Majors, Minors, and University Certificates - Faculty and Staff

Creating a new major, major concentration, minor, or university certificate

Depending on several variables, including student levels (undergraduate or graduate), the approval process may differ. Academic curriculum is officially managed and overseen by the faculty, via the Faculty Senate (with the support of the Committee on Undergraduate Curriculum and the Graduate Council). Information on creating an undergraduate field of study is available on the Committee on Undergraduate Curriculum's website, and Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies can provide information on creating a graduate field of study.

Declaring a major, minor, or university certificate

Students wishing to pursue a course of study in a particular field should contact the specific major advisor for that department or program. A list of major, minor, and University certificate advisors can be found on the Office of Academic Advising website. Students should log in to their ESTHER account, download, complete, secure the appropriate advisor's signature, and then submit the Declaration of Major (or Minor or University Certificate) form to the Office of the Registrar in person or via email.

Graduation

Students who are planning to graduate must be sure to formally apply for graduation and review their Degree Works audit to ensure the fulfillment of university graduation requirements. Next, the Official Certifier of the department in which the student is studying will be asked to certify that the student has met all departmental requirements for their major. This is done after the 10th week of the Fall semester classes for December degree candidates, after the 2nd week of the Spring semester for May degree candidates, and near the end of July for August degree candidates. Semester-specific deadlines for Official Certifiers can be found in the Academic Calendar.