Major/Minor/Certificate Declaration

Students are expected to declare a major during the fourth semester of enrollment.  Students who have not declared a major by the priority registration period of their fourth semester are prevented from registering (see Holds).  Minors and curricular certificates must be declared no later than mid-semester of a student's last semester of enrollment.

 Instructions

• Download the Declaration of Program of Study form.
• Set up an appointment with the chair of each department or program in which you are declaring a program of study.
• Prior to your appointment(s), run and print a “What-If” degree evaluation for your proposed program(s) of study
  • log in to your Banner self-service account
  • follow the “Student Services” link
  • follow the “Student Records” link
  • follow the “Sewanee Online Degree Audit (SODA)" link (make sure you have enabled pop-ups for your browser)
  • after SODA opens, click on the “What-If” tab on the left side of your browser window
  • from the drop-down boxes, choose your
    • Level = Undergraduate
    • Degree = Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science
    • Academic Year = Catalog Year of the program of study you will be following (this will be the catalog beginning with the current year)
    • Major = one or more majors you intend to declare (you must choose at least one major)
    • Minor = any minors you intend to declare (none required)
    • College = College of Arts and Sciences
    • Curricular Certificate = any curricular certificates you intend to declare (none required)
  • click the “Process What-If” button near the top of the page
  • print the “What-If” Audit
• Complete the Declaration of Program of Study form.
• Take the completed form along with the printed “What-If” audit to your appointment with each chair and secure his or her signature. If you are declaring a major, you must also secure the signature of the major advisor.
• Return the completed form to the Office of the University Registrar.

In order to declare, students must have a minimum grade point average of 2.0 in any coursework they have taken toward the major.  If students have not yet completed any coursework in an area, they may still submit the declaration form but their form will be held until the courses are completed with the required GPA.  A student must declare a major by the end of their third year of enrollment or they will not be permitted to continue their enrollment at Sewanee.

What has changed now that Sewanee confers degrees three times per year?

You will see on the revised declaration form that students will indicate their intent to complete their degree requirements in Advent, Easter, or Summer.  Students who complete their degree requirements in Summer or Advent are welcome to participate in Commencement the following May.  While the vast majority of students will continue to complete degree requirements in Easter and receive the degree in May, there will be some number of students who complete at other times during the year.  If a student is ahead or behind in their progress, this might prompt an advising conversation.  Alternatively, the student may visit our office and we will be glad to discuss the timeline and decisions involved.

What happens if a student has not yet completed any coursework in their intended major?

Students are expected to present a 2.00 GPA in the major in order to declare.  Students who are currently enrolled in coursework that would apply to the major may contact an advisor to declare the major, and the advisor may choose to work with them as a prospective major.  If the advisor agrees to do this, the student should submit the completed declaration form to our office.  We will inform the student that, after final grades have been posted, we will review the record and determine if the student is eligible to declare the major.  If the student does not complete the coursework with the requisite GPA, we will contact the student and advisor and pursue alternative options or timelines.

What happens if a student has completed coursework but the GPA in the major is below a 2.00?

When reviewing the Sewanee Online Degree Audit (SODA) ‘What-If’ audit of a prospective major, if the GPA for the major portion of the audit is less than 2.00, the prospective advisor is still welcome to work with the student.  If the new advisor agrees to do so, the student should submit the completed declaration form to our office.  We will inform the student that, after final grades have been posted, we will review the record and determine if the student is eligible to declare the major.  If the student qualifies, we will record the declaration and inform the student and advisor.  If the student does not achieve the requisite GPA, we will contact the student and advisor and pursue alternative options and timelines.

Why should a student visit the Office of the University Registrar who does not qualify to declare a major?

When a prospective major advisor is willing to work with a student who does not yet qualify to declare a major, it is beneficial to the institution and the student to visit our office.  When students come to us, it allows us to communicate College policy regarding declaring a major and also to monitor their progress and update their curriculum records when they do qualify.  We are also able to transfer them from our ‘Undeclared’ list to a separate list so we only remind students who truly have not yet declared a major.

What happens if a student is not qualified to declare a major after two years of enrollment? 

A student who has completed two years of study and is in good academic standing, but who has not achieved a 2.00 GPA in the intended major field of study, may be permitted to register for one additional year. A student who, at the end of an additional year, is still not qualified to declare a major will not be permitted to enroll again.