Tech Offering Fall Course To Match Growing Undecided Major Population

Tennessee Tech is looking to keep up with the trend of students undecided on their major, by offering a course geared towards them.

School of Interdisciplinary Studies Director Steve Frye said some are predicting the current generation of students will change careers five to eight times. Frye said the Major and Career Exploration course will let students focus on their passion before committing to a path.

“Feel like you’re just taking course after course after course, and not sure what you’re going to do,” Frye said. “So we’re going to use this as a rallying point for the students as well to build relationships with an instructor, to build relationships with other students.”

Frye said there were discussions about equitable support on campus for students without a set major. Frye said students in the course will work on career readiness certification and identifying the right opportunities on campus to succeed.

“It’s actually a three hour course, we’re trying to devote a significant amount of time to this, so that we can help students on this journey,” Frye said. “The main focus of the course is to help those who really are not sure, to further themselves in this exploration.”

Frye said that often the students who declare themselves as undecided on their major are just being honest. He said that honesty is okay, and students can find their pathway even if it means making their own unique course forward.

“The interdisciplinary studies major is about that,” Frye said. “It’s about taking two content areas, building on those areas and creating a unique major. Some of these students will stay with us, I think. Others will find their way to a particular major on campus, but we have opportunities on campus to actually further yourself in that exploration.”

Frye said the university does a great job of serving and providing a home on campus to students with a decided major. He said this course is a step to making that service equal for students who want to take more time before dedicating themselves to a set major.