During their college career, students are faced with the daunting task of deciding which major they will choose and the life path they wish to embark on after graduation.

With cost and time playing an important factor in this decision, Grand Valley State University provides its students with assistance to help them decide which major is the right fit.

The annual majors fair was held on Nov. 4 in the Grand River Room of the Kirkhof Center and featured faculty from the various majors and departments within the university.

Upon entering the event, students were provided with a map to guide them through the many tables and a bag to hold the informational pamphlets available about the programs they were interested in pursuing.

The majors fair provided students with an informal way to speak with faculty members and learn more about the majors they may be considering.

In general, the fair aimed to provide students with information about various majors, assist students with choosing a major early in their academic career and provide an opportunity for students to learn about careers related to specific majors.

This year, several new programs were featured at the majors fair.

One of these new majors is the allied health sciences major, which now offers an emphasis area in either respiratory therapy or health information management.

The respiratory care emphasis consists of approximately 122 credits and can be used as the academic credential often needed for professional advancement and for future applications to graduate programs. The program is a collaboration with Muskegon Community College’s fully-accredited respiratory therapy program.

“Now, up to 18 GVSU students per year can receive the professional respiratory therapy coursework through MCC and complete their bachelor’s in AHS simultaneously,” said Michael Wambach, chair for the allied health sciences department.

Another program presented at the fair was a minor in data science. This minor will consist of 21 credits and will pair with any major that uses large amounts of data, such as business, biology, engineering, economics or the health professions.

“A group of statistics and computer science faculty teamed up to develop a minor that exposes students to the most critical skills needed to explore large amounts of data,” said Paul Stephenson, professor and chair in the department of statistics.

Along with the inclusion of the new programs, faculty from all of the pre-existing majors were there to help students.

“A liberal arts major can help students learn how to integrate different subjects into their dream major,” said Sarah King, associate professor in the liberal studies department and religious studies program coordinator.

For more information on the majors and minors offered at GVSU, visit www.gvsu.edu/acad-index.htm.