Petition to change major requirement eligibility

Change Of Major or Degree Type Instructions

The Change Of Major form is used by undergraduate students planning to declare a major, change their major, add additional majors, or change a degree type (i.e. AB to BS). Once you submit the completed form, it will be routed to the appropriate major and college advisors for approval. A major and/or college advisor may require additional information, forms, or at times an advising appointment before approving your major or degree type change. Once approval has been obtained from all major and college advisors, the change will be sent to the Registrar and recorded in Banner, the Student Information System.

Policies

General Policies

• Students must be in good academic standing to submit a change of major or to change their degree type. If you are not in good academic standing please consult with an academic advisor to determine your options.
• Students must submit a change of major or degree type request before they file to graduate.
• Students must complete all majors within any stated unit limits (225 units for most colleges, except Engineering). Students nearing 200 units may be required to complete an Excess Unit Petition before the Change Of Major form will be approved.
• Some majors have entrance requirements (for example, a set of courses that must be completed with a certain GPA) before a student can declare that major. Check with your major advisor for more details.
• Some colleges (especially Engineering) have additional requirements a student must meet before a student can change majors or degree types. Check with your college advisor for more details.

Multiple Major Policies

There are specific policies for each college regarding multiple majors. If your multiple majors span multiple colleges, you are subject to all requirements of each college. (For example, if one college has a requirement to complete 2 upper division courses in each major, and the other college does not, you are still required to complete this requirement for each major - not just for the major that is within the college that has the requirement.) Please contact the appropriate college(s) and/or read the UC Davis General Catalog section on multiple majors for detailed information about each college's policies.

• College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
  • For each major, eighty percent (80%) of the upper division units used to satisfy all requirements within the major must be unique; that is, they cannot be applied toward the completion of any of the requirements in any other major. When the unit requirements of the majors differ, the major with the smaller number of upper division units will be used to determine the amount of overlap that will be permitted. For example, if both major programs require 40 upper division units, the maximum allowable overlap is 8 units; however if one major requires 40 upper division units, and the other major requires 30 upper division units, the maximum allowable overlap is 6 units.
  • Students must have a minimum grade point average of 2.000 in all upper division courses taken so far toward the major.
  • For each major, eighty percent (80%) of the upper division units used to satisfy all requirements within the major must be unique; that is, they cannot be applied toward the completion of any of the requirements in any other major I select. When the unit requirements of the majors differ, the major with the smaller number of upper division units will be used to determine the amount of overlap that will be permitted. For example, if both major programs require 40 upper division units, the maximum allowable overlap is 8 units; however if one major requires 40 upper division units, and the other major requires 30 upper division units, the maximum allowable overlap is 6 units.
  • Students must have completed 2 upper division courses in each major, before declaring multiple majors. These 2 courses should be unique for each major (i.e. you cannot use the same course for two different majors).
  • The 2 upper division courses must be part of the major's Depth Subject Matter (i.e. you cannot use Organic Chemistry courses).
  • A few departments within Engineering offer a combined major, which can be selected in place of two separate majors.
  • Some departments within Engineering do not allow specific combinations for multiple majors. Please talk to your major advisor, or see the General Catalog for details.
  • Triple (or greater) majors will not be approved.
  • For each major, eighty percent (80%) of the upper division units used to satisfy all requirements within the major must be unique; that is, they cannot be applied toward the completion of any of the requirements in any other major I select. When the unit requirements of the majors differ, the major with the smaller number of upper division units will be used to determine the amount of overlap that will be permitted. For example, if both major programs require 40 upper division units, the maximum allowable overlap is 8 units; however if one major requires 40 upper division units, and the other major requires 30 upper division units, the maximum allowable overlap is 6 units.
  • Students must have completed a substantial part of the preparatory subject matter in each major, before declaring multiple majors.

  Completing the Form

  Declaring a major, changing your major, or changing your degree type

  

  1. Select "Change Major or Degree Type"
  2. Your current major is pre-selected. If you are changing your major, select the new major from the drop down list of majors. You can start typing in the name of the major, to see all matching majors.
  
  1. If the major offers both an A.B. and B.S. degree type, select the degree type you wish to pursue.
  2. If the major requires you to declare a concentration, select your concentration from the drop down list. Note: most majors do not have concentrations.
  
  1. Some majors may have important information for you to read and consider before declaring that major. If so, that message will be displayed after selecting the major.
  
  1. In the comments section, provide any additional information you would like the advisors reviewing your petition to consider.
  
  1. Submit your form to initiate the Change Of Major process. This is equivalent to digitally signing the form and turning it in. If you have started filling out the form, but are not yet ready to submit it, you can save a draft that you can later return to complete.

  Declaring multiple majors

  

  1. Select "Declare Multiple Majors" if you currently have a single major. (If you already have more than one major declared, "Change Majors or Degree Type" will already be selected.)
  2. Choose the number of majors you would like to pursue. You can increase the number of majors to pursue additional majors, or decrease the number to declare fewer majors.
  3. Your existing major(s) will already be selected. Make any changes to the majors from each drop down list, or change the degree type for a major as needed. You can just add in an additional major, just change a degree type, or completely change majors at this point (i.e. go from a major in Economics to a double major in Sociology and Communication).
     1. For each major, if the major offers both an A.B. and B.S. degree type, select the degree type you wish to pursue.
     2. For each major, if the major requires you to declare a concentration, select your concentration from the drop down list.
  4. In some cases, when declaring multiple majors major, you will be required to list 2 upper division courses that you have completed in each major.
  
  1. Some majors may have important information for you to read and consider before declaring that major. If so, that message will be displayed after selecting the major.
  
  1. Read and agree to policies regarding maximum amount of unit overlap allowed between majors.
  
  1. In the comments section, provide any additional information you would like the advisors reviewing your petition to consider.
  
  1. Submit your form to initiate the process. This is equivalent to digitally signing the form and turning it in. If you have started filling out the form, but are not yet ready to submit it, you can save a draft that you can later return to complete.

  Units Remaining To Complete Major

  When you change majors, it is important to ensure you can complete your declared major(s) within any unit limits imposed by the colleges your majors are in. College advisors will deny any Change Of Major petition, if they feel a student cannot complete the degree requirements within the stated college unit limits. To help college advisors determine whether a student can reasonably complete the degree requirements within the stated college unit limits, the major advisor will be required to provide an estimate on the number of units remaining to complete the major, for students who have completed at least 120 units, or any student who has declared a multiple major. While this information is required from the major advisor, not from the student at the time of submitting the form, it is important for you, as the student, to be aware of, since major advisors will often need to work with you to determine this number (i.e. discuss which emphasis or major options you may be considering).

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