Design Your Path: Exploring Majors and Careers
Explore majors and careers with support at every step.
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The Design Your Path micro-credential helps you make sense of your options. You will discover your interests and strengths, explore majors and careers that fit you, and receive personalized guidance from both the Exploratory and Pre-Professional Advising Center and the Career Design Center.
Skills you need. Proof you have them.
Through self-assessment, researching options, hands-on engagement and guided reflection, you will build skills to explore UB majors with intention and confidence. Along the way, you will strengthen problem-solving and critical thinking skills that prepare you to adapt and thrive in an evolving career landscape.
The Design Your Path micro-credential is open to you if you are assigned to the Exploratory and Pre-Professional Advising Center (EPAC). It is non-credit and can be fully completed online. Although the requirements are self-paced with suggested timelines, you are expected to finish the micro-credential within one semester. Throughout the process, you will receive ongoing support from EPAC and the Career Design Center. When you successfully complete the micro-credential, you will earn a digital badge that you can showcase to employers, colleagues and peers on a digital resume or social media profile.
Assessment and Reflection
Complete the PathwayU assessment and reflect on your interests, skills and values through completion of structured reflection.
Academic and Career Research
Review the Undergraduate Catalog and Academic Programs to identify potential majors of study that align with your interests, values and strengths. Utilize the Occupational Outlook Handbook and O*Net to explore possible career directions and complete a guided reflection.
Informational Interview
Identify and interview a professional or faculty member in a career or major of interest. Prepare thoughtful questions and summarize your learning of how the conversations shaped your major and career journey.
Odyssey Plans
Develop three roadmaps that illustrate academic, career and life paths, highlighting different options that encourage flexible thinking and future directions.
Academic and Experiential Action Plan
Reflect on what you have learned about yourself throughout the mico-credential. Connect your interests and values to possible majors and careers and identify intentional next steps to continue exploring your path at UB. Share your finished product as an attachment to your Design Your Path digital badge.
Smaller than a minor, certificate or degree program, micro-credentials allow you to meet your personalized learning needs by gaining knowledge and skills in areas that are relevant to your academic or professional goals. Micro-credentials equip you with digital badges that showcase your achievements and all it took to get there.
When you complete a micro-credential program, you will earn a digital badge or a series of digital badges. A digital badge is a clickable icon that houses information, including the issuing institution, the date earned, the criteria required to earn the badge and evidence showing you have met that criteria.
Digital badges are dynamic credentials that you own, so you can decide how you want to use them. You can add your digital badges to your social media profiles, digital résumé, e-portfolio and more.
UB digital badges are issued through Credly, allowing you to display your skills and accomplishments to employers, colleagues and peers. For questions, contact the UB Office of Micro-Credentials at micro@buffalo.edu or call 716-645-1357.
If you are part of the Exploratory and Pre-Professional Advising Center, you are encouraged to apply. Suggested application deadlines are:
- August 25 for fall semester completion
- January 20 for spring semester completion
Contact
Lisa H. Tuyn
Director, Exploratory and Pre-Professional Advising Center
Email: lhackett@buffalo.edu
Phone: 716-645-6023
Learn more about the Career Design Center