UT Austin offers well over 100 undergraduate majors. Take some time to review the university’s available majors. Keep in mind your interests and what you’re good at (your academic strengths), but also consider what people who work in a given career actually do on a day-to-day basis. Do they sit at a desk? Do they interact with people? Do they spend a lot of time working on a computer? Are they outside a lot? The working conditions for a job can make it sound even better – or make it sound like something you don’t think you could stand doing.

Many UT Austin majors offer options or specializations. For example, everyone applying to the McCombs School of Business applies as an “undeclared” business major. Only after enrolling do business students pick a specific undergraduate major (accounting, management, etc.). A similar process happens for journalism majors and some basic natural sciences majors, too.

Take some time to visit the web pages of the university’s undergraduate colleges and schools that seem interesting to you. You may discover that UT Austin has options that are exactly what you’re looking for.

Students often think that selecting a major is a final decision about what they will do with the rest of their lives. And although you should think about the major you select, you should also remember that your major selection isn’t a life sentence.

• Changing your major: Many students change majors while in undergraduate school. Doing so may mean that it takes longer to complete your studies, but that’s not always the case. Students can often use many courses they took for their first major for their new one, especially if they aren’t too far along in their studies. Although making a drastic change in your major (from mathematics to fine arts, for example) can seriously affect how long it takes you to complete your degree (especially if you change majors late in your undergraduate studies), changing majors is not always a disaster.
• Flexibility in a career: Many careers that require a bachelor’s degree don’t require a degree in a specific area. People who majored in the liberal arts, for example, often end up working in the corporate world as managers and in other positions. Although some careers require specific studies (the medical field, for example), if you ask around, you may find that many people don’t work in the field that you might assume they would if you just looked at their undergraduate degree.

Advising is an important part of the educational experience for all undergraduate students at UT Austin.

• Academic advisors assist all students in making decisions about the courses that will help them to reach their goals.
• Academic advisors in every college and school also assist students who may have questions about whether the major in which they are enrolled is the correct one.
• The university also now offers students the option of enrolling in the School of Undergraduate Studies (UGS). Students enrolled in UGS obtain specialized advising designed to help them find the major that is right for them while taking courses that will apply toward any degree.

Although it isn’t possible to apply to have two majors at UT Austin, once they’re enrolled, many students at UT Austin are able to add a second major to their degree plans – or to double major. (Some students graduate with three or more majors.)

Selecting an appropriate minor is also an option that can help some students reach their goals. Decisions about minors are made after a student enrolls and with the assistance of the academic advisor in the college or school in which the student is enrolled.

When applying for admission, you’re able to select both a first-choice and a second-choice major. Your first-choice major should be the major you want most.

Applicants are considered for their first-choice major first. That means that if you don’t select the major you really want as your first choice, you may never be considered for it. For example, if you select history as your first-choice major and business as your second-choice, you’ll be considered for admission to history first. If you’re admitted to history, you’ll never be considered for business.

Take the time to speak with other people about your major choices before you make them. Talk to your parents, your neighbors, your high school counselor, or your teachers about what they think you might enjoy doing. Ask them if they know anyone who works in the area that you’re interested in. Speaking with someone about what certain jobs or careers are actually like may help you to make a final decision.