Degrees, Majors, and Minors

Source: https://catalog.northeastern.edu/professional-studies/academic-policies-procedures/degrees-majors-minors/ Parent: https://catalog.northeastern.edu/professional-studies/academic-policies-procedures/

Declaring an Undergraduate Major

A bachelor’s degree student who was undeclared at the time of admission must declare their major before they earn a maximum of 75 credits inclusive of awarded transfer credits and credits earned at the College of Professional Studies. Failure to declare a major may result in a block on the student’s record, preventing future course enrollment.

To declare an undergraduate major, a student must consult with their academic advisor before completing the appropriate form. The student is responsible for meeting all admission requirements for the intended program.

Previous transfer credit awards are subject to change as a result of a major declaration. Students on financial aid are responsible for understanding the impact that results from a major declaration.

Changing a Major/Program of Study

An undergraduate student matriculated in a certificate/degree program (with a declared major/program) may choose to enroll in a different undergraduate major/program, after consulting with their academic advisor. The student then completes the appropriate form and is responsible for meeting all admission requirements for the intended major/program.

Previous transfer credit awards are subject to change as a result of a major/program change. Students on financial aid or an international student visa are responsible for understanding the impact that results from a major change.

Declaring an Undergraduate Minor

Bachelor’s degree students may add up to two minors to their programs of study.

An undergraduate minor requires a minimum of 15 but no more than 18 semester hours of undergraduate-level coursework, as specified by the individual minor program. A student may choose from among the undergraduate minor programs offered by the College of Professional Studies. The completed undergraduate minor appears on the student’s official record.

The following rules apply:

• A bachelor’s degree student may declare their intent to pursue a minor at the time of application for admission or after acceptance as an enrolled student, up until the beginning of their last term of enrollment. It is strongly encouraged that a student who wishes to pursue an undergraduate minor begins planning early and consults with their academic advisor.
• The program of study for their major and minor cannot be the same where the courses for the minor are a subset of required courses in the major, e.g., a Bachelor of Science student with a biology major cannot enroll in the biology minor; a Bachelor of Science student with a management major cannot enroll in the business minor.
• Courses used to fulfill requirements for the minor may be used to satisfy open electives of a major.
• A student must fulfill all requirements for the minor and major concurrently and may not extend their program of study to complete a minor.
• A student must adhere to the curriculum of the undergraduate minor(s) for which they have been approved. If a student wishes to request a course substitution to fulfill a requirement of an undergraduate minor, they must seek prior approval through their academic advisor. Deviation from the minor requirements without prior approval will result in nullifying the minor on a student’s record.
• A student may apply up to 6 semester hours of transfer credits toward an undergraduate minor.
• A student in the Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies program may choose to complete courses specified for a minor as part of their major elective requirements.