Choosing a Major

Students must declare their academic major by the first day of their fifth semester of full-time academic work by completing a Major Update form, which will be routed to the student’s academic department for approval. Students who fail to do this will be prohibited from enrolling in classes or making any class schedule changes. Students may add a new major up to the time at which they apply for graduation. If you wish to add a major after applying for graduation, consult your academic records specialist in the Student Services Center to verify that the major can be completed by the graduation time you selected.

Changing a Major

Students requesting a change of major must complete the Major Update form. If required, the Student Services Center will route the form to the new department/program to obtain approval. It is recommended that students meet with representatives of the new department. Note: Some academic majors require an application; check with the department to determine the application process and any associated deadlines.

Choosing or Changing a Minor

Students requesting a declaration or change of minor must complete a Minor Update form and obtain approval from the department/program. Some academic minors require an application process. Students may add new minors up to the time at which they apply for graduation. If you wish to add a minor after applying for graduation, consult your academic records specialist in the Student Services Center to verify that the minor can be simultaneously completed with the major degree program.

Minor Program Policies

Azusa Pacific University offers a wide range of minors to enrich and support the academic experience of undergraduate students. The purpose of a minor is to recognize a course of study that provides general breadth in a discipline as well as depth in some particular aspect of that discipline. The following conditions apply:

1. Minor programs are available to all students in a traditional undergraduate degree program and must be completed simultaneously with a major degree program.
2. Students may not earn a minor in the same discipline in which they are majoring.
3. A minor requires at least 18 units, 12 of which must be 200-level or higher. Some minors are exempt from this upper-division requirement based on the subject matter of the minor; see individual minor requirements. A minimum of 50 percent of the units in the minor must be taken in residency.
4. Courses for the minor may overlap with requirements for the student’s major or another minor, but 28 units of the student’s major must be unique from the minor. In the case of a second minor, 9 units of the courses taken to fulfill that minor must be unique to that minor and not overlap with courses taken to fulfill another minor.
5. Departments, at their discretion, may substitute no more than 25 percent of the required units defined in the catalog for a given minor program. 100-level courses cannot be substituted for 200-level or higher course requirements.
6. A minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA must be achieved in all courses required for the minor. The sponsoring academic department may require a higher minimum GPA.
7. Departments are free to be more restrictive than these policies as they deem appropriate. For more information, contact the sponsoring academic department for the particular minor.

Guidelines for the Double Major

Normally, a student meets graduation requirements for a bachelor’s degree in one of the major departments, but it is permissible for a student to be granted a bachelor’s degree with a maximum of two majors if the following conditions are met:

1. Students must complete all of the required courses listed in the catalog for both majors.
2. Not more than six upper-division courses may be common to both majors (excluding General Education requirements).
3. Twenty-four units must be unique to the second major, of which at least 18 units must be upper division.

Guidelines for Additional Degrees

Azusa Pacific University will award a maximum of two bachelor’s degrees in any combination, such as one BA and one BS, under the following conditions:

1. Candidates for additional degrees must meet the University Residence policy.
2. A minimum of 150 units is required for the two degrees.
3. Students must complete all of the required courses listed in the catalog for both degrees.
4. Not more than six upper-division courses may be common to both degrees (excluding General Education requirements).
5. Thirty units must be unique to the second degree, of which at least 18 units must be upper division.
6. General Education courses completed for one degree may be applied toward the second degree.