Your major, in addition to General Education, is a large part of your undergraduate curriculum. You will need to decide on a major by the beginning of your sophomore year. Until then you have time to explore.

Keep in mind, some majors need several courses to be successfully completed within the first semester or first year. Other majors have more requirements in the sophomore, junior and senior years. You will work with a specially trained Exploratory advisor who will assist you in your journey if you choose Exploratory. 

If you already know your major, you may declare it when you submit your Orientation reservation through The One Book website.

Of course, and it's not uncommon to change your major once you've had some time to figure out your interests, strengths, values as well as your likes and dislikes.

Sometimes you need experience with a major before you know if it's the right fit. Be aware that with a few majors you need to begin taking major courses in the first semester and/or within the first year to be on sequence to graduate within the traditional four-year time frame.

We encourage you to take this time to check your interests. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? Is there anything that you happen to be a "natural" at? If nothing comes to mind right away, that's ok. You have your first year to explore a variety of classes through selecting Exploratory as your major.

If you need to submit a change of major request, follow the specific instructions found under FAQs after you log in to The One Book website.

We would expect you to have varied interests and encourage you to explore the different majors via this website. However, you can only declare one major when submitting your Orientation Reservation. You are encouraged to explore your interest in other majors when you meet with your academic advisor.

You can declare Exploratory. Intentionally choosing Exploratory as your major means that you are taking intentional time to explore options at JMU. Many first-year students select this option as they are still exploring a variety of majors. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you select Exploratory:

  • Being Exploratory means being ready to explore majors and careers beginning with the Career Guide to JMU Majors.
  • With a few majors and pre-professional programs, you need to begin taking major courses in your first semester or your first year to be on track to graduate within the traditional four-year time frame.

Explore Majors by Category

Students who wish to pursue teacher education in other areas should consult their advisor for details.

Hospitality, Sport and Recreation Management

Pre-professional programs are not majors. Pre-professional programs outline a set of JMU courses and requirements that commonly serve as prerequisites for admission to doctoral and masters-level professional programs.

Sound-Alike Majors

Some majors at JMU have names that are easy to confuse such as the majors listed to the right. Read the names of these majors carefully and then go ahead and simply click on the links to learn more.

Communications
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Communication Studies
English
Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication

Computing
Computer Science
Computer Information Systems

International
International Affairs
International Business

Media-related
Graphic Design
Marketing
Media Arts and Design

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