| Picking a Major | Declaring a Major | Getting a Degree Plan |
One of the most important decisions you face earlier in your journey at UALR is to pick a major (also called field of study or degree program). For some, this is easy, but for others it is a difficult task.
You are not alone in making this decision. First of all, you should insist on help from your advisor in making your choice. Also, the Office of Career Counseling and Planning can assist you. It offers several tests to help match your interests and aptitudes with career choices. However, the following information is provided to get you started on the task of selecting a major.
Below, we have provided a chart that will help match your own assessment of your interests and skills with the programs we have available. Then, you may view all majors organized by UALR by college and department or by type of degree. These lists will give you an idea of where to go in the catalog or online to find more information.
| If you like… | + | If you are good at… | = | Look at the majors offered in the College of … |
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= | ARTS, HUMANITIES, AND SOCIAL SCIENCES |
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= | BUSINESS |
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= | EDUCATION |
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= | ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY |
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PROFESSIONAL STUDIES |
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= | SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS |
Declaring a Major
When you apply for admission to UALR, you are asked to select a preferred program of study. This is not an official declaration of a major. Declaring a major is a separate process that you can initiate only after you are fully admitted to UALR.
You must request admission into the degree-granting program of your choice by completing a “change your major/minor” form online in BOSS. Your request must be approved by the department and college offering the program. Some programs have formal admission requirements. Upon acceptance, your records are sent to the major department where all future advisement will take place. If your request is denied, you will continue to be advised by the Office of Undergraduate Academic Advising. Some programs will approve the declaration of major even before formal program requirements are met and begin to advise you. Acceptance to the major in this “pre-admission” status may limit your ability to enroll in certain courses and/or limit other privileges that require full admission to the program.
Minors are declared using the same online process used to declare a major. To declare or change a major or minor follow the same procedure used to declare a major.
The request to declare or change a major or minor is completed by going to the secure portion of BOSS and logging in. Once you log in, select “Student Services,” then “Student Request Menu,” and finally “Change major and/or minor” to complete the online request.
Degree Plan
After you have declared a major and minor (if a minor is required by your major), your advisor will draw up a degree plan. The plan indicates, as of a given date, the hours completed, course substitutions, waivers allowed, courses still needed, and other requirements for the degree. Your advisor will track subsequent progress through the degree plan using the degree audit feature in BOSS.