Major Exploration for Students
It's okay to explore!
If you're feeling unsure about your major decision, you're not alone. It's completely normal for you to have questions about your options or to change your major during your undergraduate career. At the University Advising Center, we want to help you make an informed decision that you're happy with.
Throughout your decision-making journey, keep in mind that the major exploration process looks different for everyone. Your Major Explorer type and preferred approach to major exploration is part of what makes your path to this decision unique.
What type of Major Explorer are you?
When a University Advising Center Academic Advisor meets with you for the first time, our initial priority is figuring out which stage of major exploration you're starting from. We've identified four general stages of major exploration - which one do you identify with the most?
Completely Undecided
Students who are completely undecided are still exploring all their options.
Deciding
Students who are deciding have narrowed down their options to a few top choices.
Decided but Not Admitted
Students who are decided but not admitted have a major selected, but do not meet the requirements to declare it.
Reconsidering
Students who are reconsidering have a major declared but are rethinking their choice.
There are many valid ways for you to approach Major Exploration.
Each path of major exploration is as unique as you are. Like many people, you may believe career goals are the place to begin, but this is only one of the many ways to approach major exploration. For example, you may need to approach your decision in a different way, especially if you're not sure what you see yourself doing in the future. Let's review some of the different approaches you could take in choosing a major.
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Interests focus
To pursue major exploration with a focus on interests, look at what subjects and topics you're drawn to the most and narrow down major options from there. If you have a genuine interest in your course of study, you're more likely to engage with course work, professors, peers, and the whole college experience. Due to this level of engagement, you can have well-rounded resumes that include student organizations, research experiences, volunteer opportunities, and internships.
To pursue the interest approach to major exploration, consider the following:
- What courses do I excel in?
- What clubs and extracurricular activities do I enjoy?
- What could I learn about for hours and never get bored?
- What activities do I already do in my free time?
Resources to explore the interest focus:
- Majors at Texas State - Filter by Area of Study to find things related to your areas of interest and narrow down options from there.
- O*NET Interest Profiler - This test will introduce you to a variety of interests and even scale how much you would enjoy doing them.
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Skills focus
Throughout your undergraduate journey, you will gain skills that help you in all areas of life - at work, at social events, and at home. No matter what major you choose to pursue, you will acquire crucial skills that will improve your understanding of people and the world around you, including the environment you are in (both social and physical), and how to best thrive and succeed within that environment. Examples of skills include:
- Critical Thinking
- Communication Skills (written and verbal)
- Problem Solving
- Analytical/Quantitative Skills
- Teamwork and Collaboration
- Self-Management and Initiative
No doubt you've already developed many of these skills from your previous education and life experiences. You may want to pursue a major that has a strong focus on skills you already excel at, or you may want to pursue a major that will help you develop skills you'd like to enhance or acquire. Reviewing the list of skills associated with each major may help you identify a particular major of interest.
To pursue the skill focus, consider the following questions:
- What am I good at?
- What would I like to be better at?
- What is an activity or skill I'd like to use in my daily or professional life?
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Problem focus
To pursue major exploration with a focus on problems, look at what issues or values are most important to you. Every problem can be studied through different disciplines, and those disciplines can translate into a list of majors you can start exploring.
To pursue the problem approach to major exploration, consider the following:
- What is important to me?
- What is one thing I'd change about the world to make it a better place?
- What is a problem that I feel strongly about?
- What is a problem that has affected me personally?
Here's one way you can approach the problem focus:
- Generate a list of problems you'd like to solve.
- Consider the different disciplines you can use to approach the problem(s) - can it be approached from a political, psychological, sociological, scientific, technological, artistic, and/or educational perspective?
- Look at a list of majors related to the disciplines. Explore the courses you can take related to the problem of interest by exploring the course catalog.
- Make your choice depending on which discipline and what courses are the most engaging and relevant to you.
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Career focus
Some students come into college without a specific career goal in mind. Some students may have a few ideas about the careers they are interested in, but have not yet settled on any one option. For students who still want to explore career options, our Career Services office has several Career Assessments available that can help you explore your options. For professional assistance in interpreting these test results, we encourage you to meet with a Career Counselor.
Once you have a specific career goal in mind, the next step is to think about majors that will help you develop skills and gain knowledge required in that career field. To begin exploring relevant majors, you can:
Some students have a specific career goal in mind that does require a certain major (e.g. Engineering, Nursing, Education). These students can look into the specific majors and see what the Admission Requirements are (if any).
Whether you are decided or undecided about a career goal at this time, it is important to keep in mind that many career paths are open to applicants from a wide variety of majors and academic fields. It may be helpful to review the other focus areas (i.e. interests, skills, problems) as well.
To pursue the career approach to major exploration, consider the following:
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What do I see myself pursuing after college?
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What kinds of skills does my ideal career use on a daily basis?
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What do I like about the career path I want to be on?
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Tools for Major Exploration
Let's make your Major Exploration plan!
To get started developing your major exploration plan with a University Advising Center Academic Advisor, call 512-245-2218 and ask to schedule a major exploration appointment. Come ready to talk about yourself and what you've already learned. We'll tell you about who we are and what we've learned. Then we'll set out together to navigate through the exploration phases and get you started in your new major.