Majors with Advisor Insights

For more information, contact your advising center.
Business
Education
Engineering
Fine Arts
Health Sciences
Honors
Hospitality
Liberal Arts
Sciences
Urban Affairs

Lee Business School

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BSBA Accounting

Our respected and accredited Accounting major prepares students for successful accountants in a wide variety of industries.

BSBA and BA Economics

This major prepares students for jobs in businesses, financial firms, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Students can also go on for advanced degrees in business, economics, law, public administration, and other social sciences. This major also compliments learning in other areas of business and the liberal arts.

BSBA Entrepreneurship

This program is a crucial foundation for launching and succeeding in new business ventures.

BSBA Finance

This business field is for students who want to understand the financial implications inherent in virtually any business decision. We prepare students in the finance major for successful careers in corporate management, depository institutions, investment management, and financial services.

BSBA Information Systems

Information Systems (IS) is the use of management techniques to collect and process data in order to develop technological solutions for contemporary business problems. This degree offers a bridge program that allows students to take up to 12 credits of graduate level coursework that can be used toward both their undergraduate and graduate degrees.

BSBA Finance

The program of study for the International Business major develops both business expertise in a functional business area and cultural breadth needed to be successful in multinational business settings.

BSBA Management

The program of study for the Management major prepares students for management positions in various sectors of business and industry, including banking and finance, retail, hospitality, service providers, nonprofit organizations, and healthcare as well as local, state, and federal government.

BSBA Marketing

A major in marketing opens the door to career opportunities in a myriad of places: from advertising and retailing to market research and public relations. With the advent of internet advertising and the rise of social media, combining traditional marketing concepts with fresh paradigms makes for an enriching and dynamic field of study.

BSBA Real Estate

The goal of the undergraduate program in Real Estate is to provide an environment in which students will be well trained in all aspects of the real estate industry. The Real Estate curriculum allows students to concentrate their studies on real estate development or finance and investments.

College of Education

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Early Childhood Education (Pre-K-2nd)

  • This major offers a licensure track for those who want to teach and a non-licensure track for those who want to go into the administrative side of preschool.
  • Notable coursework includes:
    • Play Theory
    • Positive Discipline in Early Childhood Programs
    • Strategies for Teaching Young Children with Disabilities
    • Teaching Communications Skills

Elementary Education (K-8th)

  • Teachers are the foundation of a strong, effective, and capable future. In this major, students learn to run an elementary school classroom and teach students a variety of subjects, including ELA (English Language Arts), Math, Social Studies, and Science.
  • Students who receive their Elementary School license can teach kindergarten through 8th grade.
  • Notable coursework includes:
    • Children’s Literature
    • Educational Psychology
    • Classroom Management
    • Language Acquisition

Human Services

  • Human Services is a pre-counseling major that prepares students to use their interpersonal skills and explore professional fields that require working with others, including mental health counseling, social work, family therapy, and public health.

Secondary Education (7th-12th)

  • Teaching fields include:
    • Art
    • English
    • Math
    • Biological Science
    • Physical Science
    • Social Studies
    • General Science
    • Sports & Physical Activity
  • Notable coursework includes:
    • Valuing Cultural Diversity
    • Serving Individuals with Disabilities and their Families
    • Content Area Literacy Instruction
    • Preparing Teachers to Use Technology

Special Education (K-12th)

  • In this major, students learn to work with children who have various physical, academic, and mental disabilities both in a resource room and in the general classroom setting.
  • Notable coursework includes:
    • Student Growth Models
    • Career Education for Students with Disabilities
    • Behavior Management Techniques
    • Collaboration and Consultation

Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering

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Civil Engineering

  • A Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BSCE) is intended to provide graduates with the skills and knowledge needed to design, build, and operate engineered systems such as roads, foundations, buildings, bridges, dams, airports, and water supply and wastewater treatment systems. 
  • Civil engineers can be employed by consulting firms, government agencies and utilities.

Computer Engineering

  • Computer engineering is the application of scientific and mathematical principles to the design and analysis of all hardware, software, and operating systems for a computer system.

Computer Science

  • The Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree program is a mathematically rigorous, scientifically oriented curriculum that prepares students to become proficient in all fundamental areas and techniques of computer science. 
  • The Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science degree program is designed to teach students basic computer science techniques and how to apply them to another subject area, such as business, biology, psychology, graphic design, etc. 

Construction Management

  • This degree is intended to provide graduates with analytical, management and communications skills that enable them to plan, schedule, organize and estimate costs for construction projects. 
  • The program emphasizes construction science courses that are for the most part non calculus-based.

Electrical Engineering

  • Electrical engineers are responsible for the creation of electric power, electronic circuits, computers, electromagnetic and optical systems, solid state electronic materials, electronic communication systems, signal processing systems, control systems, and biomedical devices.

Entertainment Engineering & Design (EED)

  • As a student in our program, you get hands-on experience designing, building, installing, and maintaining the various facilities, equipment, and technologies used in today's entertainment industry.

Mechanical Engineering

  • Mechanical engineers work in a number of fields including design of machinery, controls, vibrations and acoustics, power generation, renewable energy, energy conservation, fluid flow and heat transfer applications, and air-conditioning.

Our degree programs in these areas provide employees to the local and regional industries. Students get the opportunity to become innovators and entrepreneurs due to their training and education in the college. In addition, the degree programs in Entertainment Engineering & Design and Construction Management serve the unique local needs of the hospitality industry.

College of Fine Arts

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Architecture

  • This is a pre-professional degree that serves as a prerequisite for graduate studies in architecture. The undergraduate degree itself is not accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board, so students will need to seek an accredited master’s program after earning their bachelor’s degree.
  • Student progression from the second to third year is competitive and requires the submission of a portfolio of work.

Art

  • Students will be trained in the skills and intellectual awareness that are the basis for a future of creative and professional achievement in the visual arts.
  • Concentrations include:
    • Painting, Drawing & Printmaking
    • Photography
    • Sculpture

Art History

  • A field of study within the humanities that examines the visual and material culture of peoples in a wide range of contexts throughout human history

Dance Production & Management

  • Empowers the dance major with a functional and practical understanding of the production “behind-the-scenes” workings of the dance theatre event.
  • One audition is required to be placed into dance technique courses.

Dance Performance & Choreography

  • This major focuses on an in-depth curriculum of professional dance technique, choreography, and performance in preparation for a professional performing career in dance.
  • One audition is required for placement into dance technique courses, and another is required to officially declare the major.

Entertainment Engineering & Design (EED)

  • This major is offered as a collaboration between the College of Engineering and the College of Fine Arts. EED majors receive their academic advising through the College of Engineering. Please see the College of Engineering entry for details on their first-year advisor.

Film

  • In UNLV's dynamic undergraduate film program, students will learn critical skills, including the foundations of visual storytelling, that can be applied to any field.
  • Once required courses are complete, students can select track electives to specialize in the area of their choice and prepare themselves to pursue their film careers.

Graphic Design & Media

  • The graphic design and media program at UNLV will prepare students for careers in the dynamic design and creative visual media fields.
  • The Graphic Design and Media curriculum is designed for students to graduate in the spring semester. Student progression from the second to the third year is competitive.

Interior Architecture & Design

  • Fully accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA), this program is successful in delivering a professional-level education that prepares students for entry into the design profession.
  • Student progression from the second to third year is competitive and requires the submission of a portfolio of work.

Jazz & Commercial Music

  • This program provides training in performance, conducting, improvisation, arranging and composition, and recording techniques. Students will be prepared for professional careers in the field of jazz.
  • Concentrations include:
    • Composition
    • Instrumental Performance
    • Vocal

Landscape Architecture

  • Fully accredited by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board, the UNLV Landscape Architecture program is designed to prepare students for entry into the profession of landscape architecture and to pursue a wide range of graduate study options.
  • Student progression from the second to third year is competitive and requires the submission of a portfolio of work.

Music

  • Students can choose between two different degree types: a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Bachelor of Music in Music.
  • The Bachelor of Music allows students to focus on composition, performance, or music education.

Theatre

  • This program has 3 concentrations:
    • Design & Technology
    • Stage & Screen Acting
    • Theatre Studies
  • Students must successfully pass a spring audition and application process to become part of the Stage & Screen Acting concentration.

Division of Health Sciences

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Pre-Nursing

  • Students wishing to earn a bachelor’s degree in Nursing (BSN) to become a Registered Nurse (RN) must first be admitted to UNLV as an undergraduate degree-seeking Nursing pre-major.
  • This preparatory program offers students the opportunity to complete the basic foundation courses required for nursing school. These courses are typically general education courses in the sciences such as chemistry and anatomy.

Kinesiology

  • The Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology focuses on the study of human performance.
  • Kinesiology graduates have flexibility in choosing a career path. Possible careers include:
    • Executive director of recreation
    • Physical therapy technician
    • Director of fitness
    • Personal trainer
    • Activity coordinator
    • Fitness instructor
  • Kinesiology can be a foundation to pursue the following graduate programs:
    • Masters Programs in Kinesiology or other related areas
    • Medical Specialties Include:
      • Physical therapy
      • Occupational therapy
      • Dental
      • Medical
      • Physician Assistant (PA)
      • Orthopedics
      • Prosthetics

Nutrition Sciences

  • Nutrition Sciences promote optimum health and activity amongst diverse populations.
  • Students wishing to earn a degree in Nutrition Sciences to become a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist (RDN) must first be admitted to UNLV as an undergraduate degree-seeking Nutrition pre-major.
  • Concentrations:
    • Dietetics
    • Sports Nutrition
    • Pre-Professional Concentration

Comprehensive Medical Imaging

  • This program is designed to educate students in a foundation of mathematics and the sciences applicable to the interdisciplinary and applied science of diagnostic imaging.
  • Radiography
    • The radiography program prepares students for entry-level clinical practice. Program administration, faculty, and staff provide didactic and clinical education opportunities that adhere to recognized standards.
  • Ultrasound
    • Ultrasound imaging uses sound waves to produce pictures of the inside of the body. It is used to help diagnose the causes of pain, swelling, and infection in the body’s internal organs; to examine a baby in pregnant people, and inspect the brain and hips in infants.

Health Physics

  • Health Physics is the applied physics of radiation protection for health and healthcare purposes.
  • Students can choose to pursue Health Physics or Pre-Professional Concentration (the latter is for those students who want to go to medical school and study Medical Health Physics).
  • Health Physicists can work for organizations that use radiation including:
    • State agencies (NASA, FBI, CIA)
    • Power plants
    • Manufacturing facilities
    • Hospitals (monitoring medical equipment)

Healthcare Administration

  • Students in the undergraduate Healthcare Administration Program gain a broad view of the healthcare delivery system and healthcare management practices.
  • Notable coursework includes:
    • Pre-Practicum in Healthcare
    • Healthcare Administration Practicum

Public Health

  • Public Health is the science of helping people change their lifestyle to move toward a state of optimal health. It focuses on health promotion, disease prevention, and eliminating health disparities.
  • Public Health employment opportunities include: health department administration, non-profit work, research, insurance companies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, public nursing, or disaster preparedness.

Honors College

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The Honors College offers three distinct yet complementary programs of study to qualified students:

University Honors

  • UH students complete our innovative Honors core curriculum – an exclusive array of advanced, thought-provoking courses – in place of UNLV’s standard general education requirements.
  • This program is primarily designed for incoming freshmen but can accommodate transfer and continuing students.

Research and Creative Honors

  • The Research and Creative Honors program (RH) gives undergraduate students the opportunity to undertake a special project culminating in a senior thesis within their major discipline.
  • RH students also complete a set of our 400-level seminars.
  • This program is particularly suitable for transfer students, as well as for continuing UNLV students who have completed the bulk of their general education courses.
  • University Honors students can choose to complete RH and graduate with two Honors distinctions.

Service-Learning Honors

  • The Service-Learning Honors Program (SH) is designed to provide high-achieving students with an opportunity to complete a nine-month-long engagement in a service-learning project(s) while also taking a set of our 400-level seminars.
  • This program is particularly suitable for students who earn an AA degree prior to enrolling at UNLV, to transfer students from other universities, as well as continuing UNLV students who have completed the bulk of their general education courses.

William F. Harrah College of Hospitality

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Hospitality Management

  • Students learn about current and future trends in the hospitality industry while preparing to be industry professionals and leaders.
  • The College of Hospitality offers a well-rounded program that teaches students different aspects of the industry and leadership and practical skills that will help them stand out from their peers.
  • The College of Hospitality has five concentrations that a student can choose from, each focusing on a specific part of the industry:
    • Event Design & Management
    • Gaming Management
    • Hospitality Beverage Management
    • Human Resource Management
    • Innovative Restaurant Management
    • PGA Golf Management

College of Liberal Arts

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African American & African Diaspora Studies

  • The program in African American and African Diaspora Studies is designed to provide students with critical thinking tools, historical knowledge, and current research necessary for an informed understanding of the Afro-American experience today.

Anthropology

  • Anthropology is the study of the complete human experience – past, present, and future. Anthropology is especially well suited to provide this perspective through its holistic approach to understanding humanity across time and space.

Asian & Asian American Studies

  • The Asian and Asian American Studies program focuses on the dynamic social, cultural, political, linguistic, literary, artistic, and historical aspects of Asian and Asian American life.

English

  • The Bachelor of Arts in English follows a course of historical and topical study in the English language and the literatures of Britain and the United States; related English-language traditions across the globe; and world literature in English translation.
  • Concentrations include Creative Writing and Professional Writing

Gender & Sexuality Studies

  • Gender and Sexuality Studies is a relatively new field of study that seeks to correct institutional neglect, denial, and devaluation of the study of women and gender in higher education.
  • The curriculum is designed to focus students on the relationship between feminist theories and women’s activism throughout history. Graduates in Gender and Sexuality Studies are equipped to work in any field or profession where analysis and action are integrated.

History

  • A degree in history provides students with the skills necessary for success in a wide range of careers and professions including business, law, social services, and education.
  • These skills include training in the collection, analysis, and evaluation of information; critical thinking; clarity of expression orally and in writing; and the ability to make independent judgments.

Latinx & Latin American Studies

  • The B.A. degree in Latinx and Latin American Studies is intended to promote intercultural understanding and offers students an opportunity to acquire a comprehensive knowledge of Latin America in its many aspects and from many different points of view.
  • Coursework in the program offers students a solid foundation in the history, politics, economics, culture, and literature of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Multidisciplinary Studies

  • The degree program in Multidisciplinary Studies is designed for the student who has clear interests that overlap colleges and/or departments, and whose objectives cannot reasonably be met through existing majors and minors.
  • The program offers students the opportunity to focus and harness their energies by providing plans of study tailored to their individual interests through the incorporation of courses or sets of courses offered in departments and colleges across campus.

Philosophy

  • The course of study is designed to provide students with a critical background in logic and argumentation, as well as an extended introduction to important philosophical themes and traditions from ancient to contemporary times.

Political Science

  • The department seeks to instill in its students a variety of skills and levels of knowledge that will serve them regardless of the profession they ultimately choose.
  • Students seeking the B.A. degree take courses in several different subfields:
    • American Politics
    • Comparative Politics
    • International Relations
    • Political Theory
    • Public Law
    • Public Policy

Psychology

  • This curriculum is designed to meet the needs of those students seeking a liberal arts undergraduate degree and those intending to enter advanced training in psychology, education, medicine, or related fields.

Social Science Studies

  • Students who major in Social Science Studies will understand how various social science disciplines structure and advance knowledge, raise and answer analytical questions, and deal with competing theories within specific fields.

Sociology

  • The theory and methods courses are designed to build competence in core areas, while advanced classes help students develop expertise in major fields of contemporary sociology.

World Languages & Cultures

  • Students (non-native and native speakers) will develop thorough linguistic proficiency in combination with analytical and critical skills that will allow them to function effectively in multiple interlingual and cross-cultural contexts.
  • There are separate tracks for separate in French, German, Romance Languages, or Spanish

College of Sciences

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Biochemistry

  • A degree in Biochemistry provides a wide variety of career opportunities in areas as diverse as the chemical industry, the petroleum industry, the food industry, pharmaceuticals, mining, environmental analysis, and cosmetics.
  • It is also an excellent stepping stone for admission to graduate schools in chemistry and related sciences, as well as professional schools like medical and dental
  • Students in the Biochemistry program should keep in mind that math, biological sciences, and chemistry are major course sequences they will need to focus on. 

Biological Sciences

  • This field of study aims to diversely train its students, enabling graduates to pursue careers or advanced degrees in life and health sciences, research, education, industry, or governmental work.
  • Graduates in Biological Sciences have gone on to advanced graduate study, leading to careers in teaching at colleges or universities, basic and applied research, and public health.
  • Students in this degree should keep in mind that math, biological sciences, and chemistry are major course sequences they will need to focus on. 
  • There are five different concentrations of studies within this major:
    • Cell & Molecular Biology
    • Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
    • Integrative Physiology
    • Microbiology
    • Pre-Professional Studies

Chemistry

  • A degree in Chemistry or Biochemistry provides a wide variety of career opportunities in many diverse areas, including the chemical industry, the petroleum industry, the food industry, pharmaceuticals, mining, environmental analysis, and cosmetics.
  • It is also an excellent stepping stone for admission to graduate schools in chemistry and related sciences. Graduates in this field can also look forward to pursuing their professional education in medical or dental schools.
  • Students in the Chemistry program should keep in mind that math, physics, and chemistry are major course sequences they will need to focus on. 

Earth & Environmental Science

  • This degree program is designed to prepare students for a range of challenging careers in the broad fields of environmental and geological sciences, including science education.
  • The degree program also provides a solid foundation for those looking to pursue advanced degrees in education, environmental studies, public policy, or law.
  • An Earth & Environmental Science degree offers students the opportunity to explore a wide range of sub-disciplines within the Earth Sciences, including: geology, hydrology, soil science, climate change, natural resource development, and sustainability.
  • Students in this degree should keep in mind that math, geosciences, and chemistry are major course sequences they will need to focus on. 

Geology

  • Students enrolled in the Geology program are afforded the opportunity to pursue interests in several areas of specialization, including: petrology, volcanology, structural geology, sedimentary geology, economic geology, hydrology, soil science, climate change, petroleum geology, and paleontology.
  • A critical component of this degree program is a field-based capstone project in which students must demonstrate their ability to interpret a natural system and communicate their understanding in a professional manner.
  • Students in this degree should keep in mind that math, geosciences, physics, and chemistry are major course sequences they will need to focus on.

General Science

  • A degree in General Science allows for curriculum flexibility to support advancing careers in science fields. It is designed for current and returning students who desire flexibility within the sciences to accommodate existing STEM coursework.
  • It can assist students who are seeking careers in health care, STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education, natural resource and energy utilization, and wildlife management.
  • Other career possibilities with this degree include, but are not limited to: agricultural and food scientists, atmospheric scientists and meteorologists, biological and chemical technicians, chemists and materials scientists, conservation scientists, environmental science and protection technicians, environmental scientists and specialists, forensic science technicians, geographers, geologists and hydrologic technicians, geoscientists, microbiologists, nuclear technicians, zoologists, and wildlife biologists.

Mathematics

  • This degree program is designed to include a large level of flexibility to serve students in a variety of areas including pure math, computational math, applied math, and statistics.
  • Students in this program can find several different career possibilities, including: Technology, systems biology, data analysis, Data entry, SAS programming, clinical trial, data mining and data privacy, finance and economics, climatology, statistics, credit risk, web analytics, pharmaceutical jobs, business intelligence, market research, data warehouse, decision support, and other quantitative jobs

Physics

  • This program provides students with preparation for governmental or industrial positions, graduate studies in physics, or related areas.
  • The Physics degree has two optional concentrations of studies:
    • Applied Physics is designed to introduce the major branches of physics to those seeking double degrees and for those preparing for professions other than physics.
    • Computational Physics is intended to train students with state-of-the-art knowledge in physics and scientific computing for either professional positions or graduate studies.

Students in this degree should keep in mind that math and physics are major course sequences they will need to focus on.

Greenspun College of Urban Affairs

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Communication Studies

  • Students will understand the uses of communication to achieve individual, group, and societal goals.
  • Students will focus on one of three key areas of communication:
    • Public Communication and Advocacy
    • Interpersonal and Relational Communication
    • Organizational and Professional Communication

Criminal Justice

  • This major provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the nature and causes of crime, criminal justice processes, criminal justice organizations, and agency practices, and the law and legal system.

Journalism & Media Studies

  • This major prepares students to become thoughtful scholars, researchers, and professionals in a visual, digital, and social media-driven society.
  • Students will focus on at least one of eight key areas of media:
    • Journalism
    • Visual Production
    • Sports Media
    • Audio/Podcasting
    • Digital/Social Media
    • Public Relations
    • Media Studies
    • Creative Media Production

Social Work

  • Students will be prepared to work in a variety of settings including child welfare, mental health, criminal and juvenile justice, gerontology, domestic violence, health care, community development, policy practice, and research.

Urban Studies

  • This major is for students interested in addressing real-world public issues in metropolitan environments while developing data analysis and leadership skills to directly impact our communities.