Exploring Arts & Sciences (Undeclared)

Undeclared

Exploring Arts & Sciences

Discover your interests, explore your options and find your path. In the College of Arts & Sciences, our Exploring program gives students who are undeclared or undecided the opportunity to explore their academic and professional interests within the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities and fine arts. Through faculty mentorship, experiential learning and individualized advising, students gain the support needed to confidently choose a major and future career path.

Undergraduate students conversing on the College of Arts and Sciences stairs.

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Explore With Purpose

Choosing a major is an important decision —and you do not need to have it figured out on day one.

As an Exploring Arts & Sciences student, you will have the opportunity to discover a range of academic disciplines while identifying the interests, strengths and goals that will shape your future path. Through introductory coursework, elective exploration, faculty mentorship and meaningful campus engagement, you will be supported in exploring different fields, reflecting on what inspires you and making informed decisions about your academic and career journey.

Many students use this time to connect classroom learning with internships, research opportunities, student organizations and emerging career interests. Students may remain in Exploring Arts & Sciences through the spring semester of their sophomore year, ensuring they have the flexibility, structure and personalized support needed to thoughtfully explore options and select a major with confidence and purpose.

Personalized Support from Day One

As an Exploring student, you will be supported by faculty and advisors who are committed to helping you navigate your academic journey. Through Quinnipiac’s CAS360 advising model, students receive integrated academic and career guidance designed to help them explore possibilities while staying on track toward graduation.

You will have opportunities to:

Explore multiple academic disciplines
Connect your interests to career pathways
Participate in experiential learning opportunities, including study abroad
Build relationships with faculty mentors and peers
Discover internships, research and campus involvement opportunities
Develop a clear academic and professional direction

Career Clusters

Explore by Area of Interest

Students have the opportunity to opt into a career cluster that helps sharpen their sense of direction and create an academic pathway aligned with one or more areas of interest.

Selecting a career cluster is entirely optional, but it allows students to build community with faculty and peers who share similar interests while exploring possible majors, minors, badges and certificates within the College of Arts & Sciences.

Students participating in a cluster will be pre-registered into a “cluster course,” where they will explore multiple academic disciplines connected to a broader area of interest.

Career Cluster Options

Creative Arts, Humanities & Culture

Students interested in storytelling, creativity, culture and communication may explore pathways such as:

Health, Medicine & Human Services

Students interested in healthcare, human behavior, wellness and service may explore pathways such as:

Justice, Law & Politics

Students interested in advocacy, policy, law, justice systems and public service may explore pathways such as:

Criminal Justice

Pre-Education

(Elementary, Secondary or Special Education)

Students interested in teaching can explore pathways connected to elementary, secondary and special education.

Elementary Education (4+1)
- Interdisciplinary Studies
- Any undergraduate major
Secondary Education (4+1)
- Biology
- Chemistry
- English
- History
- Mathematics
Special Education (4+1)

Scientific, Mathematical & Quantitative Research/Discovery

Students interested in scientific inquiry, analytics, research and problem-solving may explore pathways such as:

CAS360 Advising Model

Students walk between classes outside of the College of Arts and Sciences.

In the College of Arts & Sciences, all students in every major benefit from our 360 Degree Advising program, which combines academic and career advising throughout your college experience. Our faculty are trained to help you align your academic pursuits with a potential career. From day one, you will work directly with an advisor to uncover your ideal path and design a plan based on your skills and objectives. We will craft a strategy towards degree completion that is flexible, fulfilling and encourages the exploration into a variety of fields with networking opportunities such as our alumni mentorship program, Bobcat Connect.

Career-Building Resources

3 female students speak to a woman standing behind a career fair table

Job Market Trends

Quinnipiac students excel as interns, new hires, managers and executives in almost every industry. Gather real-world data about starting salaries, hiring trends and in-demand skills to inform your decision-making and put you on a path to success.

Explore real-world data and insights

View all tools and resources

An arts and sciences student speaks with a career adviser in the school advising commons

Craft Your Career

With an abundance of career-focused information and resources, the career advisers within the College of Arts & Sciences support students as they expand their professional networks and attract the attention of prestigious employers.

Learn more about career development

Career and Experiential Learning Lab

iQ, Quinnipiac University’s holistic approach to career development and experiential learning, surrounds every individual with a personalized plan that maximizes their time at Quinnipiac. The powerhouse of iQ, our Career and Experiential Learning Lab is the physical space where students and advisers bridge the gap between college and career.

Learn more about our Career and Experiential Learning Lab

Quinnipiac University presents the annual Game Design and Development showcase in the Mount Carmel Campus Student Center Piazza on Thursday, May 4, 2023.

Experiential Learning

Studying and working outside the classroom challenges you — and changes you. These experiences, from competitions and capstones to study abroad opportunities and service outlets, make you more confident, more independent and better prepared for whatever profession you pursue.

Discover opportunities to learn by doing

Explore student projects and capstones

College by the Numbers

98.8% Major Success

Percentage of our 2025 College of Arts & Sciences graduates who are either employed or pursuing graduate study six months after graduation (74.3% Knowledge Rate).

99.2% Experiential Learning

Percentage of our 2025 College of Arts & Sciences graduates who participated in experiential learning during their time at Quinnipiac. These opportunities include internships, capstone projects, research and more (74.3% Knowledge Rate).

In Their Own Words

Max Henin ’20

As an undeclared student, Max Henin ’20 saw many paths before him when he arrived at Quinnipiac but couldn’t identify the one for him. While he enjoyed math and thought about exploring the social sciences, he also had a strong interest in forensic science. Over the next four years, Quinnipiac’s CAS360 advising model helped Henin put his academic and professional interests, and his future, into focus. It all started when Anne Harrigan, an advisor who works specifically with undeclared students, offered him an unexpected solution…

Quinnipiac follows NACE First-Destination Survey Standards and Protocols for the collection and dissemination of undergraduate student initial career outcome information six months after graduation. Learn more about the standards for statistics and reporting used by Quinnipiac.

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Contact Admissions

Our undergraduate admissions counselors are here to answer any questions you may have and help you navigate the application process.

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Undeclared Exploring Arts & Sciences