ADDING A MAJOR OR MINOR
Departments in the College may admit a student to their major and/or minors as long as the student is able to graduate within their time to degree. Time to degree is defined as enrollment through Spring or Summer of a student’s fourth year (for first year admits) or Fall of their third year (for transfer admits).
When considering a student for a major or minor, please consider the following:
- What term/year was the student admitted to UCLA?
- What is their intended degree expected term?
- How many classes the student will need to complete the major or minor after the current term?
- In reviewing their Degree Audit Report, can the student finish ALL degree requirements, including any major and minor requirements, within Spring or Summer of their fourth year (as a first year admit) or Fall of their third year (as a transfer admit)?
Please note that by declaring the major or minor, the student is expected by the College to graduate within their time to degree. If they are approved for your major or minor, and later wish to exceed their time to degree, their request may not be approved, and they may be required to adjust their program or in some cases may make themselves ineligible for a degree.
Please be sure to include the following language:
You have been approved to enter the major/minor contingent upon graduating on time or having obtained approval from the College to exceed Time to Degree. Please note that if you are unable to graduate within the approved time, you may make yourself ineligible for a UCLA degree. You should consult with an academic advisor in the College if your academic program changes or you encounter challenges that prevent you from finishing on time. If adding a minor, you should be sure to prioritize your major to ensure that you are able to graduate.
If the student is unlikely to complete the major or minor within their Time to Degree based on a reasonable program plan and their previous academic performance, please ask them to meet with a College advisor or submit a Time to Degree petition.
Students wishing to request additional time to complete a program may submit a petition if needed based on documented extenuating circumstances. More information regarding Time to Degree, including policy information and petition process can be found on this page.
If you encounter a student trying to add a major or minor who would still benefit from seeing a College advisor, please still feel free to refer them to their College advising office for an appointment.
If you are unsure whether a student will be able to graduate on time, you are welcome to submit a request for review by the College. While we are happy to help in the review, we encourage advisors to only submit requests for students that you have concerns regarding their time to degree, such as students dropping or repeating courses frequently, demonstrated history of not passing pre-requisite or major courses, or unrealistic program plans based on previous academic history.
To submit a request, please select your student’s advising/counseling unit below to submit your request. (Please note that you may check your student’s College advising/counseling unit at the top of counselor desktop under the student’s ID number and name.)
This request should NOT be submitted by students.
Once you have submitted the request, please be sure to advise the student to check the status of the petition on MyUCLA -> Academics -> Petitions for the status and further instructions if necessary. The petition may not appear until it is processed, so students should check MyUCLA regularly until the request is processed. Students should not contact the College regarding their petitions unless 15 business days have passed. Since it is a secure form through MyUCLA, you will need to log in with your UCLA login ID and password to access the form.
Once you submit the request, it will take up to 10-15 working days for the request to be considered and for you to receive a response. We will input a petition on Counselor Desktop indicating the response and any comments as well. The response will then be entered in the forms system which will trigger an email reply to you. If approved, the requesting department is responsible for formally declaring the student into the major/minor.
To obtain clearance to add a student in the College with 150+ units to a non-College minor, please select your student’s advising/counseling unit below to submit your request. Please note that you may check your student’s College advising/counseling unit at the top of counselor desktop under the student’s ID number and name. This request is not necessary for students submitting a double major petition, as the minor should be included with that request.
This request should NOT be submitted by students.
Once you have submitted the request, please be sure to advise the student to check the status of the petition on MyUCLA -> Academics -> Petitions for the status and further instructions if necessary. The petition may not appear until it is processed, so students should check MyUCLA regularly until the request is processed.
Since it is a secure form through MyUCLA, you will need to log in with your UCLA login ID and password to access the form.
The following information is required to complete the online form:
- Student’s First and Last Name
- Student ID Number
- College Advising Office (can be found at the top of the Counselor Desktop page under the student’s name and ID Number)
- Minor
- Minor that they are trying to add
- How many classes the student will need to complete the minor after the current term
- How many units the student will need to complete the minor after the current term
- Student’s proposed degree expected term
- Your phone number
- Any additional comments that you might have relevant to the student’s situation
Once you submit the request, it will take up to 10-15 working days for the request to be considered and for you to receive a response. We will input a petition on Counselor Desktop indicating the response and any comments as well. The response will then be entered in the forms system which will trigger an email reply to you. If approved, the requesting department is responsible for formally declaring the student into the major/minor.
If you encounter a student with 150 or more units trying to add a major or minor that would still benefit from seeing a College advisor, please still feel free to refer them to their College advising office so that they may speak with someone about their interest in the minor and plan.
Center for Academic Advising in the College