Declare or Change Major, Minor, or Advisor Form
Major Decisions Events 2024Major Celebration Event
DECLARE OR CHANGE MAJOR, MINOR, ADVISOR
Undergraduate students must complete at least one major to receive a degree from Puget Sound. Majors may be declared after the first term of study for entering first-year students or immediately for transfer students. Students must declare a major by the end of their sophomore year.
Students wishing to declare or change their majors may do so by completing our Declare or Change Major, Minor, Advisor Form. Once you submit your form, we will reach out if we have any questions related to getting these changes entered into your program record. Otherwise, expect to see the changes in your myPugetSound within two weeks (time may be longer if form is submitted before or during registration week). If this is a more urgent request (for example, a major needs to be declared before your registration appointment), then please contact our office to clarify. If you have any questions about this process, please contact Joy Kiefer in Academic Advising.
At the time a student declares a major they may also choose any Bulletin in effect during their time of enrollment, so long as no more than six years elapse between first enrollment and graduation. The chosen Bulletin will define all degree requirements for the student; students cannot have one Bulletin year for major and a second Bulletin year for core or other degree requirements.
SELECT ADVISOR
All undergraduate students must be assigned a primary academic advisor (usually a member of the permanent faculty) at all times. Entering first-year students are assigned an academic advisor in association with a first-year advising class and are expected to retain that advisor until the end of their second year or the point at which they declare a major, whichever comes first. Entering transfer students are assigned a primary advisor either from Academic Advising or in the department of their intended major. Students with declared majors must have a primary advisor in the department of their first major. Students without declared majors may change primary advisors at any time (after the first term of study for entering first-year students).
When a student declares their major, they are required to select an advisor in the department of that major. If you need assistance selecting an advisor, please call or email Academic Advising. For additional guidance on finding a new primary advisor in the department of your major, refer to How to Find a New Primary Advisor, including the section of Frequently Asked Questions.
Students may add a secondary advisor at any time. Secondary advisors are permitted to view students' academic records but cannot authorize registration or transact other primary advising business for students. A student may request a secondary advisor when they are pursuing second major, a minor, a particular area of graduate study (pre-medicine or pre-law, for example) or when they wish faculty members to have access to their academic information for other reasons (letters of recommendation, for example).
SUPPORT FOR CHOOSING YOUR MAJOR
Not sure what you want to major in yet?
Attend any of the four Major Decisions Events, hosted by our AMAZING peer advising team, to offer guidance with helping you find your path to a major.
Be sure to check out the MD Events Slideshow if you want a recap of what the PA team covered or were not able to attend
We also encourage you to check out this short video featuring stories about how past peer advisors found their path to a major at Puget Sound.