While I have always been interested in studying assistive technology and “other technology”, I changed my undergraduate major three times. I started as an applied computer science major, switched to information technology, and ultimately graduated with a degree in Computational and Data Sciences. Before changing my major, I conducted a lot of research and asked myself several questions to better understand why I wanted to change my major, and to ensure the new major would still fit in with my professional goals and life goals in general. Here are ten questions to ask when changing your major or considering a change in undergraduate major.
Why am I frustrated with my current major?
When I was considering switching majors, I found it helpful to write a list of the current reasons I was frustrated in my existing program. Then, I talked to someone else in the new major that I was interested in to see if any of the items on the “frustration list” would also be present in the new program.
Some examples of items I wrote down on my frustration list included:
- Java programming. I really don’t like working with Java, and at the time that was the primary language used in foundational classes. Java is very difficult for me to read with double vision, and I would get a lot of eye fatigue when working on homework
- Fewer virtual classes compared to other technology-related majors
- Commuting to the satellite campus for upper-level classes and electives in my area of interest
- A confusing graduation requirement that would not be accommodating if I had to take time off from school for medical reasons. This was a huge thing for me as I had to take medical leave due to surgery
- Few options for elective credits to explore topics of interest
- I really want to take more data analytics classes— this topic really fascinates me, and I wish I could study it more.
Computational and Data Sciences is a “newer” degree program compared to computer science and IT, so it had never been on my radar when I was choosing an undergraduate major. When I met with someone from data science, I was overjoyed to learn that I would never have to write a single line of Java again, there were several options for online classes, and I wouldn’t have to commute to the satellite campus or worry about medical leave impacting existing credits. Plus, I would be able to explore several interdisciplinary topics with data analytics. This was already sounding like a great fit!
Related links
- Satellite Campuses: College O&M
- What’s In My Backpack: Commuting To Satellite Campus
- Options For Attending College Classes Remotely
- Tips For Taking Online Classes As An On-Campus Student
- College Scheduling Hacks For Students With Chronic Illness
- Two of Everything: Living With Double Vision
- Disability Accommodations For Fluctuating Eyesight
How many of my classes will transfer to the new major?
I never had any issues with “losing” classes or not having credits transfer when I switched between majors, because I could either count the classes as electives or use a course substitution for equivalent classes between majors. It helps that all of my undergraduate majors were related to technology and programming in some capacity, and it was very common for students to switch between programs in these specific degrees. I did have to take an additional SQL class for data science even though I had already taken classes in my previous major, but that was because the data science course met a general education requirement as well.
Related links
- College Scheduling Hacks For Students With Chronic Illness
- How To Request a Course Substitution or Course Waiver In College
- How To Schedule College Classes
- How To Choose General Education Courses In College
- SQLiteStudio Accessibility and Low Vision
What do I need to do to change majors?
To change undergraduate majors, students may need to fill out a form or meet with their prospective department for an interview prior to the start of the semester. Alternatively, students may not be eligible to declare a new major until they receive a minimum grade in prerequisite classes.
I filled out the form to change my major shortly after interviewing for a summer internship when I realized that data science better aligned with my interests and ultimate job goals. Due to a system error with my previous major, I was dropped from all of my classes and had to re-register for all of my classes again during the first week of classes, but the transition was otherwise very easy.
Related links
- How I Learned To Navigate My Internship Building With Low Vision
- What If I Get Dropped From All My College Classes?
- How I Use The Coursicle Class Scheduling App
Are professors inclusive of students with disabilities?
I am privileged to attend a university that has several services for students with disabilities and the professors that teach them, but it was important for me to know if the professors are generally open to supporting students with disabilities and other chronic conditions. With low vision, I checked for things like class sizes/locations and read through syllabi to learn about how assignments would be provided to students and how students would turn them in. For me, the most important thing was to have professors that post a lot of digital files online so I could enlarge them on my own device.
Related links
- How To Create A Disability Services File
- How To Explain Disability Accommodations To Professors
- Common Classroom Accommodations For Low Vision
- Disability and Classroom Accommodations For Chiari Malformation
- Disability and Classroom Accommodations For POTS
- Options For Attending College Classes Remotely
Why am I interested in this new major?
While it’s important to consider why the previous major isn’t working out, it’s also helpful to identify why you are interested in the new major and the topics, classes, and characteristics that make it sound like a better choice. Here are some examples of “glimmers” that drew me to the data science degree:
- I really like Python, SQL, R, and other data analytics languages. These are covered in-depth within the Computational and Data Sciences degree
- I love to learn “a little about a lot” and engage in interdisciplinary research, and the data science faculty are well-known for this
- Storytelling and data storytelling are skills that I have enjoyed developing, and would love to develop further
- Accessible data visualizations are an emerging topic, and I want to use my lived experience with visual impairment to contribute further
- Understanding statistics and data analytics is critical for graduate school, especially for PhD programs
- I want to do a one-semester capstone project that lets me use all of these skills to create something that will benefit people with chronic conditions and disabilities
I wasn’t necessarily interested in this new major because it was easier or because it had nothing in common with my previous degree, I just wanted to find something that better aligned with my academic interests.
Related links
- Accessible Python IDEs For Low Vision
- Free Accessible Coding Resources With Large Print Options
- Using Assistive Technology With Hour of Code
- How I Use Repl.it IDE With Low Vision
- How To Write Alt Text and Image Descriptions for the Visually Impaired
Are there accessible materials in my new major?
As a student with low vision, I often have to think about how I will read something before I can actually read it. Learning about the type of software that I would be using for classes as well as names of textbooks and other required readings helped me to plan for receiving accessible materials, and I could also identify things I might need to request such as:
- High resolution images for graphs and charts
- Tagged PDFs or alternatives to PDF documents
- Accessibility software on lab computers
- Existing accessibility information for software, e.g. SQLiteStudio
- Math problems written with an equation editor
Related links
- How I Read Research Sources With Assistive Technology
- Math Test Accommodations For Low Vision
- Computer Lab Accommodations For Low Vision Students
- Reading Dialog Boxes With Low Vision
- SQLiteStudio Accessibility and Low Vision
- Accessible Python IDEs For Low Vision
- Adapting Accessible Z-Tables: Math Problems and Low Vision
- Adapting Digital Equations: Math Problems and Low Vision
Can I get a job in my desired field?
I was in an interesting position in undergraduate where I knew exactly what I wanted to study in graduate school and the types of jobs I would want to work in, but I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to study for undergraduate to pursue those goals. Viewing job postings and admissions requirements for graduate schools that listed ideal undergraduate majors helped me to narrow down what I was interested in, and identify the best option for preparing for these types of roles. While my data science degree wouldn’t be ideal for me pursuing a software engineering role, it would be great for roles in data analytics, program management, or other tech-industry roles that I knew I would want to pursue.
Related links
- Classes That Prepared Me For A Microsoft PM Internship
- What’s In My Backpack: Program Management Intern With Low Vision
- Why I Study Assistive Technology
- Learning To Type With Low Vision
Am I trying to escape hard classes?
One of my friends changed their major because they didn’t want to take so many math classes, and struggled a lot with the math class that was required in their new major. They told me they never would have switched had they known they still would have to deal with taking math classes, and asked if I was scared of the calculus requirement for my then-new major.
Honestly, one of the reasons why I switched out of applied computer science was because I really didn’t have great assistive technology skills for accessing math with low vision— and almost all of the classes had a required calculus prerequisite. Accessible math wasn’t something I had experience with from high school and I knew my low vision would be a significant barrier for me. That said, I did spend time developing access skills related to math, so I was much better prepared when I took Calculus 1 and Calculus 2 in my last semester of undergrad as a data science major.
Related links
- How I’m Using MyMathLab With Low Vision
- Adapting Page Layouts: Math Problems and Low Vision
- ALEKS Accessibility For Visual Impairment
- Math Test Accommodations For Low Vision
- Adapting Digital Equations: Math Problems and Low Vision
- How I Show Work For Math With Low Vision and Dysgraphia
- How To Request Accessible Textbooks In College
Is there a way to apply this area of interest to my current major?
Instead of switching majors, there may be an option to add a minor for a topic of interest, complete a capstone/independent study, or attend another university as a visiting student and apply classes to your degree program. For example, I really wanted to take additional classes in visual impairment, so I would take classes that let me choose my own topics to study. I also took online classes at another university that covered specific topics related to visual impairment assistive technology at an in-depth level, transferring these credits back to my home university to apply to my degree. Many colleges have consortium partnerships with other regional or national universities so students can take advantage of additional classes offered elsewhere.
Related links
- Tips For Teaching R Programming To A Low Vision Student
- How I Write Research Papers On Accessibility Topics
- What I Wish I Learned About Assistive Technology Before Starting Grad School
Is this really a good idea?
This question is a bit obvious, but it is something I would think about often. It is a lot easier to answer this question once you know the answers to the other nine questions on this list, but there were a few times when I was researching other majors that I would realize it wasn’t going to work out or that I was trying to convince myself that something was awesome when it wasn’t a realistic fit for me at all. Keeping my future goals in mind helped a lot as I tried to figure out what to do next, and changing my major to Computational and Data Sciences is one of the best things I ever did.
Related links
More resources on changing your undergraduate major
- My college has a lot of visually impaired students, and it’s helpful to talk to another student or recent alum that also has a visual impairment when learning about different degree programs when possible. I share more questions in Questions To Ask Other Students With Low Vision
- I never had to transfer colleges because I had chosen a school that had several degree programs I was interested in— learn more in Ten Questions to Ask When Choosing a College
- Since I have an unpredictable chronic condition, I needed the flexibility that online and hybrid classes offer in terms of attendance. Learn more in Tips For Taking Online Classes As An On-Campus Student
Published November 21, 2019. Updated January 2025