Declaring a Major or Minor

People come around to declaring a major or minor in lots of different ways. Some people are excited to declare their major as early as possible to benefit from registration major restrictions, while others only declare after the registrar tracks them down and tells them that they must. Wherever you may fall on the spectrum of enthusiasm about major and minor declaration, here are some tips for the declaration process:

When to declare a major or minor

Students have some choice and some restrictions about when to declare a major. Here are the highlights, but you can also find more information on this page:

• If you have less than 39 credits (including transfer credits), you may not declare a major or minor
• If you have between 39 and 54 credits (including transfer), you can declare a major or minor, but you do not have to yet
• If you have 54 or more credits, you must declare a major
• You can declare a minor up until the last day of add/drop in the semester you plan to graduate

For most students, this means that you will declare a major in the second semester of your second year. If you fall in the window of 39 to 54 credits, where you can declare a major, but do not have to, I encourage you to use PATH to look at the registration restrictions of some of the courses you hope to register for for the next semester. Some courses are restricted to specific majors or undeclared students. Depending on which courses you would like to take, it can sometimes make sense to declare your major as soon as possible or stay undeclared for one more semester. 

⚠️The registrar has a five-business-day processing period for major declaration forms, so give yourself plenty of time if you hope to declare a major before the next registration period ⚠️

Paperwork! Planning your course of study

Once you decide on a major or minor, your next step will be to create a proposed course of study, or a plan for how you will fulfill the requirements of the program. You’ll need this plan in order to complete the major or minor declaration form.

⚠️ But! If you plan to major in business or education, remember that you have to apply to those schools first. ⚠️

Refer to the undergraduate course catalog and use the “What If” feature on Degree Works to figure out what courses you must take for your major and minor program, and how you might satisfy different requirements. Then you can take a look at current and past semesters on PATH to get a general sense of which courses are typically offered in the spring or fall. As you work through. 

As you work through these tools to create your plan, check out your program to see if it has a specific course planning worksheet for you to fill out in addition to the major or minor declaration form.
If you are looking to declare a minor, you are almost done! Just reach out to your department chair or program director for approval on your minor declaration form, and then submit that form to the registrar by emailing degreeaudit@wm.edu.

Choosing a major advisor

If you are declaring a major, you will need to find a faculty member in that department or program to be your major advisor. You can use faculty lists on department websites to find potential major advisors, or you can think back to courses you enjoyed or courses that you are really interested in taking. Broadly speaking, your major advisor does not have to be a faculty member who you have already taken a class with, but you will need to introduce yourself. This page provides more advice on choosing a major advisor.

Once you have identified your first-choice major advisor, reach out via email or during office hours to ask them to be your major advisor. Some faculty members might not be able to advise you if they have a sabbatical coming up, or if they are visiting, adjunct, or emeritus professors, depending on department rules. You can always reach out to a faculty member, and if they are not able to serve as your major advisor, they may be able to recommend a colleague. 

A note about double majoring: You will need to find a major advisor for both of your majors. Also, you will have to designate one of your majors as primary and one as secondary. You can use both of your major advisors as resources to figure out which major you would like to be your primary one.

Final steps

Next, you’ll want to meet with your major advisor to discuss your proposed course of study to fulfill that program’s requirements and ask any other questions you may have. Finally, you’ll need to seek your major advisor’s signed approval on your major declaration form (and major course planning worksheet if applicable). For some programs that are specified on the major declaration form, you will also need to seek departmental approvals. Once you have all the required signatures on your major declaration form, just submit that form to the registrar by emailing it to degreeaudit@wm.edu!