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Change of Major Dates

Primary Major Change

When a change of major time opens up, students can request a new primary major through Hokie SPA. Each college will run its own process to determine if it can accept the student and will then notify the student of the decision. This process applies to students who wish to change their primary major. Requests for adding secondary majors will still follow the current paper process.

There are two types of majors at Virginia Tech, restricted and non-restricted. Restricted majors have specific criteria students must meet to be eligible to declare. Please review the restricted majors section below for a complete list of restricted majors and their criteria.

Step-by-step instructions available on how to apply for a new primary major.

Take Note
Spring 2024 Summer 2024 Fall 2024
Change of Major Opens
December 11, 2023 May 2, 2024  
Deadline to Apply for Major Change
January 5, 2024 May 17, 2024  

Secondary Majors, Minors, and Concentrations

The following table shows when colleges are processing secondary majors, minors, and/or concentrations.

College  

 College of Ag & Life Sciences (CALS)

Requests will be processed anytime.*

*HNFE will process secondary major requests during the Change of Major Application period.

 College of Architecture, Arts, and Design (AAD)

Requests will be processed anytime.

Pamplin College of Business (PCOB)

Secondary major requests will be processed during the Change of Major Application period.*

*Minor applications and changes to concentrations will be processed anytime.

College of Engineering (COE)

Secondary major and minor requests will be processed during the Change of Major Application period.*

*Concentrations will be processed anytime.

College of Liberal Arts & Human Studies (CLAHS) Requests will be processed anytime.
College of Natural Resources & Environment (CNRE) Requests will be processed anytime.
College of Science (COS) Requests will be processed anytime.

Students should be aware that there are some academic majors and programs within the university that have strict entrance requirements or are in such high demand that they cannot accommodate all who wish to enter them. Administrators of these restricted programs must be selective in allowing students to transfer in from other majors within the university and in permitting second majors or minors. Students seeking entrance into such restricted programs should consult the appropriate department.

Restricted programs for internal transfers are as follows:

College Program Criteria Effective Through
College of Agriculture and life Sciences Nutrition and Dietetics

Internal Transfers:

  • Overall GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • Grade of C- or higher in CHEM 1035

Students not yet meeting these criteria are encouraged to enter the Exercise and Health Sciences major as a first step. There are no restrictions for Exercise and Health Sciences.

External Transfers:

  • Competitive GPA for university admission.

Completion or progress toward completion of prerequisite coursework for the major, with particular emphasis on General Chemistry, as outlined on the Admissions Transfer Roadmap.

 
College of Architecture, Arts, and Design
Architecture, Industrial Design, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture
  1. Incoming Freshmen and External Transfers:
    • SA+D’s undergraduate programs are among the most selective at Virginia Tech. In a typical year, the university receives well over 1,000 applicants to the school's undergraduate programs, and we are able to accommodate less than one-third. While our criteria does not differ from the university’s admission criteria, average SAT scores and high school GPA's for students offered admission to the school's programs are among the highest in the university.
  2. Internal Transfers:
    • The university offers students not accepted as freshmen into the school's undergraduate majors (Architecture, Industrial Design, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture) the option of entering University Studies. In this program, freshmen begin their university education with the opportunity to transfer into the SA+D upon completion of two semesters through a process delineated in the Internal Transfer Policy for the following five steps.
    • Annual Information Session: In mid-October, the four undergraduate program chairs of SA+D hold a meeting coordinated with the University Studies program. It is open to all students, but is directed specifically toward University Studies students. The objectives are to explain the difference and opportunities between the school's various majors and curricula, to communicate the process for applying to the Summer Qualifying Design Lab (Summer Studio), and the requirements for change of major to Architecture, Industrial Design, Interior Design, or Landscape Architecture. The application form, which outlines requirements and conditions, is also provided at the University Studies office in Femoyer Hall and the School of Architecture + Design office in Cowgill Hall. The school's Internal Transfer Policy and the Internal Transfer applications for each of the undergraduate programs are posted on the school's website (http://archdesign.vt.edu/admissions/transfer).
    •  Application Deadline: The application deadline is published each year on the school's website and is generally scheduled sometime in mid-February. Portfolios or other examples of design work are not required, but are allowed to be included with the application.
    • Faculty Screening of Applications: The four program chairs review the applications and interview all of those that meet the minimum academic requirements for acceptance.
    • Notification of Acceptance. By mid-March, the program chairs rank the applicants by degree of academic qualification indicative of an ability to succeed in undergraduate-level study in the design disciplines of Architecture, Industrial Design, Interior Design, or Landscape Architecture acceptance. Admission of internal transfers is conditional upon successful completion of the Summer Studio.
    • Successful Completion of Summer Studio: Summer I and II seek to introduce students to the studio learning environment of the school, and to assess the level of competency of each student to enable appropriate placement in either the first year or second year of their desired major. Successful completion of the Summer Studio ensures acceptance to the SA+D degree program. The restriction on Internal Transfers is viewed as an integral part of the school's overall enrollment management strategy. It is a proven way to regulate the school's overall enrollment of approximately 1200 students (all academic programs within the school, graduate and undergraduate), consistent with capacity constraints, to ensure that the school continues to offer the highest possible quality of education to its students and maintain Its professional accreditation, as well as its high national rankings among undergraduate professional degree programs.
 
   Art (Creative Technologies, Studio Art, and Graphic Design)

 

The Creative Technologies, Studio Art, and Graphic Design majors are restricted majors which typically admit an incoming cohort of around 20 first-year and external transfer students each year.

Only when seats open in our program do we have room to allow for internal major changes to these restricted majors.  The availability of internal major changes is most likely during the August major change period in advance of fall semester, but it is never a guarantee that we will have room to accept internal major changes.

In order to transfer to either of these majors, students should have a minimum 2.5 GPA and apply using the change of major form in hokiespa.  Faculty will review the individual petitions for major changes via hokiespa and make decisions on a case by case basis as to whether or not there is room to admit the student to any of these majors.

Portfolios are not accepted as part of the change of major process.

Students exploring these restricted majors are eligible to enroll in our foundation studio classes, if space is available.  Taking these courses does not expedite time towards graduation, or increase the chances of being allowed to change majors.

These courses are:

  • ART 1204 - Principles of 2D Art & Design
  • ART 1404 - Principles of Drawing
  • ART 1504 - Contemporary Art & Practice
  • ART 1604 - Principles of 4D Art & Design

When exploring the Creative Technologies, Studio Art, and Graphic Design majors, it is important to consider time towards graduation.  Due to the sequencing of classes, it typically takes students 4 years to finish these majors from the time they successfully change majors.

 

 
Pamplin College of Business Accounting and Information Systems, Business Information Technology, Finance,  Hospitality and Tourism Management,  Management, and Marketing
  1. New internal transfer requirements:

For students applying August 2019 and later.

  • Minimum in-major GPA: 2.5
  • Minimum overall GPA: 2.0
  • Completion of: ACIS 1504, MATH 1524, MGT 1104, ECON 2005
  • a. At least two of the above courses must be taken at VT (must earn a grade in at least two courses, cannot all be transferred)
  • b. No grade lower than C- earned in any of the above courses or any lower division business course attempted
  • All non-native Pamplin* students must re-apply when attempting to change or add a major. For example, a student from University Studies accepted into Finance would have to re-apply to change into BIT or add BIT as a second major
  • Acceptance based on competitive GPA and space availability in major
  • *Real Estate and Event & Experience Management students are subject to internal transfer requirements to change into or add a restricted business major.
Spring 2022
  Business Minor
  1. Completion of MATH 1524 (or equivalent)
  2. Minimum GPA of 2.0 in at least 24 credit hours at VT

Admission is offered upon completion of the above requirements and not competitively base among students

 
College of Engineering All  Engineering Majors
  1. General Engineering Students to Degree-Granting Engineering Majors
  2. Non-Engineering Students to Degree-Granting Engineering Majors
  3. Degree-Granting Engineering Majors to Degree-Granting Engineering Majors