Undergraduate Students

Academic Planning

Choosing a major is one of the most definitive decisions a college student can make. Students interested in exploring majors should meet with an advisor/success coach.

Center for Major Exploration & Mane Connect Success Coaching

The Center for Major Exploration advises students who are interested in exploring their major and career options. Advisors assist undecided students in exploring their interests, skills, and abilities as it relates to their majors of interest to help them select the major that will best fit their career goals. The Center for Major Exploration works with students of any classification, including students who are transferring into the University and those that are coming from other departments on campus. Center for Major Exploration advisors also serve as Success Coaches for first year students by equipping them with the skills they will need to successfully navigate their first year of college.

College of Arts & Letters

To declare a major in the College of Arts and Letters, you must earn a grade of C or better in ENGL 110C English Composition and complete 26 credit hours. Contact your chosen major department advisor for major declaration.

Strome College of Business

To declare a major in the Strome College of Business, contact the Undergraduate Advising Office directly in person or via email, businessadvising@odu.edu.

School of Cybersecurity

To declare a major in the School of Cybersecurity, you must earn a grade of C or better in ENGL 110C English Composition and complete 30 credit hours. It is highly recommended to have also earned a grade of C or better in Math 162M Precalculus.

Darden College of Education & Professional Studies

To declare your major in the Darden College of Education & Professional Studies, contact your chosen major department advisor.

Batten College of Engineering & Technology

To declare your major in the Batten College of Engineering and Technology, you must meet the following criteria:

  • Successfully complete ENGN 110 and 111
  • Earn 30 credit hours applicable to the degree
  • Have an overall GPA of 2.0 or better
  • Meet any other specific departmental admissions requirements (such as credit for ENGL 110C, a grade of C or better in MATH 162M and MATH 163 for engineering technology or MATH 211 and MATH 212 for engineering majors; and completed at least PHYS 231N for engineering majors and PHYS 111N for engineering technology majors).

Contact the Engineering Fundamentals Division in room 132 Kaufman Hall or call (757) 683-5877 for more information.

College of Health Sciences

Admission to a major in the College of Health Sciences is managed through a separate application process, apart from admission to the University. Acceptance to the University does not constitute or guarantee acceptance into a health science major.

College of Sciences

The major declaration process in the College of Sciences varies based on the student's intended major.

To declare your major as Biology, you must first complete BIOL 121N/122N, BIOL 123N/124N, and CHEM 121N/122N with a grade of C or better and at least one semester of courses at Old Dominion. Meet with your academic advisor to review your progress for major declaration.

To declare a major in Psychology, see the requirements here.

To declare a major in Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences or Physics, contact the chief departmental advisor.

Honors College

Admission to the Honors College is competitive and is based upon a selected group of first-year students based upon high school grade point average and curriculum, Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, class rank, and a written personal statement. Transfer students are eligible to apply and are admitted based upon a 3.8 transfer GPA, the ability to complete at least 48 credits towards the ODU degree in residence, and two letters of recommendation from college faculty members.

A four year guided plan of study for degree programs at Old Domminion University.

All students who are degree seeking, are assigned to an academic advisor. Meet with your advisor each term to discuss your academics and career goals, your major, course schedule and success plan to stay on track. For a list of all our advising centers and advisors, please see our Undergraduate Advising Directory.

First Year Student Success

The mission of First Year Student Success is to facilitate the successful college transition and enhance the experience of first year students through personalized and targeted services that aid in student retention.

Our goals are:

  • To empower students to take responsibility for their academic careers.
  • To assist students with understanding academic requirements and University expectations.
  • To support the intellectual engagement and critical thinking of first year students.
  • To help students develop an awareness and promote the utilization of campus resources.

We accomplish our goals through the following services:

Early Alert Response System (EARS) - After midterm grades are posted we contact freshmen who have earned more than one alert grade (C- or below) and invite them in for a meeting to review coursework, discuss resources and set an academic plan for the remainder of the semester. This outreach is coordinated with Housing and Residence Life so that we are able to reach as many students as possible.

UNIV 110/ACAF 100 - Academic Success - Freshmen who are on Academic Warning (less than a 2.0) after their first semester are required to register for an academic success course/workshop during the spring semester. This program helps students create a success plan, learn study skills and time management strategies, and helps them to make solid decisions in their future academic career.

Peer Advising - A select group of undergraduate students are trained to assist other students in navigating and accessing available resources. The outreach is done in residence halls, academic buildings, the student center as well as the Library.