"What's your major?' It's probably one of the questions that students ask one another most frequently. It is also frequently a source of anxiety.  Students often feel they should know what they intend to do with the rest of their lives, and that leads to students declaring majors they are very uncertain about.   

A "major" is simply a concentration of courses in a specific field, such as chemistry or welding or English or history, and for a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree  courses in the major area are often junior and senior level courses.  For students transferring to a four year school, a major at Northwest provides the necessary background for a student to begin his or her major coursework as a junior.

An Associate of Applied Science major is different. The AAS is a two year terminal degree, so a major in this degree is a very focused program of study.

A few additional points:

• Students are asked to declare a major when they first register for classes.  This is primarily for advising and tracking purposes.
• In order to major in nursing, equestrian studies, or photography, students must first be admitted to the program. See the Catalog for details on admission to these programs.
• A student can change majors at any time simply by filling out a form in the Vice President of Academic Affairs office or in the Enrollment Services Office.  Changing a major may affect a student's graduation plans.
• For students who are undecided about a major, a safe bet is to follow the General Studies major in the Associate of Arts degree. This degree covers the broadest range of general education requirements and will likely cover the most bases when the student transfers.