University College - Major Exploration

Negotiating your Major and Career Exploration

What is the University College?

  • University College is a unique and nurturing place that is designed to help you to make decisions about your future.
  • University College helps you to learn about yourself and the world of education and work so that you can chart a future that suits you.
  • You have a chance to earn credits for your college degree, while also exploring your options to find the best fit for yourself.

Why Explore?

  • According to research, students who are committed to a well-explored career plan are more likely to graduate from college and succeed in their careers.
  • By making a decision to attend University College, you are no longer undecided – you have made a clear and important choice to explore your options in a thoughtful and productive way.

Exploring Academic and Career Choices

Rather than making career decisions based solely on what your peers, parents, the media, or your own hunches suggest, it is actually better for you to explore your options via the guidance we provide at University College. The career development specialists at the University College provide the following tools to help you explore and decide:

Maximizing your University College Experience

University College provides the tools for you to have a successful college experience. You also will need to step up to the plate; the unique difference about University College is that you will have a partner in your career exploration and decision making. Here are some tips on how you can get the most from University College, with the goal of helping you to chart your future:

  • Consider each class you take at ASU as an opportunity to explore a new area or field.
    • When you are taking classes, think about what is most interesting to you in the class.
    • Also, when taking classes, use the feedback that you receive about your work to learn more about your talents and abilities.
    • Do not make decisions only on one experience or class; you will need feedback from more than one class or test/paper to make good decisions.
  • Consider your extracurricular activities at ASU as another way of exploring. Think about the sorts of activities that you find yourself doing at school.
    • Consider the extent to which you enjoy activities that bring you into contact with others as opposed to working with data and things.
    • Consider the extent to which you find yourself gravitating toward activities in which you are assuming leadership roles.
  • Select your courses as if you are on a journey and you want to see as much as you can.
    • When you meet with your academic advisor, discuss your course options with one eye toward meeting your university requirements and another eye toward exploring widely.
  • Get comfortable with living with uncertainty.
    • It is true that most of us yearn for certainty. As you explore your options at University College, try to enjoy the ride—do not feel obligated to have all of your decisions made as early as possible.
  • Realize that the decision-making process is not a one-time event.
    • Each time you select a course, obtain a part-time job, or decide to join a campus organization, you are making decisions about your future in that you are exploring your fit with that set of tasks.
  • Learn about the resources of University College and go out of your way to try to use each resource.
    • We can provide support by providing informative and accessible advisors, counselors, and professors. Develop a connection to these professionals; they will help to guide you as you make the most of your University College education. Please visit our Web site to learn more about the supports in place at University College.
    • It is important to bounce ideas off the professional staff and your family and friends. Exploring is best done when you are well nurtured by the people in your life who you care about.


Call (602) 496-0589 or email majorexploration@asu.edu with questions or to make an appointment.