Additional Majors or Minors

To complete multiple majors and minors, you must fulfill all of the requirements for all majors and minors declared, including the comprehensive requirement for each major. In general, a single thesis may not be used for more than one major.

Since double majors and minors require far more upper-division coursework than a single major, it is important to plan early. Advisers have found that many students overestimate the advantages of a two-major program, without considering that depth in one major is sacrificed for breadth in two areas. Talk to faculty and staff in the departments, your academic preceptors, and Career Center advisers, who will be happy to discuss the advantages and limitations of various programs with you.

Sharing courses: You may share some courses between more than one major or minor, as long as each major includes a minimum of 40 upper-division credits not used to satisfy the minimum upper-division credits of any other major or minor, and each minor includes a minimum of 25 upper-division credits not used to satisfy the minimum upper-division credits of any other major or minor. This is often referred to as the “Double Counting” requirement.

Restrictions on combinations: Some programs and/or majors have policies preventing specific double major and major/minor combinations. Review the program statement for your desired major(s) for details about possible restriction, or the feasibility of combinations. You are also highly encouraged to speak with advisors from the applicable programs before pursuing additional majors or minors.

Criteria: If you decide you want to pursue a double major/minor, you must:

Demonstrate you can complete the double major or major/minor in 15 quarters, or in 9 quarters for junior transfer students.
File for declaration of a double major or major/minor by the end of your sixth quarter of enrollment if you entered as a frosh, or second quarter of enrollment if you entered as a junior transfer. Exceptions: students who have transferred in with large numbers of advanced placement credits, and/or students who have taken 20 credits some quarters.
If you decide to complete only one of the majors, you must file a Request for Drop of a Major/Minor with the adviser for the major you wish to drop.

Diplomas: The diploma of a student who has completed a double major in history and music, for example, would read “Bachelor of Arts with Majors in History and Music.”