Exploratory Advising is the home for students who are exploring their interests and options before they declare a major. In partnership with the Career Design Center, we provide students with many resources for major exploration including one-to-one advising appointments, a self-paced, ungraded canvas course, and exploration-driven workshops. On your journey of major exploration, you can use our canvas course to guide you in the right direction!
Exploratory Advising Appointments
Please use the buttons below to schedule an exploratory appointment based on your campus location.
Schedule an Exploratory Appointment - Logan, Out-of-State, and Online
Schedule an Exploratory Appointment - Blanding
Schedule an Exploratory Appointment - Moab
Schedule an Exploratory Appointment - Southwest
Schedule an Exploratory Appointment - Uintah Basin
Schedule an Exploratory Appointment - Wasatch, Brigham, and Tooele
Exploratory Focus Areas
Student Orientation and Transition Services has put together a First Semester Registration Guide. This covers individual majors and exploratory tracks. If you click the link below it will take you to a page that explains focus areas; each focus area has its associated tracks (and suggested majors and courses to investigate).
How do you want to use your major to make a difference in the world?
How could the majors I am considering prepare me for future careers?
Discover Why You're Here
Students are undecided for a variety of reasons. The exploration process can begin with taking a reflective look at reasons why you are unable to choose a major. It could be that you have to many interests to narrow it down to just one, or you are afraid of making the wrong decision. It could be that trusted people in your life are encouraging you to choose a major that doesn’t really interest you. No matter what the reason, the Exploratory Advising team is here to help you.
- Complete the Focus2 assessment and meet with the Career Design Center to discuss the results.
- Take USU 1400—Exploring Majors and Careers. This course is a great course to help students assess their interests, values, skills, and temperaments and apply them to major and career options. This course emphasizes relationships between self-knowledge and realities of educational and employment opportunities.
Learn More About our Majors and Career Options
USU’s Degree Finder tool provides a general overview of all majors offered on a campus. Type a key word in the search and review the majors, requirements, and careers. Our Focus Areas can help you narrow your interests to majors with similar career outcomes.
Once you have identified a major, create summary of the 1000- and 2000-level requirements of all majors. We have first semester registration guides for every major to help you identify early classes that may be important.
Generate a list of questions to ask faculty, academic advisors, and other resource persons.
Use the Gathering Information Worksheet, and share information to reflect on what you learned with an Exploratory Advisor.
Integrate the Information You've Collected
Now that you have gathered information, it is time to integrate what you have learned. You might consider combining several areas of interest into one new alternative like a major with one or two minors. You can use the decision making matrix as a guide for generating and confirming your major options and realistic alternatives.
Initiate Your Action Plan and Make Decisions with Your Exploratory Advisor
Outline an action plan that specifies the activities to be done and the time frame in which these need to be accomplished. Understand deadlines and requirements for declaring your chosen major.
Identify short and long-term action steps placed in sequence on a timeline including dates for meeting with the major advisor.
Realize that plans need to be periodically reevaluated and changed as new information or circumstances indicate.
Meet with your desired major's advisor to confirm admission into their program. Fill out the change of matriculation form before meeting with your new advisor. If you have questions about meeting the prerequisite or admissions requirements for your desired major, meet with your Exploratory Advisor.
Conversational Space-Makers
Exploratory Advising has partnered with Conversational Space-Makers to give students a resource for exploring values, goals, conflicts, and difficult decisions. We know how important self-knowledge is in the major exploration process and we invite you to meet with a Conversational Space-Maker. You can explore questions like:
- How do I discover things that give me purpose and energy?
- How do I deal with the advice or expectations of others?
- How do I manage the stress associated with difficult decisions?
- What do I want in a career?
Conversational Space-Makers are USU students who have been formally trained in facilitating these conversations. These students have completed many hours of courses, training, observation, and practice in holding safe, exploratory and empowering conversations for others, and all have personal experiences with many of the same questions mentioned above and are eager to assist you in discovering answers to your own questions.
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What Space-Makers Don’t Do |
What Space-Makers Do |
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Give advice Class schedule advising Holds/Suspensions Find the ‘right’ major or job |
Ask questions Exploration of interests/passions Getting unstuck in decision making Offer activities/resources |
Tools and Workshops
Major Exploration
Career Exploration
Course Planning