Major Exploration at Utah State University
Exploratory Advising is the home for students who are 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.
Join our Major Quest Canvas Course
As you investigate majors, consider these questions:
- How do your strengths and abilities play a role in the majors you are considering?
- How do you want to use your major to make a difference in the world?
- How could the majors I am considering prepare me for future careers?
Step 1: Discover why you're here
Students are undecided for a variety of reasons. The ideas below can help students beginning the major exploration process describe their experiences in major exploration:
- Lack of information
- Multiple interests or lack of interests
- Lack of knowledge of the decision-making process
- Lack of independence in decision-making
- Lack of ability
- Lack of knowledge about educational and occupational relationships
- Lack of desire to attend college
- Complete the Focus2 assessment and meet with Ali Gerry 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.
Step 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.
- Once you have identified a major, create summary of the 1000- and 2000-level requirements of all majors.
- Generate a list of questions to ask faculty, academic advisors, and other resource persons.
- Share information and reflect on it what you learned with an Exploratory advisor.
Step 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.
Step 4: Initiate your action plan and make decisions
Work with your Exploratory advisor to:
- 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.
Exploring requires action
Our team of professionally trained academic advisors are available and ready to assist you in actively exploring and identifying a variety of majors to match your career goals. We encourage you to take advantage of the numerous campus resources available to educate and assist you in discovering your personal, educational, and career goals. We will ask you to be intentional and purposeful as you move toward selecting a major, a career, and through your life journey.
The Exploratory Advising Center will help facilitate a smooth transition to the appropriate College Advising Office once you have made the decision about your major and meet the College academic requirements.
Visit our Staff DirectoryWeb Chat
An online exchange of messages where the Exploratory Advising Office Staff will respond to questions, comments and concerns that do not require a full advising appointment but are still important. Our office hosts web chat hours Monday – Friday from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm.
