Support to Discover Your Future
After you've been admitted as an undecided student, UW-Stout's Advisement Center will help you guide your journey of discovery. Through one-on-one advising, supportive programs, and powerful tools, we'll help you clarify your goals and discover a degree that will define your future.
To get started, we'll set you up with a dedicated academic advisor specifically trained to help you discover degree opportunities, select a major and plan your academic career. Your advisor will help you:
- Explore and discover your personal interests, strengths, and values
- Recommend courses that offer you multiple pathways to different degrees
- Connect you to academic and career-oriented discovery tools and experiential opportunities
- Realize your career goals and the majors that lead to them
- Create an academic plan and timeline that supports your graduation goals
Discovery Tools That Guide the Way
You don’t have to figure it out alone. UW-Stout provides industry-recognized tools and personalized guidance to help you explore and discover your degree options in a meaningful way.
O*NET Interest Profiler
This interactive tool helps you discover the types of work activities and careers you're naturally drawn to. UW-Stout has aligned its six Career Clusters with O*NET, so you can easily connect your results with related majors.
My Next Move
An extension of the O*NET system, My Next Move helps you explore career paths based on your interests and skills and suggests degrees that align.
What Can I Do With This Major?
This resource breaks down common career paths associated with each major, including types of employers, job titles, and strategies to become a strong candidate.
Get Started with What Can I Do With This Major?
Myers-Briggs Assessment Suite
Your advisor may recommend the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and Strong Interest Inventory to offer deeper insights into your personality, preferences, and career fit. To get started, contact your academic advisor. They'll help determine if these tools are right for you and guide you through the process.
Discover More with Stout Core
Stout Core classes are designed to offer a lot of flexibility and expose you to new ideas while developing essential skills in communication, critical thinking, and analysis. As you work with your academic advisor, Stout Core classes will provide a backdrop for conversations about personal passions, career exploration, and where on campus you can further pursue your interests. When the time comes to declare a major, you'll already be on a strong and informed path.
Additional Discovery Experiences
In addition to advising and tools, we offer several programs that help students explore UW-Stout's 50+ industry aligned undergraduate majors and 70+ minors.
Degree Majors Fair
Hosted by the Advisement Center and Career Services, this event will help you meet faculty and staff from all majors, ask questions, and connect your interests to academic programs.
Stout MentorLink
This peer mentoring program pairs new students with upper-level students who can share insights and help navigate the exploration process—including how they chose their own majors.
Exploratory Classes
These 1–3 credit classes provide a hands-on introduction to specific majors and related careers, giving you a preview of what your path might look like.
Get CONNECTed
Supported by the Involvement Center, this program will connect you with student orgs related to majors and interest areas to help you find where you belong.
How to Declare Your Major
While encouraged to explore options during the first year, you can declare a major at any time. When you’re ready to declare a major, we’re here to help with guidance and support every step of the way. Most students declare by the end of their third semester to stay on track for graduation.
- Before First-Year Registration & Orientation (FYRO): Declare or change your major by contacting the Admissions Office. They’ll update your academic record so registration aligns with the new major.
- After First-Year Registration & Orientation (FYRO): Work with your academic advisor to discuss how changing or declaring a major may impact your class schedule, academic plan, or graduation timeline. Then submit a Change of Major form through the Advisement Center. Your advisor will help ensure the transition is smooth and aligned with your interests, credits, and career goals.