Bunting Aug 25 '17 at 07:17
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    @John Lawler it was certain the case when I studied at London University, every class I took was run by the Department of Geology, there was no option to do a course in English or History for example. We could take classes in Geophysics or Geochemistry, but not wider classes unless it was a joint degree. – Sarriesfan Jul 21 '18 at 17:06

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Major/minor terminology is used to an extent in the UK. For example, quoting one UK university website :

In general, a Single Honours Degree is taken in one subject; a Joint Honours Degree is taken in two subjects, equally weighted; a Major/Minor Honours Degree is taken in two subjects, weighted two-thirds/one-third.

However these courses seem historically less popular in the UK than in other countries, so perhaps that's simply why major not used as often ?

Quoting a 2014 blog:

British universities are increasingly offering US-style degree courses to drive up student numbers in the face of mounting competition from overseas, The Telegraph reports. [...] Rising numbers of institutions are running “major/minor” courses – an established feature of American higher education – to meet rising demand for more flexible degrees. [...]

Most British students currently take single-honours degrees focused on one subject. But universities insist the major/minor approach is increasingly appealing to students who want to take a more diverse range while still retaining expertise in one area.

cigien
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k1eran
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    But the US terminology is never used. – David Jun 12 '21 at 12:50
  • @David can you be more specific regarding the issue with the answer? Cheers ! – k1eran Jun 12 '21 at 15:49
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    The question asked “Do Britons say…?” i.e. it was a question about spoken language usage not about course structure. Americans say “I majored in chemistry.” Britons following courses where specialization only occurs in the final year or years (as in Scottish four-year degrees) do not. They (and English students doing mixed degrees) describe their degree in their own words as there is no common expression. – David Jun 12 '21 at 18:34
  • In both Scotland and England people would say "I'm doing chemistry" or "I'm studying chemistry". They might say "My degree is in biochemistry" (or for a joint degree "my degree is in biochemistry and French") to express that the specific course leads to the qualification of an honours degree in biochemistry (or less probably in biochemistry and French). – Stuart F Nov 28 '21 at 00:47