All undergraduate Goucher students must declare a major by the 9^th week in the 2^nd semester of their sophomore year. A second semester sophomore should have no less than 48 applied credits, and typically between 48-56 credits.

To declare a major, students must meet with the department chair in the program of interest. Department Chairs provide information on the major requirements and answer any questions regarding the field of study. They will assign students a faculty advisor who will guide them through the completion of the major and graduation requirements. Below, students can find clear instructions on how to declare, change, or delete a major or minor.

Students need to declare a Major before they can declare a Minor or a Concentration.

How to declare or change your major or minor

1. Students should locate the department chairs for their new major, minor, or concentration.
2. Students will then contact the department chairs via email to request a new major, minor, or concentration.
3. Department chairs will complete the declaration, using the link in myGoucher, Request to Change Student Major, Minor, or Concentration. Please note that the form can only be submitted by department chairs.
4. The department chairs will select the new major, minor, or concentration and select an advisor.
5. The form will log the request into a database and send a notification to the Associate Provost’s office with information provided in the form.
6. The Associate Provost’s assistant will review and process the request. Once processed, students will receive a notification of the requested changes and the information will be entered onto the student’s academic record and appear on the student‘s transcript.
7. Majors, minors and concentrations can be changed at any time using the same process.

How to delete your major, minor, or concentration

1. Students should select Delete Major, Minor, or Concentration from the Links section of myGoucher.
2. The web application will show the student’s current programs of study.
3. The student can select one or more to delete.
4. If a student only has one major, they will not be able to delete the major. Instead, the student should follow the How to Declare or Change Your Major or Minor process above to change their existing major.
5. The form will log the request into a database and send a notification to the Associate Provost’s office with information provided in the form.
6. The Associate Provost’s assistant will review and process the request. A notification will be sent to the student’s email and former advisor. 

What if I’m not ready to declare a major?

All incoming first-year students are assigned a Success Advisor. Success Advisors will help students develop an academic plan of study, connect with department chairs, and guide them in a process of self-discovery that will ultimately lead students to declare a major. Students should visit the Success Advising website for more information.

Success Advisors offer major exploration appointments for their advisees. During major exploration appointments, students will:

• Discuss courses of interest.
• Investigate majors and minors offered at Goucher to see what opportunities are available.
• Explore the DegreeWorks “what if” function to review a major and see what courses students would need to complete, and what courses they have already taken.

Students may also contact the Career Education Office (CEO) to schedule an appointment to discuss major choices and career options. For more information, please visit the CEO's Majors and Careers.

Tips for declaring your major or minor

• During the application process, stating a desired course of study is not the same thing as declaring a major. A Department Chair must submit the Request to Change Student Major, Minor, or Concentration for the student to start the declaration process.
• Once you declare your major, you will receive a faculty advisor. Faculty advisors are helpful resources to ensure you are completing your graduation requirements and learning about opportunities such as internships and study abroad opportunities.
• Some programs require that students declare the major in order to take certain courses.
• Students who will be abroad their 2^nd semester of their sophomore year or first semester of their junior year should declare prior to their study abroad so that they have enough time to get to know their faculty advisor before departure.
• Students do not need to declare their minor by the 2^nd semester of their sophomore year.
• Students do not need to declare their major or minor at the same time.

What is an IIM Major?

The Individualized Interdisciplinary Major requires early and specific planning in order to fulfill all of the degree requirements. It involves: 

• Combining three (3) academic areas of interest. 
• Students need to secure endorsement from a faculty advisor for each of the academic disciplines of study.
• Students must complete the process for declaring an IIM in their second semester of sophomore year. All students are required to declare a major prior to entering their junior year.
• Students need to submit the paperwork before the deadline. Please refer to Important Dates for Students for more information.