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Exploring Majors

Strategies for Major Exploration

  • Meet with an Academic Advisor at the Academic Advising Center (815/753-2573). Academic Advisors can help you determine your values, interests, and skills, suggest a major, minor, or career path, and assist you with course selection. They also refer students to other campus offices for personal, academic, and career counseling; academic skills development; and financial aid.
  • Look at all the NIU majors. Begin to research majors that look interesting to you and/or eliminate programs that you know you don't want.
  • Visit the homepages of the colleges and departments that interest you.
  • Use the NIU Major Web-Links for more information about occupations related to undergraduate majors.
  • Talk to friends and classmates about their majors, minors, and career paths. Talk to professors and advisors about programs and majors related to courses and subjects that interest you.
  • Register for CAHC 211, Career Planning, a three-credit course designed to assist you in selecting a major/career.
  • Attend meetings of student/professional organizations that interest you. Consult your Student Handbook or the Student Involvement and Leadership Development office in the Campus Life Building, 150, for a list of organizations and volunteer opportunities.
  • Pursue course work and co-curricular activities that expand your knowledge about fields of study and help you develop additional skills. This will aid you in self-assessment in the major and career decision-making process. Computer, foreign language, leadership, and communication skills are valuable in any profession. Review NIU Undergraduate Degree Paths to familiarize yourself with specific department/program requirements.