Is an Exploratory Program Right for You?

Remember how adults always asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up, back when you were five years old and still thought becoming a dinosaur was a distinct possibility? Now that you’re entering college, that question has been upgraded to “What’s your major?” As if you should know that answer straight out of high school! If you don’t know what you want to major in yet, that’s normal. It just means you’ll start college with an open mind, ready to learn, experience, and thoughtfully choose a right path.

“It’s perfectly normal to be undecided when coming to college,” explains Deborah J. Cohan, a professor of sociology, in Psychology Today. “In fact, that is what college is for. It’s an opportunity for students to surprise themselves with what they can do and who they can be.”

Most schools offer students like you the chance to choose an exploratory program for your first year or so, to help you make a well-informed choice of major. Keep reading to find out if an exploratory program could be the perfect fit for you.

What Is an Exploratory Program?

Great question. Back when your parents went to school, if you didn’t pick a major in freshman year, you would’ve been called “undecided” or “undeclared.” Now, many schools recognize this label isn’t accurate. You are decided about plenty of things — like going to college, says Shane Combs, the Student Programs Manager of USF’s Exploratory Curriculum, or ECM.

A more accurate term is that you are exploring your options, which is exactly what an exploratory program helps you do. An exploratory program does not lead to a degree: instead, it allows you to take a smorgasbord of general education requirements across disciplines to help you choose a degree you’re passionate about.

“With the increasing influence of technology and the rapidly changing job market, it makes much more sense to spend the first couple of semesters exploring areas of study that you may not be familiar with,” a college admissions consultant quoted in Teen Vogue explains. “Subjects such as anthropology, data mining, public policy, and communications are rarely, if ever, taught in high school, but may provide the spark for a passion you don’t know exists when you start college… When you find the subject(s) that keep you talking after class, reading beyond the requirements, and looking for other courses in the same field, you’ve hit the jackpot.”

What’s So Special About Taking General Education Requirements Through an Exploratory Program?

Everyone has to take general education requirements, or Gen. Eds. So, what’s so special about taking these same classes through an exploratory program?

"All students are taking Gen. Eds.", say Combs. "The difference with ECM is that you can take Gen. Eds. from a variety of majors and careers, rather than Gen. Eds. primarily from your major."

Think of it as a cheeseboard of classes. Everybody has to take general education requirements, which means you’ll all be handed a cheeseboard. But what’s on that cheeseboard varies depending on your major. All English students will be handed a tray of Gouda, Parmesan, artisanal wheat crackers, and honeycomb. All mathematics students are snacking on cheddar, olives, and cured meats. All environmental studies students are given vegan cheese, hummus, and pita bread. But not you. You can snag the Gouda from the English platter, the olives from the math cheeseboard, and the pita bread from the environmental studies spread. Now you’ve built your own, custom cheeseboard that gives you a taste of everyone else’s.

But if the sky’s the limit, how do you know what Gen. Ed. classes to take? “One of our advisors sits down with you, talks about what you’ve been doing in high school, [and] what credits you may have already accumulated,” says Combs. “We make a schedule based on your unique interests.”

"The best news is that you are also not getting behind while you figure yourself out," Combs continues. "If you take Intro to Macroeconomics and like the course, then you progress in the Business major. If you don't like the course, you are not behind for graduation because you fulfilled an important state requirement while figuring out that this academic and professional pathway was not for you."

What Should an Exploratory Program Include?

A robust exploratory program should include more than simply taking general education requirements. It should also offer you special resources, events, curriculum, and staff. You’ll spend your time in the program researching academic and career paths, connecting with faculty or student mentors, engaging in real-world experiences like volunteering, attending events like major expos, and getting to know yourself through assessments such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Holland Code.

USF’s curriculum requirement, IDS 2378 Interdisciplinary Knowledge and Learning, helps you explore five major academic domains: STEM, Social Sciences, Health, Business, and Humanities/Arts. In addition to exploring these five major domains, USF’s IDS 2378 course brings to the classroom the USF Center for Career and Professional Development and other campus partners to help students build connections.

Is Every Exploratory Program the Same?

Not at all. “Just like universities are very different, so are exploratory programs,” Combs says. First, some schools will allow you to be undecided about your choice of major, but won’t provide a full-fledged exploratory program to help you get there. Make sure that your school is offering a robust program with the resources you need to make an informed decision (more on this soon!).

Schools that do offer exploratory programs have different entry requirements. Some schools allow you to be a transfer student, while others, like USF, restrict the program to first-time-in-college students. The number of credits you’re allowed to take within the exploratory program also varies. At USF, you can take 36 college credits before declaring a major. Others allow you to take as many as 60 credits. There are pros and cons to each approach, but your exploratory program’s goal should be to help you find your major as soon as possible so you stay on track for graduation.

Do You Have to Choose an Academic Path for an Exploratory Program?

Some colleges may make you choose an academic path for your exploratory program. For example, at USF, you can choose from the following options: 

• Exploratory Curriculum: Arts and Humanities Pathway 
• Exploratory Curriculum: Business Pathway 
• Exploratory Curriculum: Global and Social Sciences Pathway 
• Exploratory Curriculum: Health and Natural Sciences Pathway 
• Exploratory Curriculum: Math and Technology Pathway
  
  

That means, even after you choose a primary pathway, you can take courses from any of them. Nothing is restrictive and everything is customizable. So, it doesn’t really matter what you pick. “That being said, it can also be a useful exercise,” Combs says. Picking an academic pathway is like picking the continent you want to live on. “Over the next year, we’ll find out what country you live in, what city you live in. Then hopefully right before that [freshman] year’s over, you’ve found your home.”

What If Your Parents Don’t Like the Major You End Up Choosing?

Don’t worry that your family won’t approve of where your exploration leads. Your advisors can help you with this part of the process, too. “We find that 99% of the time, once the parent sees the passion of that student, the rest goes by the wayside,” says Combs. “They just want this person [their child] to be happy and have a career that can sustain them, and sometimes you have to help parents dispel myths and misconceptions about careers.”

Sometimes, students feel more comfortable talking to their family members in the ECM advising office, says Combs. Invite your parents or guardians to sit down with you and your advisor, who can help dispel career myths. Combs has also helped students create a PowerPoint to explain to their parents why they’re passionate about an academic field. “It’s going to make the parents feel better when they see some statistic that will help them,” Combs says. “[It] also needs to be reflective, letting their passion shine through.” You can use free research tools, such as My Florida Future, USF’s Career Coach, and O*NET Online, to investigate potential career paths. 

Always remember that you’re the one who will be most impacted by this decision. “Try to tune out the noise from family or friends about what you’re ‘supposed’ to study, and focus on finding something you enjoy,” suggests this Teen Vogue article.

Is an Exploratory Program Right for You?

Do any of these descriptions sound like you?

• You’re not sure what you want to major in.
• You have multiple interests and talents.
• You’re not sure what academic field interests you yet.
• You want to know what you can do for a career with different majors.
• You’re a thoughtful person who likes to take time to make a big decision.

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, an exploratory program might be a perfect fit for you. How can you know for sure?

“The answer’s going to be the same for any choice a young person makes. You don’t know,” Combs says. This is part of moving into the adult world: unlike grade school, where you are on a set path with tests that have only one right answer, the real world is more complicated. “You will never know if you’re making the right choice, but there are things you can do to become more confident in your current choice.”

We want to help you feel confident in whatever choice you make for your academic future. Reach out to the Office of Admissions to find out how we can help you.