Majors
Are you having difficulty deciding upon your major? You are not alone. According to research, 20% - 50% of college freshmen do not know what major to pursue when they enter college. Of those who begin college knowing their major, 50% - 60% will change their mind at least once. Appalachian can help you make this important decision.
Step 1. Meet with Your Academic Advisor
During your Orientation session, talk with your advisor about your interests and abilities. When you return to campus, make an appointment with your assigned academic advisor through your AppalNet account. An advisor will be assigned to you after all Orientation sessions are completed.
Step 2. Explore Appalachian's Career Resources
- The Peer Career Center is a free, walk-in service in which you can meet one-on-one with a trained peer counselor or a professional counselor who will help you determine your needs and assist you with academic and career decisions.
- The Career Development Center offers many resources to help keep you abreast of the most current trends in the ever-changing world of work. Make an appointment to speak with a Career Counselor to update your resume or find an internship.
- Career Information by Major. Select a major that interests you and learn about related job titles, job skills, professional associations, and other resources.
- The Counseling and Psychological Services Center offers personal assistance to help you with the complex process of making career decisions. The Counseling Center is located on the 1st floor of the Miles Annas Student Support Building (828-262-3180).
- Life and Career Planning course (HPC 2200). This course explores topics such as values clarification, information integration, knowing your options, and programming yourself for success.
- The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a nationally recognized source of career information which helps individuals make decisions about their future work lives.
Once you have explored the resources, integrate the information you collected. Consider your interests, abilities, values, experiences, skills and the majors/occupational fields associated with them. Consider academic and occupational relationships (which majors lead to which jobs). Integrate majors in to your values and goals and finally, narrow your options to two or three.
Step 3. Narrow Your Choices of Majors
Don't Be Confused by the Name
Be sure to choose the major and not the major category. For example, you cannot just select business. You must select the area of business in which you want to major: accounting, economics, finance & banking, health care management, hospitality & tourism management, information systems, international business, management, marketing, or risk & insurance.
Alphabetical List of Majors at Appalachian (includes Department and College Links)
Majors by Category
If you are not sure which specific major to select, then choose the one that seems to match best with your interests. The core courses you take initially are common to all majors in that category, so you can change the specific major later if you want.
- Business
- Accounting
- Computer Information Systems BSBA
- Economics
- Finance and Banking BSBA
- Health Care Management BSBA
- Hospitality and Tourism Management BSBA
- International Business
- Management BSBA
- Marketing BSBA
- Risk & Insurance BSBA
- Communication
- Communication-Advertising BS
- Communication-Electronic Media/Broadcasting BS
- Communication-Journalism BS
- Communication-Organizational/Public BS
- Communication-Public Relations BS
- Fine and Performing Arts
- Art Education (K-12) BS
- Art General BA
- Art Management BS
- General Theatre BA
- Graphic Design BFA
- Music Industry Studies BS
- Performance- Vocal BM
- Performance-Composition and Theory BM
- Performance-Instrumenttal BM
- Performance-Sacred Music BM
- Studio Art BFA
- Theatre Design/Technology concentration BS
- Theatre Education (K-12) BS
- Theatre Performance Concentration BA
- Health & Human Services
- Anthropology
- Athletic Training
- Biology -Pre-Professional BS
- Chemistry- Pre-Professional and Paramedical BS
- Child Development
- Child Development-Birth-Kindergarten BS
- Clinical Laboratory Sciences
- Communication Disorders (Speech Pathology)
- Community and Regional Planning BS
- Dietetics
- Exercise Science BS
- Geography and Planning
- Gerontology
- Health Care Management
- Health Education
- Health Promotion BS
- Interdisciplinary Studies
- Marriage and Family Counseling
- Music Therapy
- Philosophy and Religion
- Physical Education
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Reading
- Recreation Management
- School Counseling
- Social Work
- Sociology
- Special Education
- Humanities and Social Sciences
- American Politics BS
- American Studies BA
- Anthropology BS
- Anthropology, Archeology BA
- Anthropology-Applied BA
- Anthropology-General BA
- Anthropology-Sustainable Development BS
- Appalachian Studies BA
- Apparel and Textiles
- Applied Research Methods BS
- Child Development-Psychology BS
- Community and Regional Planning BS
- Criminal Justice BSCJ
- Criminology & Social Control BS
- English BA
- English-Creative Writing BA
- English-Film Studies BA
- English-Professional Writing BA
- Environmental Policy and Planning BA
- Family Development BS
- Food and Nutrition-Food System Management BS
- Food and Nutrition-General BS
- French BA
- Geography BA
- Geography BS
- Gerontology BS
- Habilitation Services BS
- History BA
- History-Applied & Public BS
- History-Multidisciplinary BS
- Individually Designed BA
- Individually Designed BS
- International & Comparative Politics BS
- International Studies-Asia BA
- International Studies-East Europe/ Russia/Central Asia BA
- International Studies-Germany BA
- International Studies-Latin America BA
- Internet Studies BA
- Labor Studies BA
- Legal Studies BS
- Liberal Studies, Modern Period BA
- Media, Politics and Campaigns BS
- Modern Europe BA
- Music Therapy BM
- Philosophy and Religion BA
- Political Science BA
- Pre-professional Legal Studies BS
- Psychology-Business BS
- Psychology-General BA
- Psychology-Health Studies BS
- Psychology-Human Services BS
- Psychology-Natural Science BS
- Psychology-Social Science BS
- Public Management BS
- Public Policy BS
- Social Work BSW
- Sociology BA
- Spanish BA
- Sustainable Development BA
- Third World BA
- Town, City, & County Management BS
- Women's Studies BA
- Information Technology
- Computer Information Systems BSBA
- Computer Science BS
- Graphics Arts and Imaging Technology BS
- Geographic Information Systems BS
- Science & Technology
- Biology BA
- Biology- Ecology and Environment Biology (Sustainable Development) BS
- Biology -Pre-Professional BS
- Biology-Ecology and Environmental Biology (Basic Science) BS
- Biology-Ecology and Environmental Biology (Business) BS
- Biology-Ecology and Environmental Biology-(Geography and Landscape Ecology) BS
- Biology-Secondary Education BS
- Chemistry BA
- Chemistry- Individually Designed BS
- Chemistry- Marketing and Business BS
- Chemistry- Pre-Professional and Paramedical BS
- Chemistry-Certified Chemist BS
- Chemistry-Environmental Concent. BS
- Chemistry-Forensic Science BS
- Chemistry-Secondary Education BS
- Geology BA
- Geology BS
- Geology-Environmental Geology BS
- Graphics Arts and Imaging Technology BS
- Industrial Technology- Appropriate Technology BS
- Industrial Technology- Construction BS
- Industrial Technology- Industrial Drafting and Design BS
- Industrial Technology- Technical Photography BS
- Industrial Technology-Furniture Studies BS
- Interior Design BS
- Mathematics-Applied Mathematics BS
- Mathematics-General Mathematics BA
- Mathematics-General Mathematics BS
- Physics-Applied BS
- Physics-General BA
- Statistics BS
- Teaching
- Art Education K-12 BS
- Biology, Secondary Education BS
- Chemistry, Secondary Education BS
- Business Education, Teaching BS
- Child Development: Birth-Kindergarten BS
- Family and Consumer Sciences, Secondary Education: Consumer Education BS
- Elementary Education BS, Teaching
- English-Secondary Education BS
- French Education K-12 BS
- Geology-Secondary Education BS
- Health Education BS K-12
- History-Secondary Education BS
- Marketing Education BS Teaching
- Mathematics-Secondary Education BS
- Middle Grades Education: Language Arts BS
- Middle Grades Education: Mathematics BS
- Middle Grades Education: Science BS
- Middle Grades Education: Social Studies BS
- Music Education K-12 BM
- Physical Education Teacher Education K-12 BS
- Physics-Secondary Education BS
- Social Science Education: Anthropology BS
- Social Science Education: Economics BS
- Social Science Education: Geography BS
- Social Science Education: History BS
- Social Science Education: Political Science BS
- Social Science Education: Sociology BS
- Spanish Education K-12 BS
- Special Education-Adapted Curriculum BS
- Special Education-General Curriculum BS
- Technology Education-Secondary Education BS
- Technology Education-Trade and Industry BS
- Teaching Theater Arts K-12 BS
Step 4. Review the Entrance Requirements and Coursework
Review the entrance requirements (if any) and the required coursework for your chosen degree(s). Your choice will be meaningful and obtainable only if the required coursework is of interest to you and you know that you will be able to meet any entrance requirements.
Alphabetical List of Majors at Appalachian (includes Department and College Links)
Step 5. Be Flexible
Set a realistic timetable for taking specific actions. Remember that no plan is static; as changes take place, new decisions may need to be made. As you change your mind you may want to meet with your academic advisor again and revisit the Peer Career Center to solidify your decision.
