Parent's Guide to Exploring Majors

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For a college student, being undeclared or undecided about a major is more common than most may think. Each year, between one-third to one-half of all new students across the country start out undecided about their major.

At the University of Texas at Austin, there are hundreds of students who are undeclared when they enroll each fall semester. Additionally, more than 65% of students change their major at least once. That means that most of the students who claim to be decided will change their mind.

As a parent, it is important to be supportive of your student’s need to explore their options and ask them about what he/she learned during the process of major exploration. Most importantly, really listen to them.

Additionally, it’s good to remind them at different points of the first year about staying on track. But, be careful about putting to much pressure on them to decide quickly. We don’t want students to choose early and then later change their major frequently because they rushed to make a decision about a major without enough information.

Also, each semester we like to have undeclared students meet with their advisor at least two to three times a semester, primarily to discuss majors and major exploration. Remind them and encourage them to meet with their advisor.

In the School of Undergraduate Studies, all students are assigned an academic advisor. The advisors in the Center for Strategic Advising have an extensive background in working with students who are uncertain about a major or career choice. These advisors have information about majors, general requirements, and activities to assist a student through the exploration and decision processes, and help the student to create a plan for exploring their options.

On our website, we have included some helpful information for your son or daughter about what your student needs to know in order to find a possible major, how to make a decision his/her major, and some resources to assist with exploring majors and careers.

And finally, remember that they might not like the majors you like, or that you want them to like, and that’s ok.