Undergraduate choice of major and major satisfaction: an expanded role for personality measures

ABSTRACT

Students’ personality traits are among the most important determinants of students’ choice of major and their satisfaction with that major. A survey of 849 students at three public universities and one private university in two regions of the United States finds that a student’s personality also affects the power of non-personality influences on the choice of major. These influences, in turn, affect the likelihood that a student will be satisfied with the major. These findings will allow academic advisors and counselors to draw additional value from personality measurements often used in helping students choose their majors.

KEYWORDS:

• Student satisfaction
• choice of academic major
• academic advising
• undergraduate education
• personality

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Jeremy Jackson http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1083-6456