Something that students often hear, throughout their freshman year especially, is that someone has changed their major. 

“Some students come in with this idea,” said Registrar Vicki Wilson. “They want to do it cause of a good paying job but it is more intense than they realize. Some pursue a major mom and dad picked out for them but they speak up and do what is best for them.” 

According to the Registrar’s Office, statistics for the 2017-2018 academic year only 47 students changed their major. 224 students had one minor, 57 had two minors, and 3 students had 3 minors. Wilson stated that there is no limit to how many minors a student can have while enrolled at the university. 

“Once I changed my major I had less stress. I was in my happy place,” said Meredith Emmart, sophomore Criminal Justice major. 

Emmart was originally a Forensic Science major and switched after her first semester of freshman year citing the reason why was Chemistry. She will still graduate on time and although she does not want to do lab work, she still wants to work for the FBI. 

Students can pursue two different degrees in different ways. The first is called a double major which means that both of the majors are either Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Sciences. The credit requirement to graduate with a double major is 124. 30 students in 2017-2018 were pursuing a double major. 

The other type is called the dual degree. This means that a student selects a major from the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Sciences with the credit requirement being 155 to graduate. 10 students in 2017-2018 were pursuing a dual degree. 

Another student that changed his major is junior Kevin McClellan. He switched from Biblical Ministry Studies and Philosophy to Youth Ministry because he enjoyed the things Youth Ministry focused on more in addition to changing his view on kids. 

“I did my practicum at Jefferson Baptist Church and it had a big impact on how I look at kids. I have grown to love kids,” said McClellan. 

The Registrar’s Office just updated the process to change your major. Instead of using the paper form where students were required to receive signatures from their department heads, students can now go on MyConnect under the Academics Section on the left-hand side halfway down the page. 

The student fills out the form and then it goes to their current department chair who reviews it and then sends it to the new department chair. Once everyone approves it, the Registrar updates it. This process is the same if a student would like to add a minor. The paper forms are still currently being accepted, but the goal is to make it all online. 

Wilson stated that most of the time students that change their major graduate on time unless the change is drastic like Psychology to Nursing, or if the change occurs later in the student’s career. 

Wilson cited Brian Carr as being a good resource for students that do not really know what they want to do or are having issues with their current field as well as the counseling center since they advise the exploring majors.