Approaches to Exploration
Different students find that some approaches to major exploration may suit them better than others. As you engage in this process, think about what approach best suits you given where you are in your exploration journey.
Exploration this Week
| Date, Time, Location | Event | You should go if... |
|---|---|---|
| Applications Open March 2nd and Close May 3rd | Apply for a Job Shadow opportunity over the Summer! | Want to get a real-life look at a career you're interested in? Apply for the Job Shadow Program, where OSU students can explore potential career paths by shadowing someone in their place of work. All opportunities are broken out by industry cluster and listed on our website. |
| Looking Ahead: Thursday, May 7th at 5:00 p.m. Virtual | Find Direction Through Connection | This interactive workshop helps you take practical next steps by learning how to find job shadowing opportunities (including OSU’s Summer Job Shadow Program), conduct meaningful informational interviews, and confidently approach recruiters and career fairs. |
| Monday, April 27th, at 7:00 p.m. at the Corvallis Museum | Visiting Writers Series: Jerald Walker | Join the School of Writing, Literature, and Film for a reading with essayist and 2-time National Book Award finalist Jerald Walker. |
| Tuesday, April 28th at 6:00 pm in Austin Hall 226 | Finance Club: Guest Speaker - Kevin Jones, Financial Advisor | You are exploring Finance or Economics |
| Tuesday, April 28th at 6:00 pm in Gleeson Hall 100 | Laundau Associates Info Session: featuring OSU Environmental Engineering alums | You are exploring Environmental Engineering or Environmental Sciences |
| Wednesday, April 29th, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in MY Horizon Room | Grad School Exploration Fair | Do you know that you want to go to grad school? Or, have you just begun thinking about the possibility of continuing your education at grad school? Learn more about your options from various grad schools across the country. This fair is great for students exploring grad school as an option, as well as students who are ready to start applying for the year ahead. |
| at Wednesday, April 29th, at 6:00 p.m. in Kearney 112 | Associated General Contractors (AGC) Speaker Meeting Series: Charter Mechanical | You are exploring majors in the College of Engineering with an interest in HVAC, plumbing, and process piping systems for a wide range of industrial, commercial, and institutional projects. |
| Thursday, April 30th, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in MU Ballroom | Liberal Arts Career & Internship Fair | Open to all majors to help you explore career paths and acquire internships aligned with your interests and studies. |
| Thursday, April 30th, at 4:00 p.m. in Agricultural & Life Sciences Building, 4001 | BPP Spring Seminar Series: Dr. John Pecchia | You are exploring Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology |
| Every Thursday at 4:00 p.m. in Linus Pauling Science Center, 402 | Chemistry Department Seminar: Max Prigozhin, Harvard University | You are exploring Chemistry majors and career pathways within Chemistry |
| Every Friday at 11:00 a.m. in Kelley Engineering Center, 1003 | CBEE Seminar: Kyriakos Stylianou | You are exploring Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering |
| Friday, May 1st, at 2:30 p.m. in Ballard Extension Hall 219 | Applied Economics Seminar Series: Diane Charlton, Montana State University | You are exploring Economics |
| Friday, May 1st to Sunday, May 3rd across Corvallis at various times | Spring Family Weekend | Specialized events to attend and learn more about departments across campus whether you do or don't have family and friends visiting |
| Saturday, May 2 at Magruder Hall | Pet Day | You are exploring Pre-Vet, Animal Science, Biology, Zoology, or you just love animals! |
Approaching Exploration
UESP utilizes a decision-making model that is centered around assessing yourself first, followed by actionable steps - repeated and reflected on consistently.
If you click the decision-making model image, you can access an "Exploration To-Do List" with strategies you can use for major exploration. Below the image are some of our favorite ways to explore!
Ways to Explore
What Academic Environment fits best with you?
Current OSU Students, most of this information can be accessed in a more personal way by completing the Focus2 assessment.
John Holland (1966) developed a theory that organizes people’s interests and work environments into six groups. His assumption is that people can be classified into six different groups: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Conventional, and Enterprising.
Holland believed people who established careers that were congruent with their personal interests and orientations were more likely to be satisfied and successful in their work. The same concept can be applied to majors
Read through the questions for each of Holland's six groups. If the descriptions seem like a potential match for you, read the lists of possible OSU Undergraduate Majors.
You may find that you fall into more than one category, or that some parts of a category don’t describe you.
Spending some time learning about your own interests and orientation can help you make a good decision and set you up for a successful college experience.
Holland, J.L. (1966). The psychology of vocational choice. Waltham; MA :Blaisdell.
*You may notice that some majors are listed under more than one area; majors are often a combination of two or three of the Holland types.
**You may notice that some majors are not listed. Please remember that this is not a comprehensive list but is only to be used as a starting point. Consult with an academic advisor or career counselor for more thorough explorations. Here you can find a complete list of OSU's undergraduate majors.
| Type | Snapshot |
|---|---|
| Realistic |
Are you: practical, athletic, straightforward, mechanically inclined, a nature lover, curious about the physically world? Can you: solve electrical or mechanical problems, play a sport, read a blueprint, plant a garden, operate tools and machinery? Do you like to: tinker with machines, work outdoors, be physically active, use your hands, build things, be with animals, work on cars? If so, check out careers related to the REALISTIC type. |
| Investigative |
Are you: investigative, analytical, scientific, or precise? Can you: think abstractly, solve problems, understand physics theories, do complex calculations, use a microscope, interpret formulas? Do you like to: explore ideas, use computers, work independently, perform lab experiments, read scientific magazines, analyze data? If so, check out careers related to the INVESTIGATIVE type. |
| Artistic |
Are you: creative, intuitive, imaginative, innovative or an individualist? Can you: sketch, draw, paint, play a musical instrument, write stories, poetry, music, sing, act, dance, design fashions or interiors? Do you like to: attend concerts, theater performances and art exhibits, read fiction, plays and poetry, work on crafts, take photographs, or express yourself creatively? If so, check out careers related to the ARTISTIC type. |
| Social |
Are you: friendly, helpful, idealistic, insightful, outgoing, understanding? Can you: teach/train others, express yourself clearly, lead a group discussion, mediate disputes, plan or supervise an activity, cooperate well with others? Do you like to: work in groups, help people with problems, participate in meetings, do volunteer service, work with young people, play team sports? If so, check out careers related to the SOCIAL type. |
| Conventional |
Are you: well-organized, accurate, numerically inclined, methodical, conscientious, efficient? Can you: work well within a system, do a lot of paperwork in a short time, keep accurate records, use a computer, write effective business letters? Do you like to: follow clearly defined procedures, use data processing equipment, work with numbers, type or take shorthand, be responsible for details? If so, check out careers related to the CONVENTIONAL type. |
| Enterprising |
Are you: self-confidant, assertive, persuasive, enthusiastic or energetic? Can you: initiate projects, convince people to do things your way, sell or promote ideas, give talks or speeches, organize activities and events, or lead a group? Do you like to: make decisions affecting others, be elected to an office, win a leadership or sales award, start your own service or business, participate in a political campaign, or meet important people? If so, check out careers related to the ENTERPRISING type. |
If you are overwhelmed by the number of the options at OSU, it may help you initially to think thematically. OSU Admissions has a great "Find Your Major" site with information about all of OSU's majors. One of the filters you can use on that site is the search by Academic Theme. Here's how you do that.
- Go to the Find Your Major Site (hosted by OSU Admissions)
- Once you are on the site, click the "Filter on Location, Theme, and College" button to bring up the filter tool to allow you to choose these different themes.
Colleges & Majors
For students who are actively exploring all their academic options at OSU, it can be helpful to have a comprehensive listing of all the Colleges and Majors. Please note, that this listing also includes information on OSU's Pre-Medical and Pre-Nursing pathways, the University Honors College, as well as OSU's International Degree.
A good exploration exercise - go through this list and cross off the majors you know you don't want to pursue. Highlight the ones that appeal or note the ones you don't know anything about, so you can research them further.
Additional Resources for this approach:
Online Program Catalog
OSU's Academics Page
Clubs & Student Organizations
Explore by joining a club or a recognized student organization! The following document is a non-exhaustive list of Clubs and Student Organizations recognized by Oregon State University that aid in exploring majors, minors, certificates, and careers. You can explore more clubs on the Student Experiences and Engagement website and the Ideal-Logic website.
Academic - Career Connections
The "What Can I Do With This Major?" tool is produced by a partner university. It includes common career paths, majors, and advice. The tool is meant to serve as a helpful general research tool and will not match all of OSU's majors and programs exactly.
Focus 2 is an online career self-assessment, free for Oregon State students to use. It combines four assessments of your work interests, values, personality and leisure preferences and then matches you with real career options. And it takes less than 30 minutes. The data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and includes specific job tasks, qualifications, salary, job outlook and much more. Though it is a self-guided assessment, students can follow up with their college career advisor or UESP advisor and go over the results. Focus 2 is not exhaustive of all the job titles out there. Students are advised to look for themes in industries and job responsibilities that might appeal to them.
Learn about various aspects of career fields including required education, potential earnings, job prospects, similar occupations, and type of training to anticipate.
O*NET OnLine has detailed descriptions of the world of work for use by job seekers, workforce development and HR professionals, students, developers, researchers, and more!
Find, search, or browse across 900+ occupations based on your goals and needs. Then use comprehensive reports to learn about requirements, characteristics, and available opportunities for your selected occupation.
Classes offered to Support Exploration
Introduction to Academic and Major Exploration
ALS 192
ALS 192 is designed to help students gain a better understanding of their values, interests, preferences and skills as they relate to their academic options at OSU. Engages in guided exploration activities to support decision-making around possible major/academic pathways and goal development for future academic and career pursuits.
Through guest speakers, content presentation, group discussion and personal reflection, students have the opportunity to practice the decision making model in small and large ways to support professional exploration.
More Details
Academic Learning Services (ALS) 192 Introduction to Academic and Major Exploration is a two-credit pass/no pass graded class designed to help students better understand their interests, values, and abilities as they relate to the world of work. This course, offered winter, and spring provides OSU first-and-second year students guided career exploration in a classroom setting. We also have an online version of the class that will be offered in spring 26 and is available to undergraduate students of all class levels.
ALS 192 meets twice a week and follows a discussion format, which means that a small group of students (around 20) meet twice a week to have conversations and work through activities related to career decision-making and major exploration. Students who take ALS 192 can look forward to a variety of activities to help them understand their major and career options, including:
- Hear from guest speakers related to OSU majors and academic colleges
- Take self-assessment tests using Focus 2 to help clarify personal interests and preferences.
- Research academic options using online resources.
- Conduct an informational interview with a professional in a specific field of interest.
How do I know if ALS 192 is right for me?
- Are you feeling stuck in your major exploration?
- Do you believe you could benefit from a structured exploration process?
- Are you interested in learning more about yourself and your academic options?
If so, ALS 192 is likely a good option for you!