Students may declare their majors at any time during their academic careers but should do so before registering for courses for the junior year or applying to participate in off-campus study programs. Some departments have courses that must be passed, or standards that must be met before a student will be accepted as a major. Students are encouraged to think well in advance about possible majors and to speak with faculty about their educational interests.

Students may change their majors after consultation with the relevant departments. Declaration of major is a formal process that requires the appropriate forms and signatures. Students must follow established UAA procedures for declaring a major and for changing a major or degree.

Many students change their majors over the course of their college careers. But knowing your major can help you focus your academic plan.

To get started, you should assess your interests. What types of jobs or careers can you see yourself doing well? What topics hold your attention?

Then examine your abilities. Where do you excel? What are your weaknesses? What skills do you have? You might look back to your time in high school to see where your strengths lie. What were your favorite subjects? What kinds of extracurricular activities did you participate in while in high school? What kinds of things did you learn from part-time or summer jobs?

Also consider what motivates you. Are you motivated by helping others? By interpreting data? By reading and analyzing literature? By improving your status? All of those factors can help you determine your major.

Next, consider what kind of careers you may seek. If you are thinking about majoring in art, consider what careers an art degree might offer. You could become an illustrator, a graphic designer or an advertising executive. You could also become a museum curator, an art teacher and an artist. Also search the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook .

Be realistic. Does your occupation require an advanced degree, but your future commitments preclude graduate study?

Narrow your choices. Based on all your research and introspection, you should now have a better idea of the careers/majors you are not interested in pursuing as well as a few of the potential careers/majors that do interest you.

As you select a major, seek help here:

• UAA’s college's course catalog.
• Professors, including your academic advisor. They can help you because many have worked in the field in which they teach and can talk with authority about career opportunities in given fields.
• Classmates, especially upperclassmen. These students are deep into their major and may have had an internship or gone through a job interview.
• Alumni. Consult with alums, many of whom like to talk with current students.
• Family and friends. They are going to know a lot about you and where they see you thriving.

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