Exploratory Advising

Exploratory Advising is the home for students who are exploring their interests and options before they declare a major. In partnership with the Career Design Center, we provide students with many resources for major exploration including one-to-one advising appointments, a self-paced, ungraded canvas course, and exploration-driven workshops. On your journey of major exploration, you can use our canvas course to guide you in the right direction!

 

Compass

Explore Focus Areas

Focus Areas are groups of majors that guide your major exploration. Explore pathways and courses aligned with your interests.

Calendar

Schedule an Appointment with an Advisor

Advisors will align your strengths and interests with majors and courses. Schedule an appointment with an advisor at your location.

1

Discover More About You!

Students are undecided for a variety of reasons.  No matter what your reason, the Exploratory Advising team is here to help you discover more about your strengths, skills, values, and goals.  Your advisor can assist you in finding classes, programs and resources that will support you and help you navigate as you explore your options.

  • Complete the Focus2 assessment and meet with the Career Design Center to discuss the results.
  • Take USU 1400—Exploring Majors and Careers. This course is a great course to help students assess their interests, values, skills, and temperaments and apply them to major and career options. This course emphasizes relationships between self-knowledge and realities of educational and employment opportunities. 
 
2

Learn More About our Majors and Career Options

USU’s Degree Finder tool provides a general overview of all majors offered on a campus. Type a key word in the search and review the majors, requirements, and careers. Our Focus Areas can help you narrow your interests to majors with similar career outcomes.

Once you have identified a major, create summary of the 1000- and 2000-level requirements of all majors. We have first semester registration guides for every major to help you identify early classes that may be important. 

Generate a list of questions to ask faculty, academic advisors, and other resource persons. 

Use the Gathering Information Worksheet, and share information to reflect on what you learned with an Exploratory Advisor.

 
3

Integrate the Information You've Collected

Now that you have gathered information, it is time to integrate what you have learned. You might consider combining several areas of interest into one new alternative like a major with one or two minors. You can use the decision making matrix as a guide for generating and confirming your major options and realistic alternatives.

 
4

Initiate Your Action Plan and Make Decisions with Your Exploratory Advisor

Outline an action plan that specifies the activities to be done and the time frame in which these need to be accomplished. Understand deadlines and requirements for declaring your chosen major. 

Identify short and long-term action steps placed in sequence on a timeline including dates for meeting with the major advisor.

Realize that plans need to be periodically reevaluated and changed as new information or circumstances indicate.

Meet with your desired major's advisor to confirm admission into their program. 

 

Tools and Workshops