A New Breed of Major: The Master Degrees

I found that some of my Sims got a lot of skill points in their childhood and teen years, so that by the time they hit college, there wasn’t really any challenge involved with their studies. So I created a new breed of university major: The Master Degree.

Some courses have prerequisites for entry (for example, a scholarship, level 5 in three skills, level 2 in others). Other courses are designed with lifetime aspirations in mind, like the Home Economics major, or – the ultimate challenge – the Max-Out Major (!).

Each Master degree has its own GUID, so nothing is overwritten. Each also has its own unique icon, in maxis blue with a red background (to distinguish the Master degrees as a set).

You will need FrikaC’s major hack to make these degrees work properly.

I’ve listed all five degrees below, with all their details and icons. (More will come soon, as I make them.)

Masters' Details:

Name: Master Degree: Science Major
GUID: 0x005FFE03
Cloned from: Physics
Focus Skills: Mechanical, Logic, Creativity, Cleaning

Description:
An advanced university course for the highly curious and investigative. Prerequisites: Bui Engineering Award (or equivalent), Level 5 Logic, Creativity, Cleaning, Level 2 all other skills.

Class Titles:
Semester 1: Plasmodesmata and Other Really Long Words
Semester 2: Malus Pumila and Citrus Senesis: A Comparative Study
Semester 3: Mitochondria: Why Eating Sugar is Good for You
Semester 4: Hypochondria: Why Eating Sugar is Bad for You
Semester 5: Synthetic Chemistry: Making Your Own Pantyhose
Semester 6: Organic Chemistry: Making Your Pantyhose Pesticide-Free
Semester 7: Quarks and Antiquarks: Six Delicious Flavours
Semester 8: Matter, Anti-Matter, and Does It All Really Matter?

Sims will graduate with a level 10 skill equivalent in a related career.

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Name: Master Degree: Performing Arts Major
GUID: 0x005FFE04
Cloned from: Literature
Focus Skills: Creative, Mechanical, Charisma, Body

Description:
An advanced university course for the compulsive show-off. Prerequisites: Quigley Visual Arts Grant (or equivalent), Level 5 Mechanical, Charisma, Body, Level 2 all other skills.

Class Titles:
Semester 1: Abstract Art: For people who can't actually draw
Semester 2: Roman Mosaics: Very very very early Pointillism
Semester 3: Physical Theatre: Muscles you never knew you had
Semester 4: The Socio-Political Ramifications of the Park Bench
Semester 5: Attitude: Breakdancing en Pointe
Semester 6: The Flexor Hallucis Longus Tendon: You'll need this
Semester 7: "Dido's Lament": A Study in Baroque Emo
Semester 8: Peanuts: Budgeting Fundamentals for Artists

Sims will graduate with a level 10 skill equivalent in a related career.

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Name: Master Degree: Home Economics Major
GUID: 0x005FFE08
Cloned from: Art
Focus Skills: Cooking, Mechanical, Cleaning, Charisma

Description:
For Sims who aspire to set the highest standards and latest trends in domestic engineering, to have their homes featured in "Life" magazine and to be the envy of homemakers everywhere.

Class Titles:
Semester 1: Refrigerator Basics: Penicillin Growth and Storage
Semester 2: Dinner Plates: Arming Yourself for the Marital Spat
Semester 3: Storage Space: Making the Most of Your Floor
Semester 4: Why Too Many Pegs are Never Enough
Semester 5: Vacuum Cleaner Skills: Recognizing the On/Off Switch
Semester 6: Up or Down? The Toilet Seat Debate Continues...
Semester 7: The DVD Player: Translating the Instruction Manual
Semester 8: The Headmaster's Visit: Schmoozing Basics

Warning: There is a lot of work in this one if your Sim starts out from scratch!

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Name: Master Degree: Education Major
GUID: 0x005FFE07
Cloned from: Biology
Focus Skills: Logic, Cleaning, Creativity, Charisma

Description:
For Sims who aspire to excel at warping young minds. Prerequisites: Will Wright Genius Grant (or equivalent), Level 5 Cleaning, Creativity, Charisma, Level 2 all other skills.

Class Titles:
Semester 1: Lesson Planning and Preparation: How to Improvise
Semester 2: Homework: Feeding the Family Dog
Semester 3: Detective Skills I: The Forged Absentee Note
Semester 4: Detective Skills II: The Mobile Phone
Semester 5: Advanced Technical Skills I: How to Use the Photocopier (properly)
Semester 6: Advanced Technical Skills II: How to Fix the Photocopier
Semester 7: Eyes at the Back of Your Head and Other Essential Genetic Mutations
Semester 8: Work-Life Balance: Achieving the Impossible

Sims will graduate with a level 10 skill equivalent in a related career.

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Name: Master Degree: Max-Out Major
GUID: 0x005FFE06
Cloned from: Biology
Focus Skills: Everything!

Description:
By the end of this course, you WILL max out all 7 skills - even if it kills you. It will certainly kill your social life. But for dedicated nerds, this matters not in the quest for knowledge, for they know that knowledge is POWER!

Class Titles:
Semester 1: Self-Flagellation: What to Expect for the Next Four Years
Semester 2: Public Speaking: Loving the Sound of Your Own Voice
Semester 3: Meditation: Navel-Gazing Techniques
Semester 4: Mind-Mapping: Getting Lost in Your Own Head
Semester 5: Extreme Fingerpainting
Semester 6: How Not to Burn Things
Semester 7: This is the way we wash the floor, wash the floor, wash the floor...
Semester 8: The Hammer and the Nail: Basic Differences

This one is HUGE - you have to use a bit of strategy if you want your Sim to do well. There are eighteen skill points required in the first semester (three points each for six of the skills), then maximising one skill per semester for the rest of the course. To compensate, all classes are only two hours long, at the same time every semester (in the morning, so you have the rest of the day), and there are occassionally some gains in things like fun, energy and comfort. There is also an "out" built in: one point from another skill area can let your sim pass a semester, instead of maxing out a skill fully. This will become clearer as you play it.

Last words....
Well, there they all are. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

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