Major and Career Guidance
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 80% of students change their major at least once during college, and on average students will change their majors three times during their college careers. Knowing these numbers, the Office of Career Success and the Office of Academic Advising encourage students to take the time they need to explore their possible choices. Stetson University offers more than 55 majors and minors for undergraduates to choose from which can be viewed in the University Catalog. When thinking about choosing a major, take a step back, and instead of using the approach of “I have to pick a major”, ask yourself “What do I want to learn” and how can I design a unique learning experience for myself through a combination of my General Education courses, my Major/Minor coursework, and my General Elective courses? Stetson encourages students to declare a major by the end of their first year, but students can continue to explore in their second year while seeking additional support from the Office of Career Success.
In terms of career exploration, while your major is an important part of your preparation for next steps after Stetson, it's not the only think you should be considering. It's important to pair your coursework with other activities outside the classroom including opportunities such as internships, undergraduate research, study abroad, community engagement or leadership programs. So, in addition, to thinking about “What do I want to learn”, also ask yourself “How do I want to learn.” What out-of-class activities will you participate in to complement your coursework and better prepare you for a career and life after Stetson?
Career Success recommends the following resources for exploring majors and possible careers.
Resources for learning about majors and minors:
1. Undergraduate Academic Programs
- Career Insight Tool combines data from multiple jobs posting sites to show how career fields and industries are connected to Stetson majors
2. University Undergraduate Catalog
3. Major/Minor Exploration Questions to Ask Faculty & Peers Word | PDF
- Once you have narrowed down your possible major(s) to 2-3 choices, a great next step is to talk with faculty and other students from that academic program. Use the handout linked above to help you think about questions you would like to ask.
- If you don’t know a faculty member who teaches in the major you would like to know more about, contact Academic Advising or Career Success, and we’ll be happy to connect you with someone we know.
Traitify is a modern and easy alternative to traditional personality assessments. Founded on the premise that self-knowledge and discovery will open the doors to opportunity, Traitify goes beyond just measuring personality and provides instant, custom career path recommendations. Taking this a step further, your recommended career paths are linked to related majors at Stetson!
Whether you are exploring multiple majors or searching for information about your chosen field, this site will help you connect majors to careers. Learn about the typical career areas and the types of employers that hire people with each major, as well as strategies to make you a more marketable candidate.
My Next Move is an interactive tool for job seekers and students to learn more about their career options. The site has tasks, skills, salary information, and more for over 900 different careers.