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Admission, Enrollment and Graduation Requirements
Undergraduate Programs Choosing an Undergraduate Major
Change of Major or Degree To change a major or degree a student must: Undergraduate • Obtain the form from the Office of the Registrar and obtain the signatures from your current and new majors, or • If changing a degree program in another school, submit a full application. Graduate • If changing a degree program at the same degree level within a school, submit the Change of Program Form to the office of Graduate Admissions (contact the office at (562) 903-4752 or go to the Admissions Front Counter in Metzger Hall), or • If changing a degree program in another school, submit a full application. Major changes submitted after the second week are effective for the following semester. A student may not avoid a requirement of Admission by a change in status. Whenever a student changes major or degree, they follow the catalog for the academic year in which they make the change. A student must be in good standing in the current major/degree program before requesting a change. Students are not allowed to change programs while on probation in their current program. They must clear their present academic status before changing to a new degree program. Double Degree Students seeking a second baccalaureate degree must complete a minimum of 30 unique credits with 24 unique upper-division credits in a second area of major studies. A minimum of 160 total credits are required for graduation with a double degree. All prerequisites, supporting courses and departmental requirements (i.e. Writing Competency) for each major must be completed. The student must confer with the departments in which he will major and with the Office of the Registrar. Double Major A student may graduate with two majors. The following information is for those pursuing two majors within the same degree: 1. All prerequisites, supporting courses and departmental requirements (i.e. Writing Competency) for each major must be completed. 2. The second major must have a 'minimum' of 18 upper-division credits unique to that major (i.e., minimum of 48 major credits and 148 total credits required—see individual major requirements). Students must confer with the departments in which they will major and with the Office of the Registrar. Minors Students who wish to declare a minor to further hone their studies in an area outside their major are encouraged to do so. A minor requires a minimum of 18 credits, 9 of which must be upper-division. A minimum of 9 credits must also be unique to the minor (not counted toward any other requirements). For sound academic reasons and with the approval of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, a school or department may offer a minor with as few as 6 upper-division credits and/or as few as 6 credits unique to the minor. At least 6 credits for the minor must be taken as Biola coursework. Students should seek academic advising from the
Every student should choose a major by the end of the sophomore year so that he or she may complete the major requirements in a timely fashion. To help students, the University has available a number of useful resources to assist in making the decision: academic advisors, career counselors, First-Year Seminar classes conducted during the first semester of attendance, curriculum charts detailing the academic requirements for each program, and various fliers and brochures produced by each department. The task of selecting a major (and often a minor or other complimentary specializations) becomes one of crystallizing ideas on the basis of experiences in specific courses, discussions with other students, staff and faculty. Faculty advising is a service offered to students; however each student is responsible for choosing courses and fulfilling graduation requirements. Students must plan freshman or sophomore programs which will permit them to enter or take advanced courses in fields they may want to pursue. They should be sure to begin or complete requirements such as mathematics, chemistry or a foreign language early in their academic careers. Students anticipating graduate or professional study should exercise special care in planning undergraduate programs and seek faculty counseling in the field of interest. Advance examination of the possibilities of graduate or professional study will be helpful to students who have clear educational and vocational objectives. The student's transcript cannot be altered to add a major or minor once
the degree is completed. Undeclared Majors
Students who are uncertain about their primary educational or vocational goals may enroll as undeclared majors. However, they should consult an advisor in the Academic Advising Office prior to registration each semester. While most undeclared students will enroll in primarily general education and Biblical Studies requirements, many general education requirements are "major specific" and should be chosen with possible majors in mind. A student is not normally allowed to stay Undeclared for more than 3 semesters without approval of the Office of Academic Advising. Planning a Major Program When students have selected a major field, they should study all the requirements that are specified in this catalog under their chosen degree program. They should make a tentative semester by semester plan for completing the requirements, including prerequisites, and discuss this plan with an advisor in the major. In addition to courses in the major department, related courses in other fields and supporting courses in basic skills may also be required. These should be included in the tentative semester by semester plan. Some departments require an application to the department and acceptance; and or placement tests prior to admission to classes. The times and places for the tests are determined by the department. Students should contact departments for testing times.
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