Undeclared

Major Exploration Program

Many first-year students arrive on campus without declaring a specific major; others may have declared a major but may still be unsure of their final choice. Don't worry! Flexibility, exploration and challenge can be an exciting part of your first year. You have plenty of time to decide, and we have an excellent professional advising staff to help you zero in on what's right for you. You can design a first-year schedule that will allow you to explore many options and still complete your degree within four years.

Choosing one of the College's undeclared majors might be a great place to start at UC Davis. It allows you to explore many options before landing on just the right major. UC Davis provides a unique environment for self-discovery at a critical time in students’ development.  We are committed to supporting and empowering students as they create an individualized plan for self-exploration and thoughtful investigation of major and career options.

Goals for Students

• Examine academic and personal interests, strengths, and passions.
• Expand horizons through active exploration of a wide variety of academic opportunities.
• Integrate learning to successfully transition to their chosen major by the end of their 5th quarter of enrollment (before 90 units).
• Utilize campus tools and resources to build a foundation for success.

Aggie Explorers Seminar

All undeclared students are encouraged to join the College of Letters and Science seminar, LTS 2 - Aggie Explorers: Major Exploration. This 1-unit seminar, offered in Fall Quarter, provides students with a fun, interactive introduction to the wide variety of majors offered in the College of Letters and Science. The class is specially designed for students who have not yet declared a major and those who would like to explore their options. Students use self-assessments and learn about other tools to help you explore majors that are a good fit. Representatives from a variety of programs in the College of Letters and Science will share their insights with students in this seminar.

Undeclared Major Options

When you apply to UC Davis, you may choose from one of the four undeclared major options in the College of Letters & Science:

• Undeclared -- Fine Arts
• Artistic expression, study of the visual arts in civilizations and across media, production of audio-visual and digital texts, socially responsible and sustainable design, and performance all form the core of the arts at UC Davis. Students who pursue majors in the arts learn to think practically and humanistically about the world and their place in it, while also learning to translate their unique vision into creative representations of universal concerns and aspirations that illuminate the human experience. Majors in the arts range from cinema and digital media, art and art history, and music to theatre and dance, design, and art studio. Undeclared majors in the arts have a wide diversity of choices to explore and combine for a rich and rewarding beginning to their studies at UC Davis.
• Undeclared -- Humanities
• Cultural literacy, literary analysis and expression, writing, language, women’s and gender studies: these disciplines are at the core of the humanities at UC Davis. Students who pursue majors in the humanities learn to present new ideas and inspired solutions to the most pressing problems. Attending to past, present, and emergent cultural formations and interpreting culture becomes ever more important as global communication technologies, political forces, and environmental concerns reshape knowledge.
• Undeclared -- Social Sciences
• From research with individuals, groups, and societies to studies in politics and economics, majors in the social sciences learn to ask challenging questions, solve complex problems, becoming the next generation of global leaders. Majors in the social sciences range from anthropology, economics, communication, political science, and linguistics to psychology, sociology, and history, among many others. Undeclared majors in the social sciences have a wide diversity of choices to explore and combine for a rich and rewarding beginning to their studies at UC Davis.
• Undeclared -- Physical Sciences
• Study of the physical sciences advances discovery and helps answer some of today’s biggest questions, seeding innovations that will shape the next century and beyond. Students who study the physical sciences at UC Davis are the pioneers of global solutions for tomorrow’s problems. Majors in the physical sciences include mathematics, geology, marine and coastal sciences, statistics, chemistry, and physics. Undeclared majors in the physical sciences have a wide diversity of choices to explore and combine for a rich and rewarding beginning to their studies at UC Davis.