Frequently Asked Questions about the Undeclared Major Program

How do I find the name of my undeclared major advisor?

• Undeclared Major students may be assigned to any of the Student Support Center s Academic Counselors.  Incoming freshmen will be assigned an advisor during their Freshmen Orientation Class. Generally students are assigned alphabetically.        

How soon do I need to declare a major?

Undeclared Students primarily will be concentrating on the Core Education courses required for Missouri Southern degrees.  This curriculum translates to about three semesters of full-time work.  If a student is still in the Undeclared Major Program in the fourth semester, it's likely that some course credits will count only as electives toward their college degree.

How do I change my advisor?

For Undeclared Students (or any other academic department) you can request a change of advisor at the department office.  There is no requirement that you notify your current advisor of this change.  The department secretary can usually make the change and provide contact information for your new advisor.

How do I add and drop classes?

All changes in your course schedule require your advisor's approval.  During the first week of classes, you may add, drop, or change classes through your major department or the Student Support Center for undeclared majors.  After the first week of classes, all drops must be processed through the Registrar's Office and any additions will require instructor s permission.

How do I contact my undeclared advisor?

Prior to the pre-enrollment period in November, all Undeclared Majors are sent a letter containing the name and contact information for their assigned academic advisor.  If you don't have this letter, you can discover your advisor's name by visiting the Student Support Center or using the Lion Link system.  Suggestions for contacting your advisor to determine a meeting time include:

• Calling the advisor at his/her office.
• Contacting the advisor's department office to determine his/her office hours, and attempting contact during those times.
• Sending your advisor an e-mail request.

How can I determine the classes I need to complete a specific major?

You to do a "what if" degree audit to at the Registrars Office (HH 100) to determine the classes you'll need for any potential major. 

CAUTION:  Some students attempt to gather this information by actually changing their major, performing an audit, and then changing the major back to the original. 

How do I declare a major?

You can declare an academic major by visiting the department office for that major.  The department secretary can perform the major change from his/her terminal, and can also assign you to one of the departmental academic advisors.  When you have declared or changed your major, the GUS system automatically notifies both your previous department (or the Undeclared Major Program) and your new major department so that your advising file is correctly transferred.