Focus Your Search
Use a process of elimination
Go through the list of majors at IUB and cross off the ones that you are confident you are not interested in exploring.
- Print this list of all IUB majors.
- This first time through the list, evaluate each major based on what you already know, without doing any research. Ask yourself:
- Do I know what I would study and learn in this major?
- Do I want to explore it further or am I ready to cross it off?
- Use the Explore Programs tool to research the majors that remain on your list. For each major, click on the major to read the description and recommended first courses. Ask again:
- Do I want to explore it further or am I ready to cross it off?
- When you have finished going through the list of majors with these two exercises, the majors that are remaining on your list are the majors that you will explore in more depth in the next step.
- Some reasons to keep a major on your list:
- It sounds potentially interesting to you.
- You studied it in the past and enjoyed it.
- A parent, friend, teacher, or advisor recommended exploring it.
- It sounds like it may fit well with one of your potential career goals.
To make a well-informed decision about your major, you need to know your options.
Now that you have started to describe your interests in terms of academic and career fields, we recommend exploring majors related to these interests.
To be thorough in your exploration, we recommend the Explore Programs tool.
Use this award-winning tool to narrow down the whole list of majors to the ones that match your interests. You can:
- Filter the list of majors to show the options related to your interests
- Skim through the A-Z list of all the majors
- Sort the majors by school to see what majors are in each school
- Do all the above for the list of minors and certificate programs too
Explore Programs tool also allows you to easily click through the different majors to compare the details like involvement opportunities, required courses, and related careers.
Focus your search even more by asking these questions:
Read degree requirements and course descriptions and talk with people in the field.
- Explore Programs tool
- Academic Bulletins (the official source of degree information)
- Talk with the academic advisor for the major.
- Talk with students in the major.
- Take a class and/or talk with a professor who teaches classes in this major.
Most of the skills employers seek can be gained through any college degree, but there are also specialized skills that can be gained through specific majors.
- School and Departmental Websites
- Talk with the academic advisor for the major.
- Talk with a professor who teaches in the major.
Most majors will lead to many different possible careers, but it can be useful to learn the typical career pursuits of specific majors.
- Search by major in the Career Exploration and Student Employment’s Career Communities
- School and Departmental Websites
- Career Centers in the Schools
- Thinking about professional careers like medicine or law? Be sure to consult with Health Professions and Prelaw Advising.
Some examples to look for include: undergraduate research, scholarships, student organizations, tutoring, departmental honors, undergraduate teaching internships, and housing options like Living Learning Centers.
- School and Department Websites
- Search student organizations through the beINvolved site
- Explore Residential Programs associated with your interests
- Talk with the academic advisor for the major
- Talk with a professor who teaches in the major
Meet with a Peer Academic Coach to get help navigating all the information about majors and hear the peer perspective on finding a major that fits.
Meet with your AMES advisor to expand your understanding of the subject of study, the courses required, graduation timeline, and opportunities available for each major you are considering.