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Office of the Registrar

Change or Declare an Undergraduate Major or Minor

At the time of admission to the university, each undergraduate student is assigned to a pre-major, major, or is designated as an undeclared major. Students wishing to change their major or pre-major or add an additional major or minor should check with the department of their desired program for requirements and filing periods.

Upon the change or declaration of a major or minor, students must adopt the requirements of the major or minor in effect at that time based on the University Catalog. Students may use the Major Advisor Directory to find the appropriate staff member for further assistance or questions.

Declaring a Major or Minor

Students who wish to declare, change or remove their major or minor must contact the academic advisor or appropriate department coordinator of the area of study. The advisor will submit a Declaration of Major or Minor form on the student's behalf.

Additional Information for International Students

International students in an undergraduate program may be eligible to change their major.

Undergraduate students must complete one full academic year of study in the major for which they were admitted. Any undergraduate international student intending to change their major must consult with the International Student Center (ISC), in addition to the required consultation with their appropriate academic department advisor.

International graduate students may not change their major at any time.

For Advisors

Navigation: Log in to my.SDSU  Campus Community  Student Services Ctr (Student)

my.SDSU's Student Services Center is a great place to view a student's academic information. Once in the Student Center, select the Academics tab to review the student's career, program and plan (major).

my.sdsu Academics tab with an arrow pointing to the students major.
  • In my.SDSU, majors, pre-majors and minors are defined differently.
    • Career = Admit type and transcript header (Undergraduate, Graduate, Global Campus)
    • Program = Student type (Undergraduate, Graduate, Transitory, etc.)
    • Plan = Major, minor, certificate or credential
    • Sub-plan = Pre-major
  • Plan (Major) Code Structure: SIMS code (six digits) + character degree objective (two or three characters) + campus code (one character). Examples:
    • Child Development
      • 330909BSS (B.S. at San Diego campus)
      • 330909MSS (M.S. at San Diego campus)
    • Social Science
      • 116701BALS (B.A. at San Diego campus)
      • 116701BALI (B.A. at Imperial Valley campus)
  • Upon change or declaration of major, students must adopt the requirements of the major and any minors in effect at that time. This means that the student's catalog year will be updated to the most current academic year. If a student is updating an emphasis, the catalog year will not change.
  • First-year and transfer students need to wait until the Census date in their first semester has passed. Should a first-year or transfer student request a change of major before Census, please submit the form on the student's behalf after the Census date.

Frequently Asked Questions

Current students will need to contact the academic advisor or appropriate department coordinator of the major/minor they wish to add to their record.
Current students will need to contact the academic advisor or appropriate department coordinator about how deleting their second major or current minor will affect their graduation requirements.
It may take up to 3-7 business days for processing, depending on the volume of incoming submissions.
The academic advisor or appropriate department coordinator will be able to provide that code when the form is signed by the appropriate designee.
Incoming students (including first-year and transfer students) will need to wait until after the census date of their first semester to change their major.
Yes, incoming students are allowed to add a minor.
Students will need to contact the Undergraduate Student Success Office for further assistance for this type of request.
Please speak with your current major advisor to determine if this is an appropriate action.
Students can have up to three majors and up to two minors. This cannot be exceeded.
A student can declare a minor at any given time but the academic advisor or appropriate department coordinator for that minor will need to sign the Major/Minor Declaration form.