Washington State University and its various colleges reserve the right to change the rules regulating admission to, instruction in, and graduation from Washington State University and any other regulations affecting the student body. Such regulations shall go into effect whenever the proper authorities may determine and shall apply to prospective students and to those who may at that time be enrolled.
Enrollment, Registration, Dropping Courses, and Withdrawals
53. ADMISSION TO THE MAJOR
The undergraduate major is the in-depth field of study leading to the degree and includes a set of core courses that has been approved by the academic unit offering the major, as well as by the college and the Faculty Senate. The major represents approximately one-third (40) of the credits required for the undergraduate degree, though some majors require a higher percentage of the total credits. While most majors lead to a degree that shares the same name, some majors lead to a degree with a broader title (e.g., an Accounting major leads to the Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration).
Admission to the Major:
Major Requirements: Students can be admitted to a major upon enrollment if they satisfy the requirements set by the academic department. Students who are uncertain of their major, exploring majors, or not ready to declare a major will enroll as a Deciding/Exploring student. Exploring/Deciding students will declare a major before reaching 60 credits.
Academic units will provide students with a specific pathway to the degree that outlines major requirements (for example, grade point average, completion of specific courses) that students must achieve in order to be admitted and maintain eligibility for the major and degree.
Consult the catalog for specific major requirements.
Loss of Eligibility and Re-Entry to the Major:
University Requirements: A student in any major whose GPA falls below 2.0 is academically deficient under Rules 38 or 39 and may be released by the academic department.
A student is eligible to re-enter the major when the cumulative and major grade point averages are at or above the minimum level required by the university; additional departmental requirements for the major may also need to be met. Requirements for maintaining eligibility and completing the major will be those stated in the WSU Catalog at the time of re-entry into the major.
Departmental Requirements: A student who falls below the minimum departmental requirements for maintaining eligibility in the major, as approved by Faculty Senate and published in the WSU Catalog, may be released by the department after two semesters of falling below that minimum. The department must notify the student at the end of the first semester and establish conditions in writing that must be met the following semester of enrollment. If conditions are not met at the end of the following semester, documentation must be provided to the Academic Success and Career Center along with the request to release the student from the major.
A student may be eligible to re-enter into the same major when minimum departmental requirements are met. Contact department for information and options for meeting minimum departmental requirements for achieving and maintaining eligibility. Requirements for maintaining eligibility and completing the major will be those stated in the WSU Catalog at the time of re-entry into the major.