American universities offer flexibility of choosing major after enrolment

Colleges in the United States offer the option to join as an ‘undecided major’, where students can enroll in a slew of courses before picking their major.

According to Maya Sundararajan, Regional Officer, US-India Educational Foundation, “The higher educational system in US is highly flexible. It offers students the choice of pursuing an array of courses before deciding on the major at the undergraduate level if they decide to apply as an undecided major. Students have the choice of not declaring a major at the time of applying for a college in US and can figure it out as the course progress. They have time till the second year to decide on their major. They need not necessarily wait till the end of the second year — they can declare the major in the first year if they make that decision earlier.” 

“Today, many students have varied interests and it becomes challenging to choose a major for their undergraduate degree. Students with an interdisciplinary focus or multiple interests, can take up different subjects and decide on their major after joining a college. For example, there are students who are interested in Physics as well as Music, or Computer Science and Biology. They could very well pursue these multiple interests in the US higher education system,” says Maya. 

The option to apply as an undecided major is available to all students, including international students who are planning on pursuing their undergraduate courses in the United States. 

“Many US students opt to enroll as an undecided major. This is a useful option for students who have multiple interests and have not yet narrowed down their career path,” she adds.

Students who opt for the undecided major route still have to earn their credits just like everyone else to progress in their respective course. 

“Students will have to earn a minimum number of credits in order to retain their status as a student. In the initial years, if the student did not take up certain courses required for the major field of study that they ultimately choose, they may have to take up extra credits in the subsequent years,” says Maya.

Universities and colleges have student advisers who guide the students on the various possibilities available to them based on their interests. On the down side, students who opt to apply as an undecided major will not be entitled for departmental scholarships. They will still be eligible for general scholarships that are not restricted by the field of study. However, once they declare the major, they can explore the department-specific scholarships as well. “Due to their exposure to varied subjects, students will develop lateral thinking capabilities. They will be able to think outside the box and will possess certain flexibility when it comes to carrying out tasks. These skills are highly sought after in the corporate world,” says Maya.