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Request (or Drop) a Double-Major

These instructions are only for students in the College of Arts and Sciences. 

Please note that CAS students who want to add a 2nd Major housed in either the College of Business or the College of Music and Media must make the college of Business or College of Music and Media their PRIMARY Major, and make the CAS Major the 2nd Major after they have transitioned (request this from your NEW Dean's office). This ensures that the more challenging and electively-challenged Major gets proper attention and advisement.

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Before requesting a 2nd Major, view Major requirements in the Bulletin:

1) For new students, navigate to the appropriate college in the current Bulletin, then to the Major or Minor listing.

http://bulletin.loyno.edu/ > Directory > Undergraduate Bulletin > College > Department...

2) For existing/continuing students, choose the Bulletin Archives, and then the Undergraduate or Graduate Bulletin, and then the year you started at Loyola, and then narrow your selections from there... 

http://bulletin.loyno.edu/bulletin-archive/undergraduate-bulletin

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Qualified* students who have completed two full semesters of their freshmen year and have earned a minimum GPA of 3.0 may pursue two majors. Students must successfully complete...

  • The Loyola Core requirements of the first major
  • Any additional, named, Loyola Core requirements specific to the second major (for example, CAS Social Science Majors who add a non-Social Science 2nd Major must now take a Loyola Core Social Science course).
  • All of the major and adjunct requirements for both programs: This includes language requirements -- if your primary Major doesn't have a language requirement, but your 2nd Major DOES, you are responsible for the language, and most language-sensitive Majors take a year (2 semesters) minimum. No exceptions. 
  • The comprehensive and/or exit examination requirements for both majors.
  • The Capstones of both Majors (if both Majors include that requirement).

Courses listed in the adjunct column for any declared major are treated the same as general electives and may be applied to a 2nd major or minor.  

Students who complete the requirements for two majors will only receive one degree from Loyola. The degree is based on the student's primary major. 

Transcripts will indicate the bachelor's degree awarded as well as the two majors. 

Students who pursue majors in different degrees, such as Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Business Administration, must declare as their primary degree whichever requires the higher number of major and adjunct hours. 

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*For most 2nd degree-plans, the courses taken for the 2nd Major's requirements will count in the Primary degree-plan's General Electives (GE) first. Then they legally double-dip to the 2nd Major.

  • If a student has little or no GE built into their Primary degree-plan, or if they have already fulfilled all of their GE, taking on a 2nd Major will mean extending the time spent at Loyola.
  • Before requesting a double-major, navigate to your Progress report in LORA to see how much GE you have remaining.
  • Candidates should also check with Financial Aid to understand how much FA they have remaining in case they would need to take on extra semesters to complete the 2nd Major.
  • If a 2nd Major is approved, but for any reason, the student doesn't plan to finish it, they must Drop the 2nd Major before applying for graduation.

Steps to Request (or Drop) a Double-Major

1. Prepare an email with the below information in the SUBJECT line of your email:

  • First and Last name, Campus-wide ID#, Request 2nd Major in SUBJECT (or Drop 2nd Major in SUBJECT)
  • For example: Jane Smith, ID#12345678 – Requesting 2nd Major in English (or Dropping 2nd Major in English)

2. Send to:

3. If approved, you will receive confirmation from your college-level advisor, and your new requirements will appear in your Progress account (in LORA), usually the next day.

  • Access LORA through your Single-Sign-On Portal.

 

WHEN YOUR 2ND MAJOR IS APPROVED AND ADDED:

  • Login to your Progress report asap. Click Expand All at the top of the page, and scroll down past your General Electives. Make sure your new requirements are as expected. Knowledge of and fulfillment of your requirements is ultimately your responsibility! See also Graduation Tips (Your Progress Report in LORA).
  • NOTE: Exceptions, substitutions, waivers, and other items may need to be adjusted. Your Progress report is programmed to apply courses in a particular order, and some legal double-dips may have to be manually applied: Contact your advisor and your Dean's office representative about any inconsistencies you may see.
  • For all of these scenarios, if you have dual-enrollment, transfer, or advanced placement credits, review the positioning of these, and reach out to your advisor and your Dean's office contact immediately to ensure they are applied appropriately. Your school has generous AP policies and is as transfer friendly as allowable -- it's possible that some of these kind of credits weren't being used in your degree-plan before, and they may now be relevant.

Official Bulletin Policy