How and When to Declare a Major
We recommend that Pathway Advising students complete at least one semester with us before declaring a major — we want to be sure you have an opportunity to settle in, explore options, and demonstrate a minimum level of academic success before moving on.
Once you have decided on a major and have a UWM GPA of 2.00 or higher, we’ll assist you with the process of declaring a major. (Please note that some UWM majors are selective, and may require specific classes, GPA, or a combination of requirements for declaration.)
Declaring your major means that you’ll progress from your metamajor pathway into one of the degree-granting undergraduate majors offered by UWM’s Schools and Colleges. Consult with an advisor if you plan a double major, or want to pair your major with a minor or certificate.
The steps towards declaring a major depend both on where you are in your overall enrollment process and what major(s) you’ve decided to declare, but we encourage all of our students to declare a major sometime prior to the start of their second year (or third semester) of college work.
Declaring a Major in the College of Letters & Science
If you are declaring a major offered by UWM’s College of Letters & Science, you should first switch your affiliation to the college through the College of Letters & Science Change of Program Request.
Not sure if the major your intend to declare is in L&S? Use this filtered list of L&S majors on our Academic Programs page. (If you don’t see your major on that list, your planned major is in a different UWM School or College — see “Declaring All Other Majors” below.)
Once switched to Letters & Science, talk with your new L&S advisor to discuss the required steps to declare your chosen major.
Declaring All Other Majors
If you are currently at a 2.00 GPA or higher and are ready to declare a major offered by any of UWM’s other Schools and Colleges, your Pathway Advising advisor will help you with the declaration process. You can review this filtered list of all non-L&S majors if you’re not certain whether this process applies to you.
Steps:
- Contact your Pathway Advising advisor to affirm your interest in a particular major.
- Your advisor will send an alert to the UWM School or College that houses your major.
- Monitor your UWM email for a response from the School or College.
- If you don’t hear from a representative from that School or College after a week or so, please let your Pathway Advising advisor know so that we can follow up with your intended program.
Newly Admitted Students
Sometimes students apply to UWM as “Undecided” and later decide they’d like to declare a specific major prior to attending orientation. If this is true for you, you can utilize the Change Your Major function in your UWM Admissions portal to request that our Admissions office re-review your application materials for consideration in your intended program.