Absolutely not! Majoring in economics will not necessarily lead to a job in banking; nor will a major in English prevent you from obtaining a job in business. Obtaining a job is more than just the major; it is the entire package: work/internship experience, networking, interview, GPA (if applicable). A major is about a student’s interests during their college career. However, students should keep in mind that the courses they take here at Brandeis will sharpen their skills and talents in writing, working with numbers, presentations etc. Thinking about their post-graduation desires may help students in correlating what courses they want and should take. For example, if you are interested in pursuing a career that deals a lot with numbers, it is probably to your benefit to take some quantitative courses.
While students must declare a major by the end of their fourth semester, they can change majors later on. With proper planning, students can change their major, graduate on time and possibly still study abroad during the academic year or over the summer. Since each major has a specific set of requirements, students should work closely with their advisor and/or the department's Undergraduate Advising Head to plan appropriately.
The deadline is always the last day of add/drop in the final semester that the student is at Brandeis. For students planning to graduate in May, the deadline would be the last day of add/drop in January. And for those planning to graduate in December, it would be the last day of add/drop in September. The beginning of every semester is very busy for everyone and it may be difficult to get an appointment with the Undergraduate Advising Head to get the Major/Minor Declaration Form signed if you wait until right before the deadline. Plan ahead!
All Brandeis students must officially declare their major by the end of their fourth semester. Transfer students with junior standing are strongly recommended to declare their major after their first semester and meet with the department to map out their major. All students should fill out the major declaration form and schedule a time to meet with the appropriate Undergraduate Advising Head. The department will communicate with the Registrar's Office regarding the declaration.
Students who fail to officially declare their major by this deadline will have a hold placed on their Workday account. This hold will prevent them from making any changes to their class schedule until they declare their major with the department's undergraduate advising head.