Selection and Approval of Major

Each student's major program must be approved by an academic advisor. The student has responsibility for seeking such approval through the following steps: 

  • Prepare, with the assistance of the faculty advisor, a program of study, which indicates the selection of courses to include a major, a minor or a contextual and support area if included within the student's program, and fulfillment of Core Curriculum requirements. 
  • Meet with faculty members from the primary discipline to discuss program plans. 
  • Complete a Major Declaration Form, with departmental approval, during the sophomore year and submit a copy to the Registrar's Office. 

Every student is required to have a declared major by the beginning of the junior year and to have an advisor in the major field. The Change of Major form must be signed by the faculty advisor and submitted to the college Registrar no later than the last day for course addition in the first semester of the junior year. A student pursuing pre-medical studies, a B.S. degree, or another field with a specified course sequence may need to confirm his or her program at an earlier date.

The student must complete a graduation audit one year prior to his or her anticipated graduation date. Deadlines for receipt of this audit are December 15 of the prior year for December graduates, May 15 of the prior year for May graduates, and summer of the prior year for summer graduates. Any changes in a previously approved graduation audit must be submitted to and approved by the advisor and the Registrar. Courses to be counted for graduation in a particular major, including those listed for the minor or the contextual and support area (if one is in the student's program), must be approved in writing by the chairperson of that department before the Registrar certifies that graduation requirements have been met. Any exceptions to the requirements listed in the applicable catalog will be documented by Course Substitution Forms signed by the advisor and the department chair and submitted to the Registrar. For interdisciplinary majors, all involved departments will approve graduation audits as above.