Declaring a Major

Mercer Peer Advisor sitting at a table

Academic Advising in the First Year and Beyond

Students will receive academic advising from their UNV 101 instructor for the first two semesters of study. Once a student has declared their major, they will be assigned to a faculty member from the new major department or program, who will serve as the primary academic advisor through graduation.

What are Majors, Minors, and Tracks?

  • A MAJOR is a group of courses (usually around 15) that are all related to one academic discipline.
  • A MINOR is a smaller group of courses (usually around 5) that are all related to one academic discipline.
  • A TRACK refers to preparation to enter a specific professional school or program after graduation. This usually means completing coursework required for admission as well as required or recommended extracurricular activities or experience. Students enrolled in one of Mercer’s traditional undergraduate colleges or schools on the Macon campus who are preparing for graduate or professional school after leaving Mercer are encouraged to self-enroll in the GPS advising course on Canvas and seek guidance from the Pre-Health Professions Advisor or the Pre-Graduate School Advisor in the Office of Academic & Advising Services.

Declaring the Major in the Second Year

Students must formally declare an academic major by completing the Major/Minor Declaration process via the MyMercer portal before earning 65 credit hours. Students who have not officially declared their major at the end of their first year may partner with the Office of Academic and Advising Services for assistance with the declaration process.

Before declaring, students should consult their University Catalog to see under which college or school the desired new major is categorized, and to see what the requirements are for the degree being sought.

How to Declare a Major

Students will log into MyMercer and click on the “Academics” tab, then follow the prompts to select the appropriate college, primary major, and a second major (if double-majoring) or a minor (as required for the degree being sought).

Students who are following a pre-professional track must also indicate that they plan to follow a “Special Program” and select the appropriate track from the drop-down menu. (Failure to do so will result in the removal of any track previously declared from the academic record!)

The new major/ minor/ track will become visible in the student’s MyMercer record at the end of the semester of declaration.