UC Answers: How do I choose a major?

Bobby Gray: This answer varies year by year, but we see students lean more toward communication, psychology and business. These majors can be considered career flexible in nature and lead students to multiple career options instead of just one sole area of focus that leads to a very specific career.

Gray: The best place to start is with your exploratory adviser. Students are assigned an exploratory adviser who will guide them through the journey of finding a best-fit major. Center for Exploratory Studies advisers will get to know their students on a personal level in order to tailor services and tools to meet each student's academic needs.

Gray: The Center for Exploratory Studies is the university’s academic home for students who are undecided, exploring majors or seeking admission to a competitive UC academic program. Our professional advisers are uniquely skilled to help students navigate the admission and program requirements for all undergraduate majors offered at UC. An intentional curricular structure ensures that students participate in academic exploration leading to major selection.

Gray: Declaring a major is an exciting time. Students who enter UC without previously selecting a major are considered to be in the “exploratory studies” major. Students declaring their major in UC’s College of Arts and Sciences may do so on the Arts and Sciences website. Students declaring a major outside the College of Arts and Sciences will need to fill out a “Change of College” form and submit the form to the new college. Make sure to check in with your exploratory adviser when officially declaring a major since some application processes require additional steps. Different majors have different requirements and timeliness for application to transition. Exploratory advisers know all of these requirements and will educate you on what they are.

Gray: Absolutely not! There is a lot of pressure to make a decision before entering college and before students are ready. Everybody makes a decision regarding their major and future in their own time at their own pace. We support students through that process and help them become more comfortable with all of the options and the decision-making process.