Declaring a Major

Application to a major must be made by the second semester of the sophomore year prior to Advance Registration for the first semester of the junior year. Students who have not declared a major by March of their sophomore year will be barred from registering for the next semester until they have declared. Athletes must be declared by the beginning of junior year to retain eligibility.

When students are ready to declare their major, they should:

• Update their Academic Planning Worksheet on Penn InTouch, adding the appropriate major. Students should consult the departmental website for the intended major to gather details on requirements.
• Have a conversation with their pre-major advisor. If there are any concerns or doubts about choosing the right major, they should be discussed at this time. By the end of the conversation, a decision should be made on the major, even if it is tentative. The pre-major advisor will make any needed adjustments to the General Education Requirements section of the worksheet and then change its status from Unofficial to Official.
  NOTE: This is only the first step. An official worksheet does not, by itself, constitute a major declaration.

• Contact the major program and ask about declaring the major. The steps at this point vary. In some departments students will speak directly with the undergraduate chair. Some will ask students to fill out and submit an application. Some will assign a faculty advisor within the major with whom the student must speak before declaration is complete. It is the student's responsibility to be sure that all the required steps have been taken. If not, the student may still find him- or herself on hold for Advance Registration.

Engineering Major for Students in the College

See additional information for College of Arts and Sciences students wishing to declare a second major in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.