Table of Contents
Bachelor’s Degree
To qualify for a bachelor ’ sulfur degree, you must meet the follow conditions ( see complete descriptions of each under ) :
It is your province to meet all the requirements for the knight bachelor ’ s degree. Use MyUCSC to verify your progress toward fulfilling university and general education requirements .
Academic Senate regulations Chapter 10 contains policies on requirements for bachelor of arts and knight bachelor of science degrees .
Bachelor’s Degree Worksheet
A checklist to help plan meeting degree requirements toward your degree is available here.
Reading: Section 3. Degree Requirements
Completion of 180 Credits
You are expected to satisfy all your requirements for a degree by completing 180 quarter credits within 12 quarters. Some students may require more quarters of registration in order to satisfy all requirements for their broadcast of analyze. It is necessary for you to obtain permission from your college to continue your registration at UCSC if you have been enrolled for 13 or more even quarters, excluding summer sessions at UCSC or elsewhere, or if you will exceed 225 credits. Students who take and pass extra credits in 12 quarters will not be penalized. however, you must pass a minimum of 180 credits within 15 quarters ( 9 UCSC quarters for junior transfer students ). For information regarding extending quarters, see Extension of Enrollment .
Academic Senate regulations 10.1.1 and 6.2.4 contain the general policies on completion of 180 credits .
Declaring Majors and Minor Requirements
Every undergraduate is required to complete a major platform. At UCSC a scholar has the choice of pursuing an established one or compound major, a double major, or an individually designed major. Students besides have the option to declare a minor. See the department Double Majors and Minors for information on double-counting upper-division courses .
Academic Senate regulations 10.4 contains policies on major field of sketch .
Declaring a major
- To apply to one or more major and/or minor programs, complete a request for Major/Minor Declaration .
- Identify the advising processes required for the major you hope to pursue by consulting the broadcast ’ s web locate. Some majors require students attend a group orientation, others require a meet with a staff or faculty adviser .
- Obtain the touch ( second ) as indicated on the request for your mean major .
- If your proposed program of study requires you to be enrolled longer than your expect Graduation Term ( EGT ), you must return with a study plan to your college academician adviser for reappraisal .
- File the completed petition at the department by the Declaration of Major deadline. This must be done in order for you to enroll the keep up quarter in courses restricted to majors .
- To declare a double major, you must see advisers for both majors and develop an academic plan showing that you can complete requirements within your eligible registration quarters .
Filing a Study Plan
You must declare a major prior to completion of your second base year or equivalent ( 6 quarters or 90 credits ). Junior transportation students must declare a major no by and by than the deadline during their second quarter at UCSC. You will not be allowed to enroll in classes if you have not declared your major by the deadline. You are powerfully encouraged to file a soon as you know your major and have met the major ’ second reservation requirements ( if any ). For students receiving V.A. benefits see the Veteran ‘s section for more information .
To change your major, file the Petition for Major/Minor Declaration with your raw department. An extension of registration for a change of major late in your career will by and large not be approved if you can not complete requirements in 15 quarters .
Departments have different methods of assigning staff advisers and unlike instructions for their majors, which may be listed on department/major web sites or in the General Catalog. notice that some majors have qualification requirements. Be sure to check with the department early to find out if there are requirements for declaring the major. The UCSC General Catalog gives the requirements for each major, indeed take carefully about the major you wish to declare .
If you have previously declared a “ pre-major ” such as pre-art, check with your department on procedures to change to the regular major after you have completed the prerequisites. You can not graduate with a pre-major .
Academic Senate regulation 10.4 contains the policy on declaration and change of major .
help in Choosing a major
For aid in choosing a major, make an appointment with your college adviser and/or a career passenger car located at Career Center, 305 Bay Tree Building if you are wholly undecided on a major. If there are a few majors you are considering, you may wish to speak with the adviser for that finical major .
Double Majors and Minors
To complete multiple majors and minors, you must fulfill all of the requirements for all majors and minors declared, including the comprehensive examination necessity for each major. In general, a single dissertation may not be used for more than one major .
You may count courses for more than one major or minor, deoxyadenosine monophosphate long as each major includes 40 upper-division credits not used to satisfy the minimal upper-division credits of any other major or minor, and each minor includes at least 25 upper-division credits not used to satisfy the minimum upper-division credits of any other major or minor. You must obtain approval from both departments to declare a double major .
Minors
completion of a minor is optional, and you may complete more than one minor. The course requirements for a minor are established by the sponsor department or platform. The minor involves substantial knead in the discipline and requires no fewer than 25 upper-division or graduate credits. The courses required for a minor follow the same pattern as those for the correspond major, except the number of courses required is fewer and there is no comprehensive prerequisite. Individual child programs are not available. Consult the UCSC General Catalog and the department or program for particular information .
formally declare the minor when you declare your major. The completion of a minor does not change the expectation that you finish your undergraduate employment in 12 quarters and 180 credits. once you have declared a minor, it must be either completed or deleted by the department anterior to your graduation. The minor is recorded on your academic record. It does not appear on your diploma .
Academic Senate rule 10.4.4 contains the policy on minors .
Criteria for Double Major/Minor
If you decide you want to pursue a double over major/minor, you must meet the following criteria :
- Demonstrate you can complete the double major or major/minor in 15 quarters, or in 9 quarters for junior transfer students .
- charge for declaration of a duplicate major or major/minor by the end of your sophomore class. Junior transfer students must declare both majors by the deadline during their second base quarter of registration at UCSC. Exceptions to this are ( 1 ) students who have transferred in with large numbers of advanced placement credits, and ( 2 ) students who have taken 20 credits some quarters. If this applies to you, please consult with your college academician adviser. See transfer Students in section 1 .
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 .
Since double majors and minors require army for the liberation of rwanda more upper-division coursework than a single major, it is significant to plan early on. Advisers have found that many students overestimate the advantages of a two-major plan, without considering that depth in one major is sacrificed for breadth in two areas. talk to staff and staff in the departments, your academician preceptors, and Career Center advisers, who will be felicitous to discuss the advantages and limitations of assorted programs with you .
As in other issues involving registration extensions, the campus must balance its allegiance to current students with access for stipulate students who are seeking entree to a UC education. This perspective leads the colleges to require students to make choices from the range of options, such as the Education Abroad Program, double major, etc. You must complete all degree requirements for your proposed majors/minors within 15 quarters ( 9 quarters for junior transfer students ) .
Combined Majors
A aggregate major is a course of learn involving two disciplines. Combined major requirements are determined jointly by the two departments and approved by the Academic Senate. If you are concerned in pursuing one of the combine majors, contact the departments .
Academic Senate Regulation 10.4.6 contains the policy on unite majors .
Individual Major
academically strong students have the option of developing an individual major. person majors must be vetted and approved by the Academic Senate ( CEP ), and must be distinct from any approved major program or possible combination of major programs. regular deadlines to declare the major besides apply to individual majors ; students should declare their individual major by the end of their sophomore year .
Because the process of developing and proposing an individual major requires rigorous design, and blessing is not guaranteed, students are advised to pursue an existing major plan until a proposal has been submitted and approved by CEP. Make an appointment with your college academic preceptor ampere soon as possible if you are considering this option .
Forming an person major can be challenging, since three staff members in the discipline ( randomness ) must agree to serve on a committee to supervise the major, and the major must be approved by the Committee on Educational Policy. Guidelines, policies, and forms for individual majors can be found on the Academic Senate web site : individual Major Guidelines and Information, and in Academic Senate Regulation 10.4.5 .
individual majors must include at least 10 courses ( 50 credits ), of which at least eight ( 40 credits ) must be upper-division. No more than two of the command courses may be independent study courses. Students who can not meet their original study plan for the major must consult with the committee chair, and in some cases, the Committee on Educational Policy, for approval of any changes. All students who complete an individual major are awarded a bachelor of arts .
Groups of faculty have indicated that they are uncoerced to assist students who want to declare person majors in the stick to fields : East asian studies, religious studies, queer and sex studies, russian studies, and critical race and cultural studies. person majors are not limited to these programs. See the UCSC General Catalog for more data .
Proposed Majors
A propose major is not equivalent to a declared major or pre-major. It is the area of concern you indicated on your entrance fee application and may be updated at any time by contacting a college or department adviser. A propose major is used for informational and advise purposes, and students are encouraged to keep their proposed majors updated for this argue. Some departments restrict course registration to students who are proposed in a major, and the School of Engineering places extra restrictions on being proposed in some majors. See the General Catalog for more data .
freshman students who were undecided on a major choose an advising bunch on their application for admission. Advising clusters allow freshman students to review cosmopolitan areas of academic interest for all major programs. Clusters introduce students to freshman foundation coursework and program requirements .
complete bunch information is available on-line at undergraduate propose .
Three-Year Pathways
Some of the most popular majors at UC Santa Cruz have developed pathways that allow a scholar to complete requirements in three years. For more information, see pathways .
Senior Comprehensive Requirement
In accession to completing the course requirements for a major, each scholar must complete a sequence of senior seminar courses, an intensive mugwump plan, or field learn ; pass a comprehensive examination ; or write a aged thesis or essay. The senior comprehensive prerequisite is set by the department or the staff committee supervising the major. The comprehensive examination examination may be written, oral, or both .
The form of the examination will be determined by the staff who administer it. For some majors the comprehensive may be completed in several hours ; for others it will involve sour contract over a longer period .
Extension of Enrollment
While most students arrant academic degree requirements in four years, a student ’ s academic design occasionally requires extra quarters of registration to complete requirements or meet limited educational needs. You should meet with your college academic adviser adenine soon as you suspect you may need extra quarters of registration. You must complete your educational design and degree requirements within 15 quarters ( 9 quarters for junior transfer students ). Advanced placement credit will not reduce the number of quarters that you are allowed .
Students who initially entered UCSC as frosh and who need more time to complete requirements are allowed a maximum of 225 credits and 15 quarters ( five academic years ) of registration. Students who began at UCSC as junior transfer students are allowed a maximal of 135 UCSC credits and 9 quarters ( three academic years ). Quarters of registration eligibility may be increased if students participate in the part-time plan, or decreased if students transfer credits from another institution. If you have questions about your registration eligibility, please contact your college academic propose position .
How to Request an Extra Quarter at UCSC
If you would like to enroll beyond 12 quarters, your college academician adviser will need to adjust your expected gradation term. If you find that you need to enroll beyond 180 credits and 12 quarters, contact your college. You may be asked to develop an educational design in consultation with your faculty and department advisers.
half-time students and transfer students are granted the equivalent of 12 full-time quarters to complete degree requirements and may enroll for a utmost of 15 quarters ( nine quarters for junior remove students ). For half-time students, each 15 credit hours attempted constitutes one full-time quarter. similarly, each 15 credit hours of accept transfer influence constitutes the equivalent of one full-time stern ( careless of how long it took to earn those credits ) and counts toward the give up quarters of registration .
A Note for Financial Aid Recipients
Financial aid allows a maximum count of 15 quarters of full-time registration ( or the equivalent for students with transfer courses ). Units earned in UC Santa Cruz Summer Session are counted with other transfer units. The college must adjust your expected gradation term on-line if you wish to enroll beyond 12 quarters. Students are not eligible to receive help beyond the 15th or equivalent quarter. Financial aid recipients will receive written telling of the concluding quarter of eligibility beginning three quarters before their final quarter of help eligibility .
Revised 07/06/21
