Students who wish to investigate a variety of academic disciplines before selecting a major may enter Ithaca College through the Exploratory Program. Exploratory students work one-on-one with dedicated faculty advisers who help them choose courses from the liberal arts and pre-professional curricula at the College and who guide them through the exploration of areas of interest to discern the best course of study.

Students in the Exploratory Program are in one of four Pathways, designed to introduce them to the academic disciplines in four of the schools at Ithaca College: the School of Business, the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance, the School of Humanities and Sciences, and the Park School of Communications. In this way, Exploratory Program students are well positioned to identify a major and a career path that match their evolving strengths and interests. During their time in the program, Exploratory students are subject to the same academic regulations as all Ithaca College students and are encouraged to take advantage of all the College resources open to the general student population. 

Exploratory students are assigned a faculty adviser in their Pathway’s school. This helps to ensure frequent contact and the opportunity to build a relationship on which the adviser can offer more specific, individualized academic guidance. Careful planning is necessary to transfer to credit-intensive programs, so exploratory students must consult closely with members of the IC advising support network, including their faculty adviser and the Dean’s office(s) of the respective school(s). Students may remain in the Exploratory Program through the end of the sophomore year, or until they have earned a maximum of 60 credits, at which time they are required to declare a major.

To learn more, please visit the Exploratory Program website.