Major Exploration
Welcome to University Advising Center's Major Exploration webpage! On this page, we will review what Major Exploration is, who can benefit from Major Exploration, interesting facts and statistics about Major Exploration, and how to move forward in the Major Exploration process. We have created resources that can assist everyone involved in the Major Exploration process -- Students, Family and Friends, and Faculty and Staff.
What is Major Exploration?
Two people reviewing a map
Major Exploration is a process of exploring and deciding on a college major. The process looks different for each student. It can be repeated at any time in a student's undergraduate career, as the student learns more about themselves and their major of interest.
Major exploration is not a process of exploring careers and committing to one profession for the entire future. It is a nonlinear process of connecting one's knowledge of self to academic goals.
Who is Major Exploration for?
Many different types of students can benefit from major exploration.
- Completely Undecided: Students who are still exploring all their options.
- Deciding: Students who have narrowed down their options to a few top choices.
- Decided, but Not Admitted: Students who have a major selected and are working toward the requirements to declare it.
- Reconsidering: Students who have a major declared but are considering a change of direction.
50.5%
Slightly more than half of the Bobcats that started at Texas State University in 2014 and graduated within 6 years changed their major at least one time prior to graduating.
Reconsidering major choice is more common than you think. Some students begin undecided, some develop new interests during their core curriculum courses, and some realize during their junior year that their career goals have changed. Some may even decide their current major is the best major to fit their goals!
Whatever the reason, know that it is normal to explore majors at any time throughout your undergraduate experience. Major exploration is a very individualized process, and each student will explore majors in their own way.
A classic approach to major exploration.
Many resources discuss major exploration as a series of steps. We've published a five-step exploration process before, and here's an example of what it could look like in three steps:
Step One
Pick a focus (interests, skills, problem, or career) and work through the recommended exercises. What majors are on the table?
Step Two
Research your major options using the undergraduate catalog, bls.gov, and departmental websites. What did you learn?
Step Three
Declare a major field of study and continue exploring it in more detail with the help of your faculty and professional advisors.
While step-based approaches work well for some, major exploration isn't a linear process for most students. Students can begin at different steps of the process, repeat steps, do them out of order, and revisit them multiple times.
A universal plan oversimplifies the unique exploratory experience of each student. Over the next few pages, we'll explore major exploration in more detail.
Every student can benefit from exploring majors. It is a natural part of the college student experience, and it happens differently for each person. We invite you to explore some of our resources below and schedule an advising appointment to start the process.