The special major is available to returning students who left the University before completing their degree and whose major program was either discontinued or revised to an extent that it cannot reasonably be completed using the current major name. Students may apply to the relevant academic department to develop a degree completion plan that most closely reflects the program they originally pursued, as defined in the catalog at the time of their prior enrollment. Degrees completed under the special major program will be recorded on the transcript and diploma as “Special Major: (Name of Major).” Students seeking to complete a special major should consult with Graduation Advising in the Office of the Registrar for review of their record to ensure all graduation requirements are met. More information and the application form can be found on the website of the Office of Undergraduate Education and Academic Success.

Grading Requirement

All courses taken to fulfill program course requirements must be taken for a letter grade except those courses specified by the department as credit/no credit grading only.

Course Requirements for the Major

Students seeking to pursue a special major to complete a discontinued degree program should consult with the chair of the relevant department or departments to devise an appropriate degree plan. The major must include an approved Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GW) course. Courses in this program may complete more than one graduation requirement. Approval of a special major does not constitute waiver of any graduation requirements.

Electives Requirement

To complete the total units required for the bachelor's degree, select additional elective courses from the total University offerings. You should consult with an advisor regarding the selection of courses which will provide breadth to your University experience and possibly apply to a supportive second major or minor.

See Bachelor's Degree Requirements in the University Catalog for complete details on general degree requirements. A minimum of 39 units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.

General Education Requirements: 48 units

See General Education and the Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education Requirements and course offerings.

Diversity Course Requirements: 6 units

You must complete a minimum of two courses that focus primarily on cultural diversity. At least one course must be in US Diversity (USD) and at least one in Global Cultures (GC).  See Diversity Requirements for a full list of courses. Most courses taken to satisfy these requirements may also apply to General Education.

Upper-Division Writing Requirement

Writing Across the Curriculum (EM 17-009) is a graduation requirement and may be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of four Writing (W) courses, two of which are designated by the major department. See Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning and Writing Requirements for more details on the four courses. The first of the major designated Writing (W) courses is listed below.

Consult with major advisor. Specific writing proficiency for this major will be determined by the nature of the special major proposal.

The second major-designated Writing course is the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GW) (EO 665). Students must earn a C- or higher to receive GW credit. The GE Written Communication (A2) requirement must be completed before a student is permitted to register for a GW course.

Procedures to Develop a Special Major

Special major proposal forms are available in the Office of Undergraduate Education and Academic Success. An acceptable proposal must include

• Evidence of good standing with the University including at least a 2.0 GPA in major courses completed at the time of petitioning to complete the discontinued major;
• Satisfactory evidence of coherence, comprehensiveness, and relevance of the curriculum;
• A list of upper- and lower-division courses in the major (those already completed and those proposed), including an approved Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement course and a minimum of 30 upper-division units;
• An appropriate degree title, usually that of the discontinued major, indicating if the major is a BA or BS;
• At least two faculty signatures indicating approval of the proposed program of study. The relevant faculty should be 1) a faculty advisor with an appointment in the department from which the largest numbers of units have been selected for the proposed special major, and 2) the Chair of that department;
• Approval of the Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education and Academic Success;
• Acknowledgement that approval of a special major does not constitute waiver of any University graduation requirements.

Any changes to an approved special major require the approval of all signatories.