When must I declare a major?

If a student is still undeclared after having earned 45 credits, then they will receive a hold and will be unable to register without developing a documented plan for being accepted into a major if they are not yet ready to decide. 

Students who are undecided about what major to declare should consult with either the Exploratory Program (exploratory@salemstate.edu, 106 North Campus Dining) or Academic Advising (advising@salemstate.edu, 1st floor Berry Library and Learning Commons) for assistance.  Career planning services are also available through Career Services (career@salemstate.edu, 105 Ellison Campus Center.)

Additional Information:

Students desiring to change their major or declare a major are required to submit a request through Navigator. In order to change or declare a major, students must have a 2.0 cumulative GPA and a minimum of a 2.0 average GPA in courses taken in the discipline of the desired major.  Some majors have additional requirements or higher GPA standards for retention and graduation from the major, so will also have higher standards for students entering the major. Students should review the academic department information in the catalog for any specific restrictions or additional requirements for their chosen major.  Not all majors are available in the traditional day program or in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

Students will be informed of the approval or disapproval of their request for a particular major and will be notified of the reasons for being disapproved by the department chairperson or coordinator of the major. If the request is disapproved, the student should meet with a professional advisor to develop an alternative plan and submit a major change request after developing the plan.  At the time a student’s major choice is approved, the student will be assigned to an advisor in the new major department.

Additional information about majors, double majors, and minors can be found in the catalog.