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Undergraduate Admission

Majors and Minors

» Majors and Minors

If you’re applying to colleges, you’ve heard of majors and minors. But what exactly are they? How do they work? What’s the difference between the two?

The answer? Majors and minors are academic fields of study. Choosing a major or minor means that you’ll focus on that field in college.

At Chapman, you have over 100 different majors and minors to choose from (which provides a lot of options to tailor your education to fit your interests and goals).

Majors at Chapman

A major is exactly what it sounds like: it’s the academic field that you will focus on for the majority of your education. You’ll take most of your college classes in the field that you decide to major in.

Chapman offers around 50 majors, including options in the arts, business, communication, humanities and STEM areas. While all students must enter with a single major (or as Undeclared, which means you aren't sure what you want to major in yet), it’s common for students to choose a second major (or even more) while they’re here.

First-year Chapman students live in Living-Learning Communities: residence halls with students from their major's school/college. That way, you’ll get to live and learn alongside others who share your interests and passions.

Tips for finding a major

Picking your major is a big deal. It's part of the application process. It determines a lot of the classes you take. At Chapman, it even affects where you live. (See “Living-Learning Communities” above.)

A good start to figuring out what to major in is to learn more about available programs. Try our program finder to learn what’s right for you. Also, keep in mind that you can:

  • Double major. If you have two passions, you don’t need to pick just one. In fact, picking two majors can allow you to bring insights from one field into another – which is a rare and valuable skill.
  • Add a minor. Or minors. If you want to expand your skill set but keep your focus on your major, adding a minor can be the solution. Minors are a great way to explore another subject in a few classes while still having a manageable workload. That's probably why more than half of our graduates have at least one minor. 
  • Enter as Undeclared. If you’re not sure what you want to major in, that’s okay. Applying as Undeclared doesn’t affect your chances of getting into Chapman. You can learn more about applying as Undeclared here.
  • Change your mind. You can change your major(s) or minor(s) if you find a new subject you’re passionate about when you’re here. In fact, exploring a variety of subjects is one of the goals of our liberal arts education.
Connor Carnahan
Physics, Math, Philosophy and Business Quadruple Major and Economics Minor
Conner Carnahan ‘20 let nothing come in between him and his passions. That’s how he achieved everything he wanted to in college and earned four majors and a minor along the way.

Minors at Chapman

A minor is a secondary area of academic focus that you can pursue alongside your major. Minors can expand your skillset related to your major. For example, if you are a Computer Science major looking to start your own business, you could minor in Entrepreneurship. 

Minors can also help you get or stay involved in a subject you’re interested in. For example, if you want a career in physics but also love dancing, you could major in Physics and minor in Dance.

Chapman offers around 60 different minors.

Self-Designed Majors and Minors

At Chapman, you can create your own major or minor by designing a custom curriculum from existing courses. Find out how on our Academic Pathways page.

Chapman student in the Keck Center
Lucas Torti '23
Video Game Development minor
In this news story, learn more about how Chapman student Lucas Torti used the Video Game Development minor to create his own prize-winning game, Kittens with Cannons.

Changing your major or minor

As your academic interests develop, you may find yourself wanting to change your major or minor. We're here to assist you through the process. See our Academic Pathways page to find out how we support you, and check out info and tools related to changing your major and minor.

 


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