There may come a time during your college experience where you find you are not satisfied with your college major.
Surprisingly, changing majors is not as complicated as you might think.
With a little research and guidance from your academic advisor, you may be able to change your plan of study seamlessly. There are a few things you may want to think about before changing your major.
Credit Hours Already Earned
If you want to change majors without adding extra semesters to your time at college, then you will need to do so as early in your college career as possible. This should be done preferably during your freshman or sophomore year when you are still primarily completing required courses. If you wait until your junior year or senior year, then you are almost guaranteed to add extra time to your degree than you had planned. The only way you may get around this is if you make the change to a closely-related major. The best way to see how your transcript would fare would be to discuss your plans with an academic advisor.
Research
Before jumping the gun on changing your major, be sure that switching is something you have thought through completely and is something you are certain you want to do. It is not wise to keep changing majors, as that would not reflect well when trying to obtain a job in the future. Evaluate your reasons and options, do some career exploration and make an informed decision.
Check Out Available Jobs
Check out online job search websites and see what the job market is like for your potential new major. Be sure that changing majors would work in your favor when you are trying to obtain your first job out of college. The last thing you would want is to spend money on a degree and then not be able to obtain a job later.
Take a Class
If you are on the fence about switching majors, take one class related to your potential new major first to see if it is something you would like. Even if you do not like the class and realize it was not for you, the credits you earned for that class would most likely count as an elective toward your current degree anyway.
Pick up a Minor Degree
If it is too late for you to switch majors without losing money and credits, you can always pick up a minor degree in your new interest. Minors are relatively easy to add to your degree and usually only require about 18-24 credits or so to complete. You could pick these extra classes up in the summer or winter breaks and still graduate on time.
Paperwork
Every college is different, but usually a form with a signature needs to be completed and submitted to the registrar’s office to make the change official. Some colleges require a signature from your academic advisor so it's best to speak to an advisor or counselor prior to submitting the form.