Your UW Major
What is a major?
One of the requirements of a UW bachelor's degree is a major, a subject you study in depth. Your major will make up one-third to one-half of your bachelor's degree. Some examples of majors are Biology, Psychology, Drama, and Chemical Engineering. The UW has more than 120 majors to choose from.
When should I start my major?
| Many students start taking classes toward their major in their freshman year. You definitely should start working on your major before you transfer to the UW. Some reasons you should start your major as soon as possible: |
|
MYTH: You should concentrate on general education courses in your freshman and sophomore years. You'll work on your major after you transfer to the UW.
FACT: It is very important that you start working on your major in your freshman and sophomore years.
|
- Some UW majors take four years to complete from the time you begin the prerequisite courses. For example, engineering majors take four years from the time you start calculus; biological majors take at least three years from the time you start general chemistry; foreign language majors take four years if you start at the beginning of a new language. There are many other examples.
- Progress toward your intended major is a factor when you apply for transfer admission to the UW. To help you, UW's Office of Admissions has provided easy-to-use planning worksheets for each UW major, in PDF format.
- Many UW majors have admission requirements. In addition, some of these admit students only once a year. Almost all these admission requirements can be completed at Washington community colleges. Look over the admission requirements of the majors you are considering in the charts of admission requirements of UW majors.
- Not all majors are available at the UW. For example, the UW has no majors in physical education, health education, athletic training, or nutrition, so if you are interested in pursuing a major in those or related fields you should not transfer to the UW. If you know you want to graduate from the UW, familiarize yourself with our list of majors.
- Most students run through several potential majors before they find the subject they enjoy most. Give yourself time to do this by starting to investigate potential majors in your freshman year.
- It's a good idea to finish a sequence of courses at the school where you started it. If you plan ahead, you can avoid transferring in the middle of sequences.
What major will get me the best job?
| Most students say their main reason for attending college is to get a good job. There's nothing wrong with that. It's a mistake, however, to think that your college major will prepare you for a particular job. |
|
MYTH: You should choose a major that will lead to a good job after you graduate.
FACT: Your career is likely to be completely unrelated to your college major.
|
Many people discover that a college degree is necessary for the kind of career they want to pursue, but it doesn't matter at all what their college major was. Although there are some careers that require a particular college degree (nursing, for example), the vast majority of careers don't.
A college degree has great value in the job market, but probably not for the reasons you think. Many employers seek college graduates for their skills in writing, problem solving, organization, research, and critical thinking. These are transferable skills: you can develop them in any college major, and use them in almost every workplace. Don't slog through a major that doesn't engage you just because you think it will look good on your resume. Choose the major that you enjoy the most, and because your upper-division college work will be challenging and fun you will work harder and develop these transferable skills, and by doing so increase your opportunities after graduation.
For more information about the relationship-or lack of relationship--between majors and careers, and tips about how to start planning for a career, read How to Choose a Major and Investigate Careers.
OK, then, how do I choose a major?
- Explore your interests.
Take classes that sound interesting. Are they interesting enough to be your major? When you find a subject you enjoy, try a course in a related department. If you enjoyed your political science course, for example, try a history course.
- Assess your academic strengths.
Many majors at the UW have competitive admission. Do you do well in coursework required by majors that interest you? Your chances for success at the UW are greatly enhanced if you choose a subject you enjoy and do well in. This is one reason (there are others) you shouldn't postpone taking math and science courses if you are considering science majors. You need to discover early on whether you enjoy these subjects and do well in them in college.
- Take a major- and career-planning course.
Most community colleges offer workshops or courses on how to assess your interests and skills, and how to relate them to college majors and careers. There are also many self-help books on the subject; ask your college librarian for help finding them. Many community college advising offices provide access to WOIS, Washington Occupational Information System, an Internet-based collection of information about careers.
- Find out what majors are available.
If you plan to transfer to the UW, look through the list of UW majors and read more about the ones that look interesting. If you have a major in mind but are considering several 4-year colleges, investigate the websites of other colleges.
- Investigate the requirements of the majors you're considering.
As you consider different majors, read about their requirements at the UW. The list of UW majors has links to detailed information about each major. Pay particular attention to any admission requirements and recommended introductory coursework. Lists of transfer equivalencies--how community college courses transfer to the UW--are in Course Equivalencies for Washington Community Colleges.
Many UW majors and preprofessional programs offer information sessions where you can learn more, including additional information about admission requirements and application procedures. There is usually an opportunity at the end of the session for questions and answers. If you have specific questions, you can also contact department advisers for further information.
- Start working on your major.
Start taking the coursework required by your major, especially any math and science requirements. Almost all UW majors can be started at your community college. The entire first two years of many UW majors can be completed at community colleges. Your community college adviser can help you plan a program of study.
Additional information
