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| Links
to Colleges' Change of Major Criteria |
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Engineering |
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Science
& Mathematics
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Applies
to matriculated undergraduate students at Cal Poly wishing to
change major. The “target” major is the major to
which a student wishes to change.
Minimum Period at Cal Poly
An application for internal change of major will not be considered
until/unless a student has completed at least one quarter at
Cal Poly;
Consultation
Prior to applying for a change of major, students must consult
with the department chair/head in the target major and are strongly
advised to consult with at least one of the following: |
- Department
chair/head in the current major
- Faculty
in the target major
- Advising
Center staff in the current major
- Advising
Center staff in the target major
- Career
Services staff
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Process
for Admitting Students to Target Major
Depending on the degree of impaction of the target major (i.e.,
the relationship between the number of applicants to the major
and the number of places available), decisions on admitting
students who wish to change major will be made by one or other
of the following processes. Each major will publicize in advance
which process it is using.
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- Applicants
will be evaluated against published performance criteria.
Those who meet the criteria will automatically be admitted
to the major and will be so notified prior to the start
of the next course registration period; OR
- Applicants
meeting published minimum performance criteria will be considered
for acceptance into a limited number of available spaces
in the major. At a minimum, this selection process will
take place twice each year, early in the fall and spring
quarters, and applicants will be notified of the results
before the course registration periods for the following
winter and fall quarters, respectively.
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Unsuccessful
applicants may be counseled to try again in another quarter
and/or directed to faculty advisor, collge advising center,
or Career Services for help in developing alternative plans.
Performance Criteria
The performance criteria established by departments/programs
for changing majors will be designed primarily to assess the
student's likelihood of achieving success in the new major (taking
into account the possibility that poor past performance at Cal
Poly may in part reflect an inappropriate choice of major on
entry). As far as possible, performance criteria for change
of major: |
- will
discourage students from seeking "backdoor" entry
to a more impacted major by first applying to a less impacted
(and more readily accessible) major, while
- accepting
a responsibility to treat existing Cal Poly students who
are acting in good faith somewhat more favorably than those
applying from the outside.
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Time
Needed to Meet Performance Criteria
Performance criteria should not impose an unreasonable burden
on students; that is, a student who is in good standing and
is academically prepared for the lower division courses needed
to satisfy the criteria should be able to complete this coursework
within two to three quarters.
Waiting Lists and Repeated Applications
Majors may not keep waiting lists of students who have been
deemed admissible but whose entry into the major is being delayed
pending space availability. Applicants will be admitted only
if they can be accommodated promptly; others will be rejected.
Denied students may re-apply at a later date but should be made
clearly aware that they will not be given preference based on
persistence (i.e., repeated applications).
Option for Reviewing Freshmen Students
When a freshman student applies to change major within the first
three quarters after entering Cal Poly, the target major has
the option, where feasible, of first considering the student
on the basis of his/her academic Multi-Criteria Admissions (MCA)
score, possibly combined with a specified Cal Poly grade point
average, in lieu of employing other performance criteria. Feasibility
may depend on whether the MCA scores for the originating and
target majors are based on the same formula, and on the availability
of relevant historical data. If this option is selected, the
target major will: |
- Recalculate
the academic MCA as if the student had applied to the target
major on entry.
- Compare
with the academic MCA cut-off used to determine admissions
for the fall quarter in which the student first enrolled
(when the student first enrolled in winter, the comparison
will be made with the admissions cut-off for the preceding
fall; when the student first enrolled in summer, the comparison
will be made with the admissions cut-off for the following
fall).
- Admit
the student if his/her MCA exceeds this cut-off, there is
space available within the target major, and (where applicable)
the student meets the Cal Poly grade point average requirement
prescribed by the target major.
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A
freshman student who is considered in this manner but fails
to meet the criteria for admission based on MCA will still be
subject to review under the target major's normal process for
change of major decisions.
Communications Regarding Satisfactory Progress in Current Major
There should be communications sent to students who are not
meeting the requirements for making satisfactory progress within
their current major. The communications should be constructive
in tone while clearly indicating: |
- the
nature of the satisfactorfy progress requirements;
- the
potential consequences of failing to meet them; and
- the
"window of opportunity" that is available for
students seeking to change major.
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Deviations
from Process for Change of Major
Programs/departments may deviate from the process described
above only with the explicit prior and timely approval of
the Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Undergraduate Education.
Any such approved deviations must be clearly and widely communicated
to the campus; in particular, they must be communicated to
the various campus advising centers and to all students currently
trying to change to the affected majors.
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Publication
of Change of Major Criteria
Each college publishes on its website (or in readily available
printed form) the minimum criteria that must be met for Cal
Poly students to transfer into each of its majors, as well
as the acceptance rates for at least the past two years. All
colleges will have the change of major criteria published
on their websites (or in printed form).
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Academic
Senate Resolution AS-582-02/IC (PDF)
Academic
Senate Resolution AS-563-01/IC (PDF)
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