Tips and details on changing your academic pathway
- Most requests to change or add majors, minors or themed inquiries are handled through
your Student Center. The links above will walk you through the process.
- Some majors/minors/themed inquiries are easy to add or switch into. Others have additional
requirements, and your request may be denied if you do not meet them. For info on specific requirements,
check out out Change/Add Major tool using the link above. It will show you the requirements
for each major.
- Meeting with your advisor before making any changes is a good way to get more details the program you're thinking
of switching to or adding. Your advisor can help you understand the program and see
if it is a good fit for you.
- Please be aware that it is easier to change or add programs toward the beginning of your academic career. Changing to or adding a high-credit program later on may require you to take extra
semesters or years.
Self-designed majors
At Chapman, students can create their own major in consolation with an advisor. We
call these majors "self-designed majors."
For the self-designed major to be approved, the subject matter of a must be substantially
different from that offered in existing majors. The student designs a program from
existing course offerings, which opens up a new direction of study or allows for significantly
more intensive study in a subject than is otherwise possible.
If you would like to declare a self-designed major, you must follow these guidelines:
- Self-designed majors require the approval of the Faculty Academic Council.
- A student must submit a proposal prior to completing 75 credits.
- The self-designed major must not contain more than 40 percent of the requirements
of an existing major, and it may not include more than two courses (up to 8 credits)
not offered at Chapman.
- The program of study must include a minimum of 33 credits, at least 21 of which must
be upper-division credits. A maximum of 6 credits of individual study may be included
in the self-designed major.
- Approval of an academic advisor and sponsoring department is required.
- Additional information regarding self-designed majors is included with the Self-Declared Major Petition Form.
Self-designed minors
We also allow students to declare self-designed minors. The guidelines for self-designed
minors are the following:
- A student must submit a proposal prior to completing 75 credits.
- The program of study must include a minimum of 21 credits, at least 12 of which must
be upper-division credits. A maximum of 6 credits of individual study may be included
in the self-designed minor.
- Self-designed minors require the approval of the GE Committee.
- Additional information regarding self-designed minors is included with the Self-Declared Minor Petition Form.
