Declaring a Major
Many students enter college uncertain as to what major to select when they first start out. Others may know what they want to do from the very beginning.
Students planning to major in areas of study leading to licensure or some other type of certification, such as Nursing, Education, or Engineering should contact the relevant department as soon as possible to see what additional stipulations and/or requirements exist regarding those programs.
Resources for finding out about the different majors available include:
Gen Ed & Elective courses: Taking a course or two in an area of study can give you a good idea as to how well that specific discipline meets you interests and expectations. You also get a chance to meet with some of the instructors from those areas and see who you would like to request as an Academic Advisor.
Undergraduate Catalog: The Undergraduate Catalog contains information regarding all of the different majors. Such information includes detailed course requirements, course descriptions, credit hour requirements, and other relevant details.
Career Services: If you know what you want to do after you graduate, Career Services can help you determine what major(s) would best prepare you for that type of career.
Friends and Family Members: Do you have a cousin that has your dream-job, ask him/her what degrees and majors he/she needed to land the position.
Internships: It's not uncommon to find something you like doing through an internship, summer job, or even through student-worker oppertunities.
Keep in mind that just because you select a major, doesn’t mean you are wedded to that discipline for life. Some students stick with a single major all the way through but others may change majors as many as 3-4 times while at Muskingum. Even after graduation studies show that between 60-70 percent of people have careers that are outside of their major. This doesn’t mean that they aren’t using what they learned, it just means that there is a great deal of flexibility available once you finish your degree.
Regardless of how you decide on a major, once the decision is made simply complete a Major Declaration Form.