Majors

Declaring a Major

Students are admitted to the College with a specified major or may choose to enter as Open Option students in a designated school. Any currently enrolled student has the right to apply and be considered for entrance into an academic major in accordance with program entrance standards (see section on Departmental/Program Entrance, Retention, and Exit Standards). Students should understand, however, that certain majors may not be able to accept them because of high student demand. Students seeking to change a major should begin the process as early as possible in the semester in which they wish to change their major. This will help to ensure that students will meet any departmental deadlines. It also will provide time for the new major (if approved) to be effective for the next registration and a new program evaluation to be completed. Students may download a Declaration of Major/Minor Form from the Office of Records and Registration Web site (http://www.tcnj.edu/~recreg) or pick up a copy at the office in Green Hall 112. Students should also print a copy of their TCNJ transcript from TESS (tess.tcnj.edu) and take it with a completed Declaration of Major/Minor Form and other required information to a meeting with the chair of the department into which the change is requested. With this information and discussion with the student, chairs will make determinations as to whether major changes are approved. When students are admitted to a major, they should be provided with a statement of degree requirements. The student is expected to follow the requirements for the year in which the change of major takes effect unless special exemption is made by the department chairperson and noted on the Declaration of Major/Minor form. Approved changes of major will be effective on the date they are received by the Office of Records and Registration and will be recorded as of that date.

Second or Third Majors

Students may elect to take a second or third major. However, no more than three majors may be elected and normally no more than one major within a department. To elect an additional major, a student must apply to and be accepted by the department of the additional major. Some education majors are automatically double majors and upon admission only have to apply to a department if considering a third major. Course scheduling may make it difficult to complete some majors simultaneously. Completion of a second or third major may require more than the minimum number of course units required for a degree and may prolong the period of study at The College of New Jersey. A student may double or triple major by completing all requirements for each major. Correlate courses and liberal learning requirements may be applied to each major. Double or triple majors qualify students for “Option A: Designated Interdisciplinary Concentrations or Second Majors” under Broad Sectors of Human Inquiry if, between or among the majors, there are two or more courses from at least two of the sectors (Arts and Humanities, Social Science and History, and Natural Science and Quantitative Reasoning). If only two sectors are represented, students must then take two additional courses from the missing sector. Except for Natural Sciences and Quantitative Reasoning, where students must complete a laboratory science course and a course in quantitative reasoning whether or not the sector is included in one of the majors, it is not necessary to cover both domains in each sector. When additional courses in a sector not covered in one of the majors is required, each course must have a different prefix. Furthermore, a maximum of three full courses from the first major may be applied to the second or third major. Unless the capstone requirement carries the weight of two full courses and is approved by both major advisers, a capstone cannot apply to more than one major. Students completing a second or third major will receive only one degree. The first major, as indicated by the student, will determine which degree will be granted (B.A., B.S., etc.). However, all students majoring in elementary, early childhood, deaf/hard of hearing, or special education also take an additional academic major, which will be reflected on their transcript and receive the BS degree. All majors will be reflected on the transcript. While the second or third major may be dropped at any time, the election of a second or third major or the switching of what will serve as the first major must be done prior to the semester of the student’s graduation. A second or third major cannot be completed after graduation (see college policy regarding second degrees). Applications to elect, drop or switch majors must be processed through the Office of Records and Registration by the same deadlines and following the same departmental requirements as a change of major request. Students pursuing a second or third major are expected to seek advisement as they would for the first.

Changing a Major

Any student has the right to apply and be considered for admission into an academic major. Students should understand, however, that certain majors may not be able to accept them because of high student demand.

Individual departments establish the criteria by which they determine whether they accept a student already at The College who is seeking a change of major or is an Open Option student seeking to declare a major. These criteria may include: the student's demonstrated commitment to the intended major; faculty recommendations; the student's career intentions and work experience; national or state certification requirements; whether the student would have been admitted to the major as an entering freshmen; whether the student has demonstrated the ability to do satisfactory work in areas that form a foundation for the major; the department's ability to accommodate additional students; and the student's grade point average. Although the grade point average can be used as a basis for determining admissions to a major, it should not be used as the sole criterion. Departmental "internal admission criteria," i.e., criteria for admitting students already attending The College of New Jersey, as well as their deadlines for internal admission applications can be found in this bulletin.

Students seeking internal admission to a major should begin the process as early as possible in the semester in which they wish to change their major. This will help to ensure that students will meet any departmental deadlines. It also will provide time for the new major (if approved) to be effective for the next registration and a new program evaluation to be completed.

A student should obtain a Request for Change of Major Form from The Office of Records and Registration. The student should then meet with the chair of the department into which the change is requested. If the change is approved, the student obtains the signatures of both the former department chair and the new chair and returns the form to The Office of Records and Registration. At the time the department approves a student's internal admission, the department chair will indicate on the Change of Major Form the bulletin year under which the change is effective. Normally, the student is expected to follow the requirements for the year in which the change of major takes effect. Approved changes of major will be effective on the date they are received by The Office of Records and Registration and will be recorded as of that date, though changes of major will not be processed within three weeks of the beginning of either the fall or spring registration periods or during the registration period. When students are admitted into the new major, the department should provide them with a statement describing their academic program.

TCNJ Policy on Declaring a Major