Choosing a Major
If you're not sure what you want to major in, Fairfield University may be just the place for you. Almost half our entering freshmen aren't sure either, and students find Fairfield a great place to explore a variety of interests before making a decision.
Our flexible core curriculum helps keep your options open right through your sophomore year. Many courses you take will count toward your 20-course core requirement and, with careful planning, can also earn you credit toward a major, minor(s), or a double major. For this reason, the core is a great way to test and focus your interests and try something new!
We believe that students who are undecided about a major are involved in a very special personal journey. It's not easy or comfortable to feel uncertain, but the effort and courage involved in testing different options make your eventual decisions solid ones. So if you're undecided, don't worry - you're not alone and we're here to help you!
 Questions To Ask Yourself
Ultimately, you'll be the one to decide on a major ... with as much help from people at Fairfield as you seek. Here are some questions that can help you start thinking about your course of study:
- What kinds of things interest you?
- Is there something you've always wished you could learn?
- In your imagination, how do you picture yourself in terms of a job environment someday? As important, are there job environments you can eliminate automatically?
- Have your summer jobs given you any clues about your likes and dislikes?
- In general, are you a "people" person or a quiet person?
- Do you like to work individually or with lots of people?
- What skills and abilities do you want or need to develop in yourself?
- What do you perceive as your strengths and weaknesses?
General Requirements
At Fairfield, the general graduation requirements include a minimum of 40 courses (120 credits). The specific number of courses you take, however, will vary according to your background, school, and major. General requirements consist of approximately:
- 20 courses in the core (60 credits);
- at least 10 courses in a major (30 credits); and
- up to 10 courses (30 credits) chosen from free electives.
The core curriculum itself has some required courses and a good number of choices within each of five academic areas:
- mathematics and natural sciences
- history and social/behavioral sciences
- philosophy, religious studies, and applied ethics
- English and visual/performing arts
- modern or classical languages
Students often explore their interests through the choices within the core and through the selection of electives. By selecting core and elective courses carefully, you are able to build a minor or double major. For example, if you wish to minor in Asian studies you might select as part of your core in the visual and performing arts a course in Asian art. This course would count for both core credit and credit toward the minor. Similarly, a course in Asian religions or philosophy might be counted to fulfill your core and build your minor.
Course Clusters
Another way to use the core to explore your interests is to enroll in a "course cluster." Clusters consist of two or three distinct courses that count toward the core requirement and are unified by a common theme. They are of particular interest to students who want to study a topic from two or three different perspectives. Because each student takes all the courses in the cluster, those who share the experience tend to form a close-knit learning community.
Participation, however, is not automatic. Because clusters are well-subscribed and scheduling can be a challenge, it's best to try to enroll early in your academic career. The following are examples of course clusters that have been offered in the past:
- Discovery, Exploration and Encounter (history, mathematics and physics/astronomy)
- Global Perspectives on Economic and Political Change (economics and politics)
- Roots of Ancient Greece (philosophy and art history)
- Learning to Value the Individual (English and sociology)
- Protecting the Environment (applied ethics, business, and environmental science)
- Understanding and Writing about American Politics (English and politics)
- Russia and the West (history and fine arts)
Resources On Campus
- Right from the start, you'll have a faculty advisor assigned to you. But remember, you're in charge of your education, and it's your job to make an appointment, especially before registration time.
- Once you begin taking courses, you may meet a faculty member who's willing to be a sounding-board or mentor as you chart your possible paths. When you decide on and declare a major, you will then choose a professor in that discipline for an advisor. Some of the larger majors, such as psychology, also have group advising sessions that many students find helpful.
- Our academic deans and the dean of freshmen are special sources of guidance, especially if you want to lay the foundation for study abroad options or find yourself struggling academically.
- The Career Planning Center is very helpful to first and second year students who are undecided about a major. In addition to offering "interest inventory" testing, one-to-one guidance from career counselors and a well-stocked reference collection can give you a realistic idea of career prospects and graduate study options associated with various majors.
- Finally, because our residence halls have a mix of students from all classes, you'll be able to get tips and guidance from upper class students who have been down the road before you.
Changing Your Major
Keep in mind that many students who begin with a specific major decide to change it - once, twice, sometimes three times - and still graduate with their class. It's healthy to have many interests, and exploring them or discovering a new one is an important part of your personal journey.
Our flexible core curriculum and knowledgeable faculty advisors and deans help make your credits work for you in the transition to another major. The one exception is transferring into nursing, where courses build on each other and must be taken in a precise sequence. In that instance, extra summer courses may put you right on track. If you're thinking of majoring in nursing, it's best to start as a major because it's easier to transfer out than it is to transfer in.
 Because of the cooperation that takes place between the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Business, many students pursue a major in one school and a minor in the other. This creates some résumé-enhancing combinations. A few examples: a biology major with an ethics minor, a business major with a philosophy minor, a Spanish major with an international studies minor, and an English major with an information systems minor.
Interdisciplinary Minors
The following interdisciplinary minors can all be explored in the core curriculum:
- American Studies
- Applied Ethics
- Asian Studies
- Black Studies
- Classical Studies
- Education
- Environmental Science
- Environmental Studies
- International Studies
- Irish Studies
- Italian Studies
- Judaic Studies
- Latin American and Caribbean Studies
- New Media Film, TV, and Radio
- Peace and Justice
- Russian and East European Studies
- Women's Studies
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Debnam Chappell, dean of freshmen
Fairfield University
Fairfield, CT 06824-5195
(203) 254-4000, ext. 2222
dchappell@mail.fairfield.edu |
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