Is it too late to change my major after my junior year in college?

Question

I'm a college student and just finished my junior year. I have a passion for animals so much, but I'm majoring in Drawing & Illustration and minoring in Psychology. I love art and understand psychology, but my major is the biggest problem with money and getting a job. I've looked and it's hard to get into Zoology or any kind of animal science where I live. Is it too late for me to change my major and possibly transfer to a different college and maybe get my degree all online?

Answer 1

If you're looking at changing majors, you should see how much of your coursework is transferable towards the new degree that you want to pursue. Your academic advisor, or the academic advisor of the department that handles that major should be able to tell you what the requirements are for the other degree you're interested in. It's possible that you could count classes that don't overlap with the other degree towards elective credit, but the only way you will know for sure is to talk it out with your university.

Answer 2

Hello Jasmine,

Great question. Honestly, I firmly believe that it is never "too late" to change directions in education. I actually was in the middle of pursuing my psychology PhD when I decided to switch over to clinical work, and I am now aiming to be a psychiatric nurse practitioner. In fact, the vast majority of undergrads end up changing their major from that which they declare Freshman year, so changing paths is not unusual at all.

The more important question is, what is feasible for you, and what is it that you want to do. Most majors share a core general education curriculum that is usually completed in the first 2 or 3 years of your education. Because of this, you tend to focus on degree specific courses in your Junior and Senior year. If you have completed your GenEds, you just need to worry about the 12-35 ish credit units needed for a standard major. Now, you don't HAVE to finish in 4 years. I knew one person who went to undergraduate school for 9 years, and graduated with two separate bachelor degrees. This will depend on how you are paying for your college (my friend had a wealthy family and several scholarships to fall back on) and what your vocational goals are. If you intend to pursue a job in veterinary science or zoology, I would highly recommend switching degrees, take an extra year to grab a relevant bachelors, and see if you can pair the major with a minor in psychology and drawing using the credits you have already completed, so that schooling doesn't go to waste on paper.

My advice is to identify your funding source, be it your parents, scholarships, student loans, or a combination of the above, and speak with the relevant advisors to see what a reasonable time extension for your education may be. Second, I highly suggest you reach out to your academic advisor to build a plan for your future semesters/quarters about what classes you will need to take and in what order to most efficiently complete the new degree you are interested in. It does get more complicated if you are thinking about transferring to another institution to complete an online degree, but that does not mean it isn't possible. Definitely reach out to the online degree provider and ask them about what courses would transfer over and what more you would need to complete to acquire the degree you are interested in completing.