Beginning Friday, Nov. 1, you are able to formally declare your major(s) or minor(s). What does this mean for you?
Major declaration is the exciting time when you officially declare your academic path for your undergraduate career. That being said, do not feel pressured to declare a major now - you have until the end of March to decide. Also, don’t worry about changing your mind—as you take more classes and explore opportunities on campus, you will have the option to change your major, declare additional majors or add minors. Note that you need to declare a major before adding any minors or secondary majors.
In the meantime, be sure to do plenty of research on the courses, faculty, programs and requirements of the many majors and minors offered at CWRU.
Here are three key pieces of advice:
- Once you have your interests narrowed down, contact that department or program and ask for more information directly from the source. Department administrators and coordinators can connect you with faculty members that have similar interests.
- Connect with your peers that are in the programs that interest you. Listen to their experience with the department, faculty and coursework.
- Speak with your four-year advisor and pre-major advisor to develop a plan that will allow you to continue exploring your interests and clarifying your plans.
When you are ready to declare your major, the major declaration form and instructions are available on the Undergraduate Advising Support website.
When you declare, you will be assigned a major advisor from the department, who will be your go-to person for advice as you work to complete degree requirements. They will also be the person to release your registration advising hold each semester so that you can register for courses once your enrollment appointment opens. Your pre-major advisor will automatically change in SIS to a “designated advisor”—this means they still have access to your record in SIS and can continue to serve as a faculty mentor to you, but they will no longer be able to release your registration advising hold. You can add or remove “designated advisors” as you wish.
Please note: Keep the timing of declaring your major in mind with regard to course registration! If your advising hold is not released prior to major declaration, only your new major advisor will be able to lift the hold.