On April 11, 2019, the Faculty Senate approved a revision to the academic regulation governing certification requirements for the major (effective fall 2020). Beginning fall 2020, the terminology will change: students will be “admitted to a major” rather than “certified in a 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 credit hours required for the undergraduate degree, though some majors require a higher percentage of the total credit hours. 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. The School of Design and Construction has developed requirements for each academic program as follows:
DESIGN (Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture)
Pre-Professional Program: Upon admission to the university, students indicating academic interest in a pre-professional program in Architecture , Interior Design, or Landscape Architecture will be assigned an advisor in the SDC.
Professional Program: Complete COM 102 [COMM], ENGL 101 [WRTG], Fine Arts 101, 201, or 202 [ARTS], HIST 105 [ROOT], PSYCH 105 or SOC 101 [SSCI], and SDC 100, 120, 140 each with a grade of C or better and an overall GPA of 3.3 or higher to continue into second year courses in Architecture, Interior Design, or Landscape Architecture. Students not meeting the “admission to major” criteria above will be considered until enrollment limits are reached. Greater emphasis is given to performance in SDC 100, 120, and 140.
Completion of all pre-professional coursework does not guarantee acceptance into the professional program due to enrollment limits. Students are encouraged to work with SDC advisors to identify an alternate major should they not be admitted to their primary choice of major.
Remain in good standing in major: Earn a grade of C or better in all major courses required for the degree. All seniors must complete an exit survey and participate in a portfolio review.
Transfer Students: A limited number of transfer students are considered each year. Requirements include completion of the pre-professional courses (or approved equivalents). Emphasis is given to cumulative GPA. A design portfolio may be requested for additional evaluation.
Construction Management
Pre-Professional Program: Students indicating academic interest in the pre-professional program in Construction Management will be assigned an advisor in the SDC.
Professional Program: Complete CST M 102, SDC 100 [ARTS], [COMM], ENGL 101 [WRTG], SOE 101 or CHEM 105 [PSCI], ECON 101 and 102 [SSCI], [HUM] or [DIVR], History 105 [ROOT], and MATH 171 [QUAN] each with a grade of C or better and an overall GPA of 3.3 or higher. Students not meeting the “admission to major” criteria above may still be considered until enrollment limits are reached.
Completion of all pre-professional coursework does not guarantee acceptance into the professional program due to enrollment limits. Students are encouraged to work with SDC advisors to identify an alternate major should they not be admitted to their primary choice of major.
Remain in good standing in major: Earn a grade of C or better in all major courses required for the degree. All seniors must complete an exit survey.
Transfer Students: A limited number of transfer applicants are considered each year. Requirements include completion of the pre-professional courses (or approved equivalents). Emphasis is given to cumulative GPA.
Footnotes
- Professional program courses begin in second year fall. Due to the sequential nature of courses there are no spring admits.
- Average enrollment limits into second year professional programs: Architecture (45), Construction Management (50), Interior Design (25), and Landscape Architecture (25). Enrollment limits increase slightly in third year with addition of articulation agreement students.
- Students interested in architecture are encouraged to be ready for MATH 106 (or higher) during the first semester of enrollment (minimum ALEKS math placement score of 70% or completion of pre-requisite courses). Students must complete PHYSICS 101 by the end of the second year
- Students interested in landscape architecture are encouraged to complete BIOLOGY 120 (Introductory Botany) and SOE 101 (Introduction to Geology) during the first year.
- Students interested in construction management must be MATH 171 (Calculus 1) or higher ready first semester (minimum ALEKS math placement score of 83% or prerequisite courses) to be eligible for admission to the major in the second year of the program.