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I.
CHOOSING A MAJOR
II. CHOOSING A MINOR
CHOOSING
A MAJOR
 If
you are wondering what to major in and
are asking, “What
can I do with a major in this?” –you’re
not alone! This a question frequently asked by many
students, whether you are currently undecided about
a major or simply unsettled about the choice you’ve
already made.
HELP!
I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START
It’s
no surprise that you might be feeling a little confused
as to how to get started in the process of choosing
a major. Let’s be honest about
one thing--most of you are attending
college because you believe it
will lead you to better employment, right?
Your journey to better employment via
a college degree is a journey
of many choices including choice of college,
choice of major, and choice of courses.
Notice
that none of these choices mentions the word “career” But
wait…. if careers are related to employment,
shouldn’t there also be a relationship between
majors and careers?
WHICH
COMES FIRST – MAJOR OR CAREER?
Majors
are part of the process that leads to earning a degree.
They are designed for academic purposes, rather than
for career purposes. Careers are opportunities for
gainful employment that allow us to make constructive
use of God-given skills and talents.
While
it’s true that some majors, such as education
or nursing do relate to specific careers, most majors
do not. In fact, the majority of majors will actually
help prepare you for many career possibilities!
So,
should you first pick a career that interests you,
then identify possible majors that can help get you
there, or should you choose a major that interests
you, take a few classes in that major, and consider
career possibilities later?
Truthfully,
either method can yield the same results, but different
students prefer different starting points.
Begin
by identifying your goal — Ask
yourself: Do I need to feel comfortable
about where I may end up before
I get started? Or, is it more your style
to “explore
your way” through a decision?
Either
style is fine, but if you want to get meaningful results,
you must be willing to invest some time, thought, and
effort. It’s like a treasure hunt. You collect
clues, in this case information, then piece together
the clues to form a map to guide you on your journey
toward an appropriate major and meaningful career.
The Career Planning staff can help. Career counselors
can help you identify both major and career options
that suit your specific desires, needs, and goals.
One way they do this is by showing you how to go through
a four-step decision-making process.
STEPS
TO A MAJOR DECISION
Step
1: Assess Yourself
Your
first step is to do some self-assessment. The more
you understand yourself, the clearer your life goals
and the way to reach them will become. Some questions
to ask yourself:
What
do I truly enjoy? Consider the classes
and activities that you have liked the best. What did
they involve?
Why did you enjoy them? There are careers related to
every interest you have!
What
are you good at? Identify your skills
and abilities. What types of things do you seem to
do well? Are they
technical … adventurous … intellectual?
What
is really important to you? Is enjoying your work more
important than prestige? Is creativity more important
than security? You’ll want your choice to be
compatible with your values.
What
is the coolest job you can imagine? Describe it as
specifically as you can. Try to locate and contact
one or two people in this area end ask them how they
got there.
Ask
the Career
Planning staff for directions on how to
use SIGI Plus and the Myers-Griggs. These assessments
can help you discover more about yourself.
Step
2: Gather Information and Explore Options
Examine
the majors available to you in the CSU
Undergraduate catalog. Make a list of
the majors that interest you, then look up the course
descriptions for each of the required courses for those
majors, paying special attention to those courses that
most interest you, match your abilities, and share
your values. This exercise should help to shorten your
list of major options.
Consider
the requirements for the degree. Use the CSU Undergraduate
Catalog or the Major
Course Guides to get a full idea
of the requirements for each field of interest. Tip:
Do not let a required course you would like to avoid
keep you from a major you would otherwise enjoy. Meet
with your faculty advisor to discuss the possibilities.
Review
additional information about the majors on your short
list. Visit each department’s web page or review
printed materials they offer. Talk with the department
chair, an advisor for that major, a student currently
in that major, or faculty who teach courses in that
major.
Visit
the Career
Planning Office located on the first floor
of the Strom Thurmond Student Center and talk with
a career counselor. They have assessment tools and
other resources to help you to choose a major. The
more information you find, the more informed your final
decision would be.
Step
3: Evaluate and Make your Major Decision
It’s
time to put together the information you have collected.
Consider what you have learned. Weigh the pros and
cons of each option. If you haven’t
already, narrow your list down to two
or three majors.
Consider
the feasibility of a second major or making one of
your options your minor. Perhaps an Interdisciplinary
Degree is right for you. This degree is composed of
a major and minor you create yourself within prescribed
parameters. It allows you to take classes selected
from different departments that share a common theme
[ i.e., Social Science, Humanities & Fine Arts,
and Natural Sciences].
If
you are still having difficulty deciding, talk with
an advisor or career counselor who can help you to
evaluate the information you have collected, suggest
additional resources, and guide you through the decision-making
process.
Step
4: Take Action
Sample
courses in the majors you are considering.
Choose
student
activities, internships, volunteer work, and/or
part-time employment that can help you further develop
your skills in areas that interest you.
Talk
to people who work in the career fields you are considering.
Ask them about their major and how it helped them.
I’M
TRYING, BUT I’M STILL NOT GETTING CLOSER TO
A DECISION—WHAT’S WRONG?
Many
factors can get in the way of your being able to make
a major or career choice. Some of the most common are
listed below.
External
factors are not personal and are easier to manage than
internal factors.
Unrelatedness
of majors and careers: Understanding
that majors and careers have developed independently
of each other will help you avoid becoming stuck
wondering what you can do with a particular major.
Lack
of information: Often you just
don’t have enough information to be comfortable
making a decision. Up to this point you have had
very little opportunity to learn about different
majors and careers. The Career
Planning Office is an excellent place to begin. If you’re
more independent-minded, you can begin researching
on your own.
Too
much information: This is particularly
true since the advent of the World Wide Web. A
huge amount of information is available, and it’s
easy to become overwhelmed. Don’t give up:
Counselors in The Career Planning Office can help!
INTERNAL
FACTORS
Internal
factors are more personal. Sometimes, these concerns
must be addressed before the decision-making process
can be completed.
Lack
of self-confidence: If your choice
of a major or career seems especially critical,
you may not feel confident in your ability to make
a good decision. Often, obtaining additional information
can solve this problem. Other times, more counseling
may be needed.
Fear/anxiety: While
a little anxiety is positive and can help you stay
on your toes, too much can wear you down. Fearing that
you will make “bad” decisions can paralyze
you. A career counselor can help you separate your
rational from irrational fears.
Conflicting
values: You
may be considering paths that are not compatible
with each other. Perhaps you want to earn a good
salary but also want to work in the not-for-profit-sector.
Or perhaps you would love to work as a performer
but also need job security. Doing some values clarification
work may help you here.
Conflict
with others: Parents, spouses,
and significant others often have definite ideas
about your career choice. Desiring to please others
and the need for continued financial support are
two ways significant others can put undue pressure
on you. A career counselor may be able to help
you identify ways to deal with this.
Multipotentiality: If
you have many interests and many abilities, your problem
may be one of narrowing down options, rather than creating
them! Once again, a career counselor can help you find
appropriate criteria for narrowing down your options.
WHAT
CAN I DO WITH THIS MAJOR?
To
find out more about career choices go to the Career Planning
web page: click
here
 ACADEMIC
REQUIREMENTS FOR CSU MAJORS
The
CSU Undergraduate
and Graduate Catalogs are published
annually and include the most current degree requirements
for each of the majors offered at the University. As
you narrow down your search for a major, keep in mind
that the academic requirements that will apply to you
will depend on the catalog that is in effect at the
time you officially declare your decision with the
Academic Advising Office. The Major
Course Guides are
another resource for academic requirements and may
be accessed from the Academic Advising web page.
HOW
DO I DECLARE A MAJOR?
If
you are on campus you can submit a Declaration
of Major/Minor form to the Academic
Advising Office in the Student Success Center
or the Registrar's Office. Complete
and sign the form and return it to the Office
of Academic Advising.
The
Office of Academic Advising will assign you to a faculty
advisor who teaches in your major.
HOW
DO I CHANGE MY MAJOR?
Submit
a Declaration
of Major/Minor form to the Academic Advising Office in
the Student Success Center or the
Registrar's
Office. Complete and sign the
form and return it to the Office of Academic Advising.
You
have the right to change your major at any time. Changing
your major or adding a second major will require you
to update to the most recent academic catalog. Once
you have declared a change to your major, the Office
of Academic Advising will change your advisor to faculty
member who teaches in your new major. If you are adding
on a second major you will keep your previous advisor
and add a second advisor.
At
CSU, minor fields of concentration range from a minimum
of 18 credit hours to a maximum of 21 credit hours.
Creative combinations of major/minor disciplines offer
opportunities to broaden and strengthen your program
of study.
Most
students will be required to satisfy the requirements
for a minor. The only exception to this is when a student
chooses one of a small group of majors whose credit
hour requirements are significantly ample so that a
minor is not required.
The
CSU majors that do not require a minor are:
Elementary
Education
Early Childhood Education
Music Therapy
Nursing
Computer Science
Art
Biology
Business
Chemistry
Christian Leadership
Communication and Theatre
Computer Science
Criminal Justice
Economics
English
French
Health Promotion
History
Information systems
Kinesiology
Math
Music
Political Science
Psychology
Religion
Sociology
Spanish
ACADEMIC
REQUIREMENTS FOR MINORS AT CSU
The
academic requirements for each of the minors listed
above are outlined in the CSU Undergraduate Catalog.
You
have the right to change your minor at any time. Adding
or changing your minor will not affect your academic
catalog year or your faculty advisor assignment.
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