Part of the experience of being in Engineering Undeclared in exploring your major options. While there is no "one size fits all" approach to major exploration, there are a wealth of resources available to you to help you in your exploration process.
Some of you may already have majors in mind. Some of you might have no idea beyond "STEM" or "Engineering" - and that's okay! The Grainger website already has a lot of tools put into place the help you learn about the different majors that we offer to students.
You might have seen Grainger specific resources for major exploration while applying to UIUC. Grainger also provides a "Majors Quiz" that's a great first place to start!
Grainger's Majors & Minors page is the best first stop for getting good in-depth information about different majors available to students in EU. Here is some of the things you can access by clicking on a major:
Yet one of the most handy features is information about the curriculum, with a written description and a link to an interacting curriculum map for each major. Here you can see full descriptions for every course you'd be required to take in the major, as well as see the suggested sequence for the major, including course prerequisites, something very handy for when you eventually transfer (IDT). Reading about the courses you would have to take in a major can be illuminating for understanding what a major entails!
While there are lots of resources available to assist you in major exploration as an Engineering Undeclared student, the most important thing is meet with a member of the EU team. We are all specially trained to help you in discovering your path forward.
If you end deciding you would like to pursue a major outside of engineering, the following guides can help you explore majors connected to the three topical areas — mechanics, nature, information — that exist across the UIUC campus.
If you decide you are interesting in transferring to a major in a different college, please consult the Office of the Provost's Changing My Major guide on the ICT (Intercollegiate Transfer) process to help understand the requirements and process for those majors.
Mechanics-Based Majors
Nature-Based Majors
Information-Based Majors
The Division of General Studies is the university college for undecided students, meaning they specialize in helping students with major exploration. Their main major selection page provides a good roadmap to guide your exploration process.
This resource contains entries for every major on campus, including Grainger ones. Beyond providing information about the major, each entry contains helpful information such as common career skills and titles, as well as ways to get involved and associated RSOs (Registered Student Organizations).
Not sure where to begin? The Exploration Pathways breaks down all campus majors into some common groupings, things like "Data & Analysis," "Environment & Nature," and "Commerce & Industry." If you're feeling stuck about where to go or overwhelmed by the number of majors, this can be a good way to start!
