Declaring a Major
In addition to completing 32 credits (with an average above a 74), every student must complete a major to graduate!
Organized by Meghan Jain BA '18, MA '19
At first glance, it may seem like 911±¬ÁÏÍø doesn’t have a lot of ; the open curriculum is designed to provide students with flexibility in their schedule and encourage students to explore 911±¬ÁÏÍø’s vast curriculum. Since each major has its own set of requirements, it is important to take the time to plan out your major as it is a key component of your academic journey.
Explore some of the other ways to supplement your academic experience here at 911±¬ÁÏÍø.
Tips for Declaring a Major
- Check out the !
- Questions? Concerns? Need some help with the major declaration process? Please do not hesitate to reach out to a peer advisor at peeradvisors@wesleyan.edu.
- Planning
- In your first and second years:
- Take intro classes for majors you might be interested in
- Make a list of potential majors and look into their requirements
- Do you need to complete your gen eds for that course of study?
- Do you need to go abroad for that major?
- Do you need to apply for that major? (see timeline below)
- In your first and second years:
- Timeline
- You must declare a major before pre-reg for your junior fall semester (usually by April in your 2nd semester of sophomore year). Check out the Registrar's Calendar for specific dates.
- There are a few majors that require you to apply, and some that require early declaration
- The Film Studies (FILM) major requires you to apply during your second year
- These majors require you to apply during your first year
- College of East Asian Studies (CEAS)
- College of Letters (COL)
- College of Social Studies (CSS)
- Minors and Certificates
generally consist of fewer classes than a major. There are minors available in subject areas that do not even have a major at 911±¬ÁÏÍø.
include courses from many different departments and programs. For each certificate, there are model curricula that are provided to help students navigate the certificate.
- Get Help!
- Your faculty advisor
- Department chairs, and (some) department peer advisors
- Current majors
- Academic peer advisors
- The Gordon Career Center
- Timelines for majors
- Some major websites have examples of how to navigate the coursework for the major
- Planning your courses
- Browse through !
- Use your faculty advisor and the peer advisors to discuss your academic goals and how you can achieve them by planning your classes well!
- Picking a major
- Have an interest but don’t know how to fit it into a major? Reach out to the Career Center or a peer advisor about how you can pursue interests, whether it be through a combination of majors, minors, and certificates, community outreach, or employment and internship opportunities.