Screened Major Guidance for Continuing Students

What programs have screened majors on our campus?

• Jacobs School of Engineering – all majors in these departments:
  
  • Structural Engineering

Academic Requirements:

• Students must have completed the required screening courses for the desired major with a C- or higher in each course.
  • Screening courses are set by individual departments to ensure students have foundational knowledge for success. See linked department pages above for a list of the screening course requirements for each major.
• Students must have a minimum 2.0 UC GPA.

 Student Status:

• Must be a continuing student at UC San Diego. 
  • New Freshman Admits (NFRS): Students who have been enrolled for 1-6 quarters at UC San Diego (not including summer) may request to change their major.
• Transfer Students (TRAN): Transfer students do not typically change their majors after matriculation because of the impact of their time to degree. At the department’s discretion, transfer-admitted students can also switch to a screened major after completing a set of screening courses (which will include the transfer major preparation courses) within their first 1-3 quarters depending on the limit the department sets.

    Note about Enrollment Status:

  • Eligibility extends to students who are full-time or part-time during Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters. Summer quarters are not counted.
  • Quarters with full withdrawal or non-enrollment do not count.

Once students have completed the screening courses, as long as they are within the limit of enrolled quarters and have a minimum UC GPA of 2.0, they can switch to the screened major. To do this, students should submit a major change request through the Major/Minor Tool. The department will review individual requests on a rolling basis.

Unlike with a selective major, all students who complete the screening courses and request to switch within the specified quarter limits will be allowed into the screened major.  There is no further selection process. Requests are reviewed by the department on a rolling basis as students finish the screening courses and submit the major change request.

For questions about screening courses and the timeline to plan courses, students should contact the department advisors via the Virtual Advising Center.

For questions about the screened major application process and policies not answered on this page, students should contact selective-majors@ucsd.edu.