Help with choosing a major

Did you know . . . ?                                                     View list of CLAS majors | Declare or change a major

  • Seventy-five percent of all college students change their majors at least once during their college careers.
  • Students who choose majors that they love graduate with higher grade point averages.

Finding the right major can take time and a willingness to try new classes and to talk to others in the discipline. There are a number of courses offered for credit that help explore majors or introduce you to a specific major.

If you are advised in the Academic Advising Center (AAC), a good place to start is with your AAC advisor. AAC advisors know about each major offered for undergraduates at the University of Iowa and can also refer you to experts in the field. Students no longer advised by the Academic Advising Center are welcome to use its Advisor on Call service to discuss major exploration.

Students also are welcome to make an appointment with a College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) professional advisor to discuss questions related to a possible new major. The advisor can review degree requirements, major requirements, time to graduation, as well as help you to consider your talents and your goals. To make an appointment, use the MyUI Appointment Scheduler, choose an individual appointment with "College Office" then "College of Liberal Arts and Sciences". Choose the reason of Major Exploration then the field of study you are interested in. You will then be provided with options to meet with professional academic advisors in that field of study. 

In addition, the Pomerantz Career Center is a great resource to help you explore majors. You can complete assessments to help determine majors that might be great fit for you, and meet with a Career Coach to discuss career paths for majors you are considering. See https://careers.uiowa.edu/career-prep/exploring-majors-careers for additional information.