Major and Minor Declaration Process

Choose from almost 100 majors and minors:

Students can review the General Bulletin for a full list of programs. They are encouraged to contact their four-year advisor and/or the academic representative with any questions they may have prior to declaring.

First-year students are encouraged to attend the annual Choices Fair held at the beginning of the fall semester, where faculty representatives from every academic department will be on-hand to answer questions. 

When to declare your major:

Students are expected to declare their major within their first year. Beginning Fall 2026: 

• Fall-admitted students: Opens October 1 | Deadline: March 1.
• Spring-admitted students: Opens March 1 | Deadline: October 1.
• Transfer students: Can declare beginning the first day of their first semester. To best facilitate academic planning, transfer students are recommended to declare early.
• Nursing Students: You are directly admitted into Nursing and do not need to submit a form. Interested in switching into Nursing? Contact your four-year advisor immediately.

Note Regarding Multiple Programs: 

• If you plan to add a minor or additional major(s), wait until your primary major is officially posted to your record in SIS first. 
• If you are declaring an additional major, it is important to know the difference between a double major, secondary major, and dual degree, as described in the General Bulletin. A Dual Degree is a minimum of 150 credit hours at CWRU, but may be more depending on the programs. 
• It is strongly recommended that you meet with your four-year advisor if you are declaring a second major or degree.

How to declare, change, or drop a major or minor:

All requests are submitted online through Stellic.

1. Access the form
   Go directly the Stellic request page, or navigate to the Requests tab at the top of your Stellic Degree Audit or Progress Page. 
2. Select your request type 
   • Undergraduate: Declare a Major/Minor: Add your first major or add an additional major or minor. 
   • Undergraduate: Change a Major/Minor: Modify an existing major or minor (e.g. change from a BS to a BA, change a major to a minor, change concentrations within a declared major if applicable, or change from BS in Biology to BS in Chemistry)
   • Undergraduate: Drop a Major/Minor: Remove an existing major or minor without adding a replacement.
3. Fill out program details
   Enter your program name and degree type carefully, including concentrations. You will also be asked to confirm the type of request you are making.
   Please note:
   • You may declare multiple programs at once, but please wait to declare a minor or secondary major until your first major is declared on your record. 
   • If your program offers a concentration that you intend to complete, it is recommended that you select it at this time. Not all programs offer concentrations and some programs have optional concentrations. 
   • The pre-health and pre-law tracks are optional, even if you are pursuing those professional pathways. They do not add requirements or items that are tracked in Stellic to your degree and will not affect degree certification. 
4. Submit and monitor email
   Click Submit. Changes are not instant; your request must be approved by your four-year advisor and the department academic representative (who will assign your new major advisor). A request can be placed on hold or denied. Check your email regularly in case they need additional information to approve your request. 

What to do after your major is declared:

Email your new major advisor to schedule your first meeting. During your meetings, you can clarify major requirements, plan out options for when to complete those requirements, and discuss both your short- and long-term goals for your academic experience at CWRU.  They will also be the person to release your registration advising hold each semester so that you can register for courses once your enrollment appointment opens. 

Review your degree requirements. Information regarding academic requirements is available in Stellic, accessed via SIS under the "Academic Progress" tile. Stellic will keep you on-track with degree requirements and help you build your graduation plan. You are encouraged to meet with your four-year advisor to review your Stellic degree audit.

Frequently Asked Questions: