Declaring a Major at UCI

Declaring at UCI is a different process than at many other universities.

The good news…

For most majors, student simply need to complete the change of major criteria to gain entry into the major. These criteria can be found by clicking here. If students complete the listed courses and earn the required minimum GPAs then they are able to complete the change of major without worry about majors limited the number of students who can declare.

The not so good news… 

For some majors, the availability of some of the required courses, as part of the change of major criteria, may be limited. This may mean getting the required courses may not happen until after a quarter or two for some majors.

The exceptions…

Both Business Administration and Nursing are impacted and do not admit every student that meets the change of major criteria. Instead, students must apply to those majors with the possibility that there is not enough space to admit every student into those majors.

And yet, for most careers, major doesn’t matter.

Over 90% of employers surveyed have expressed that major doesn’t matter to them. But, getting a degree does. The advisors in U/U are trained to help students explore and find a major that will align with their potential future career goals. So, while you work toward changing to a particular major you may have in mind, your assigned advisor in U/U will help you to also explore other pathways to the careers you are interested in pursuing.