An Internet-based expert system for selecting an academic major: www.MyMajors.com

An expert system is a computer program that emulates the procedures and thought processes by which one or more experts solve problems. This paper describes an Internet-based expert system found at www.MyMajors.com, which provides advice to high school students or college freshmen who are seeking assistance in selecting a potential major. It emulates a professional academic advisor. The on-demand, approximately 15-min consultation gathers information from the student on his or her grades, degree of enjoyment of traditional courses, standardized test scores, interests, and aptitudes. It assesses student qualifications for a variety of majors. The expert system recommends six majors from among 60 widely diverse majors for the students to consider and produces a report that fully describes the students' responses in such a way that the output can be used by a human advisor to further extend and strengthen the advisement process.