University Studies Program (UST)

The University Studies Program provides academic planning and advisement for students who have not declared a major or are in transition from one major to another. UST students are provided guidance with course selection for each term and eventual choice of major. The UST Program’s professional advisors provide a full range of services to students from the time that they enter the University until the time that they declare a major, when they will be assigned an advisor from within their new program. UST students are expected to declare a major by the end of sophomore year.

For students who are undecided about their choice of major, the University Studies Program (UST) is a great place to start. UST provides students the opportunity to discover and investigate various options. Given the structure of the baccalaureate degree, it is possible for students during their first semesters to choose coursework that allows them to remain on track for a number of different majors. University Studies students may consider several major options before committing to a particular one, as it is often possible to plan course schedules for the first one or two semester(s) that will fulfill requirements in more than one potential major, with the exception of highly structured programs.

Each University Studies (UST) student is assigned a professional academic advisor in the University Studies Program. The advisor works one-on-one with UST students to assist in course selection, major exploration, preparation for major entrance requirements, and to design an overall academic plan that will enable students to get the most out of their University education.

UST is a University-wide program, not affiliated with any one college at UD, thus UST students work with their academic advisors to consider majors from across the entire spectrum of more than 150 undergraduate programs. To assist UST students in identifying majors of possible interest, UD majors have been grouped into seven broad “interest areas”; see the complete list of majors and interest areas at ust.udel.edu/. Students are encouraged to select an interest designation early in their undergraduate careers. The majors within an interest area generally use a common set of beginning courses, allowing students to customize their course selection to correspond with their interests.

UST students are expected to choose a major by the end of their fourth semester of full-time study, or before the completion of 60 credits. UST is not a major or a degree program, and students cannot graduate until they declare and complete a formal major and the necessary degree requirements.