It’s best to ask yourself these questions early in your college career. Choosing a parallel plan means finding more than one major/career option you think you would enjoy. Health sciences programs are competitive because there are more applicants than spaces available, and they aren’t the right fit for everyone. For these reasons, we encourage you to explore multiple options.

Your parallel plan could be another health related major, or something related to another interest entirely. Adding a MINOR can be a good way to start working toward a parallel plan. It’s good to have options!!!

Parallel Plan Resources...

MyNextMove:
https://www.mynextmove.org/

Occupational Outlook Handbook:
https://stats.bls.gov/ooh

Career Development Services (CDS)
https://www.odu.edu/success/careers/assistance/decisions-values

MINORS are a great way to get started on a parallel major.

You can find a full list of Minors in the catalog:

https://catalog.odu.edu/programs/#filter=.filter_5

Popular Minors:

Arts & Letters	Business	Education
Communication Criminal Justice Health Equity and Social Justice NEW! Sociology Women’s Studies World Languages and Cultures Find information about A&L majors here	Business Administration Financial Management - Real Estate Management Marketing Find information about Business majors here	Addiction Prevention and Treatment Human Services Training and Development Find information about College of Ed majors here
Health Sciences/Public Health	Sciences	Interdisciplinary Minors
Health Sciences Exercise Science Medical Laboratory Science (see MLS Minor Tracks - Student Handout.docx) Recreational Therapy Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Public Health Community Health Environmental Health Occupational Safety Public Health	Biology Psychology Find information about Sciences majors here	Administrative Leadership and Ethics for Professional Roles Children’s Rights Entrepreneurship Environmental Issues and Management Health and Wellness The Impact of Technology

How do I declare a minor?

Contact the advisor for the minor, refer to the advisor directory

What should I do if I want to change my major?
For Virginia Health Sciences majors, you'll continue to work with your assigned health sciences advisor.

For other majors, complete this form: Major Change Interest Form

let your advisor know that you want to change your major, and the new major you plan to pursue so we can update our records. Refer to the advisor directory.

You can find a list of all major options here: https://www.odu.edu/academics/programs

I know I want to change my major, but to what - I don’t know! Who can help me?

If you aren’t sure what major you’d like to choose but you know it's not in health anymore, if you need help exploring your options, contact Raychel Smithson rsmithso@odu.edu - she works with exploratory students.