Open Option for Undeclared Students

It’s OK if you’re not ready to declare a major quite yet. At KWU, take the opportunity to explore many areas of study.

Discover Your Passion at Your Own Pace

Not ready to declare a major? Unsure of your career goals? In the spirit of the liberal arts, the open-option (Exploring) major provides the opportunity for students to engage in classes and experience a variety of content areas before declaring a major. Throughout the first two years, students explore courses that not only fulfill Liberal Studies requirements, but also provide introduction and insight into the disciplines that may interest them. Students learn about a) various majors, their requirements and what recent graduates are doing; b) themselves through inventories and personality testing; and c) about career development and opportunities in the world of work. All activities in the open-option program are voluntary in nature but provide students an intentional approach to selecting a major and career path that fits them and is based on clear information rather than speculation.

An important feature of the open-option program is that students are assigned to an open-option advisor, who encourages students to select courses that will provide some foundational structure as well as explore the nature of the subject matter while meeting requirements for timely graduation.

Students may declare a major at any time during the first two years, based on their readiness and the knowledge gained through experiences and research of their interests, abilities, and the opportunities available on campus and in the workplace. Students must declare a major by the beginning of their junior year.

Sign Up for Open Option/Exploring

To learn how to sign up as Exploring, please contact your admissions counselor (new students) or the Registrar’s office in Pioneer Hall (returning students).

When to Declare a Major

Students may declare a major at any time during the first two years. The choice should be based on their readiness and the knowledge gained through exploring their interests, abilities and opportunities available on campus and in the workplace.

Students must declare a major by the beginning of their junior year.

Open Option FAQ

Don’t know what you want to major in? You are not alone! Many high school and early college students are not sure what their future holds. To your benefit, college is just the place to explore some of those possibilities you are considering, and KWU has designed a program to help you do that.

How does it work?

A student can explore courses for a potential major while still meeting university requirements. This allows you to test-drive several majors, and when you are ready to choose, you can hit the ground running with a major and/or minor already begun, and graduate on time.

Trained advisors who value and encourage active exploration of the curriculum work with each student to help them make wise choices. Open-option students go through career development assistance by completing critical tasks and activities during the first two years of college to help figure out to what he/she is best suited.

Majors, Minors and Concentrations:

You choose (when ready)
We will probably start with creating a short list and then narrow from there
A major must be declared by the start of the student’s junior year

Career Opportunities:

You decide. You don’t need to know now. We’ll give you some guidance and help you discover what some of your options might be, based on your skills and interests.

Special Opportunities:

Students in the Open Option Program get early access for help from Career Services in the Student Development office, taking interest assessments and learning-style inventories and being mentored in both academic choices and career preparation.

Who can participate?

Any student who has not yet decided on a major, and is a freshman or sophomore, may participate in the Open Option Program. Nearly every college student explores a variety of academic avenues to make sure they like the track they are pursuing or to find something they believe is better suited to their interests and abilities. More than half of all college students change their majors before graduation.

Since it’s so common for college students to explore, we designed a program where you keep your options open, and where exploring is encouraged and supported. You start broad and narrow the search as you develop your interests, rather than guessing at something specific and then having to change your major or academic field when you discover it wasn’t what you thought it was.

Advisors assist participants as they try various classes and areas of study on for size. It’s a great way to get to sample things without being punished for being unsure of where you will land.

So who participates? Anyone who’s got a passion for more than one thing and isn’t quite ready to decide, or someone who is unsure of what life’s plan is, who is searching for the best way to find their dreams.

Open Option Advisors

An important feature of the program is that students who have not declared a major are assigned to an Open Option advisor. The advisor encourages the student to select courses that will provide foundational structure as well as explore the subject matter while meeting requirements for timely graduation.