Departments generally set two types of requirements that must be satisfied for award of a degree: preparation for the major (lower-division courses) and the major (upper-division courses). Preparation for the major courses should be completed before beginning upper-division work.
A major requires completion of a set of courses known as preparation for the major. Each department sets its own preparation for the major requirements; see the individual department.
Students must complete their major with a scholarship grade-point average of at least 2.0 (C) in all courses in order to remain in the major. Each course in the major department must be taken for a letter grade. See majors for details on each major.
Students in good academic standing may be permitted to have a minor or double major. The second major must be outside the school (e.g., Electrical Engineering major and Economics major). If approved, no more than 20 upper-division units may be shared by both majors. Students are not permitted to have a double major with two school majors (e.g., Chemical Engineering and Civil Engineering). For minors, 20 units must be unique to the minor and may not apply toward any other major or minor. Students may file an undergraduate request to double major or add minor form at the Office of Academic and Student Affairs. The school determines final approval of a minor or double major request; review is done on a case-by-case basis, and filing the request does not guarantee approval. Students interested in a minor or double major should meet with their counselor in 6426 Boelter Hall.
While minor and double major requests are considered, specializations are not considered.
