On April 6, Mississippi State University officially launched Major Maps, a new tool for students that makes information regarding majors, career paths and statistics of successful alumni accessible through an online portal.
This tool can be accessed through the official Major Maps website. Every major offered at MSU has a corresponding “map” listed on the website. Students who are unsure about what they want to pursue can look into potential careers in each major, the kinds of course materials they will focus on year by year, and study abroad options.
Hannah Baker, the director of the Center for Advising, said Major Maps can help students find a major that suits their interests.
“The new website is going to be extremely helpful for students, especially those who are still exploring, or maybe they declared, but they still want to explore other options,” Baker said. “I really like it because not only does it talk about career, some of those pages have alumni who talk about their experience in that major and work in the field.”
The launch of Major Maps was a collaboration between many people and departments at Mississippi State University, including the Deans’ offices, the Office of Public Affairs, academic departments and faculty, ITS, advisors and other staff.
Shelby Tschume, the executive director of strategic initiatives in the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President, said the development of the major maps followed many student requests for an easier way to learn about MSU’s majors.
“The initial idea for it has come out of several calls for more information about our majors, and that applies to people within the University as well as outside of the University,” Tschume said. “Ultimately, we decided to endeavor on this effort so that we could create a central, student-friendly place for this information to live.”
Information about the majors offered at MSU is already available online, but this is the first tool to compile that data in one place. Placing the information in one cohesive area answers students’ questions about choosing their majors and careers.
Undeclared freshmen can also attend career exploration workshops on campus that guide students in the right direction. These students are encouraged to explore different majors that can lead to their desired careers.
Toria Carter, the assistant director of career exploration at the Career Center, said that information from Major Maps will provide students with a new resource to assist with major exploration and selection.
“It can provide another resource that they can utilize to figure out what they want to major in,” Carter explained. “This resource will now allow for them to see the big picture of all the different majors that we offer here and be able to compare majors that match their personalities and interests.”
However, this tool is not just for freshmen and prospective students. Upperclassmen may find that their declared major does not align with their interests when they begin major-specific coursework, and they may decide that a different major would be more beneficial to their career goals.
“Usually it’s junior year, when you get to your upper-credit levels, where you see what the careers are parallel with your coursework. A lot of students think the exploration process is only during the first years of school; it’s not,” Carter said. “A lot of students will get into the shadowing, internship-learning portion of their majors and decide it’s not something they want to do. Sometimes it’s changing the majors, sometimes it’s just broadening their experiences.”
Major Maps works alongside the advising department to support all undergraduate students, from freshman year to graduation, in their endeavors. It provides statements from alumni who completed the program, as well as options students can pursue after earning their bachelor’s degree.
Ava Kate Mann, a sophomore elementary education major, expressed interest in the new tool. When asked whether she would use Major Maps, she said the website sounded very useful for exploring other programs.
“Definitely, because I struggle to register for classes sometimes because I don’t know what to take,” Mann said. “I want to get my master’s, and I’m deciding what I want to get my master’s in, so looking into other programs would be really great.”
The new tool launched in time to be used during the next orientation season as freshmen and transfer students arrive on campus to start their college career. However, this is just the first phase of the online tool.
Shelby Tschume, from the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President, spoke about how the maps represent majors across campus. There are additional phases that will build on the information currently available. These phases will elaborate on how to use the information available on the website.
“We anticipate that in the future, we will have cross-cutting resources. Maybe [a student is] interested in the pre-professional track, pre-med or pre-dentistry. There are a number of different majors that can get [the student] on that path,” Tschume said. “It may not be altogether clear how to do that most efficiently or with the greatest alignment to that student’s interests. We will come back within this site to provide this information as we continue on in future iterations.”
