All students must complete an approved major in a regular or Directed Studies program. A student's grade point average must be 2.00 or better on a 4.00 scale in the major (2.75 for students pursuing a teacher certification and 3.00 for students pursuing a Directed Studies major), and at least 20 credits of the major must be earned at Northland College. Students will normally choose only one major. However, it is possible to complete two majors if one is not a Directed Studies major. Courses taken to fulfill liberal education requirements may also be used to fulfill requirements in a chosen major or minor field of study, but no course can be counted more than once within the same program.

A minor is optional except for elementary education or broadfield education majors. Students may complete a minor in a regular or Directed Studies program. A student's grade point average must be 2.00 or better on a 4.00 scale in the minor (2.75 for students pursuing a teacher certification). At least 6 credits of the minor must be earned at Northland College. Students are limited to two minors.

At the end of the first year, a student is expected to declare a major field of study and, if applicable, a minor field by filing a Major/Minor Form with the registrar's office. A student may declare an undecided major at this time, but he or she will need to declare a firm major by the end of the second year. Many students arrive at Northland and are undecided about their major field of study. The College offers career counseling and academic advising to help them make this decision.

Academic majors at Northland include:

• Biology;
• Business and Economics;
• Chemistry;
• Computer Information Systems;
• Elementary Art Education;
• Elementary Education;
• English;
• Environmental Science;
• Environmental Studies;
• Fine Arts-Music;
• Fine Arts-Music Education;
• Fine Arts-Studio Art;
• Geoscience;
• History;
• Management and Leadership;
• Mathematics;
• Meteorology;
• Natural Resources;
• Outdoor Education;
• Peace, Conflict, and Global Studies;
• Psychology;
• Religion;
• Sociology;
• Veterinary Life Science;
• Water Science; and
• Writing.

In addition, secondary education majors or extended majors can be obtained in the following disciplines:

• Biology;
• Chemistry;
• English;
• Environmental Studies;
• Geoscience;
• History;
• Natural Science;
• Mathematics;
• Physical Science; and
• Social Science.