Academic Catalog 2016-2018 > Undergraduate Education General Degree & Admissions Information > Undergraduate Education General Degree Information > Classification of Students and Program Options

Classification of Students and Program Options

Classification of Students

All students who are enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program are classified as follows, for the purposes of registration, regardless of major:

Class levels for Nursing and Health Science majors, for the purposes of progression in their major programs, are determined by the academic department.

The Major

Students must declare a major no later than the first semester of their junior year (i.e., by the time they have earned 60 semester units). However, students who transfer a minimum of 60 units to Domincan at the time of their enrollment are not required to declare a major at matriculation; students transferring a minimum of 60 units must declare a major before they have completed 18 additional at Dominican.

Students may choose to concentrate in one of the many major fields of study currently offered, or plan an interdisciplinary major. In order to declare a major, students must have a ‘C’ (2.0) GPA in lower division courses in the major. For a listing of all major programs offered, please see the list of Programs Offered section of this catalog.

General Requirements for a Major

• A minimum of 24 upper division units: Includes all requirements designated by the major department
• A minimum GPA of ‘C’ (2.0) in courses in the major field
• Completion of a senior thesis, research project, presentation, and/or comprehensive exam

For specific major requirements, please see the applicable sections of this catalog.

Academic Standing in the Major

The University reserves the right to request a student to withdraw from a major or a program due to unsatisfactory performance in the theoretical and/or practical phases of the program.

The Interdisciplinary Major

For students choosing to study in a broader area than is afforded by a conventional major field, the University offers the opportunity to design an interdisciplinary major, with courses chosen from two or more disciplines. Courses should constitute a coherent, integrated course of study. Courses are selected with a view to preparing the student for a senior project or thesis, directed toward a specific interdisciplinary problem.

When registering for their junior year, a student initiates the process of declaring the Interdisciplinary major by obtaining the Interdisciplinary Contract Major form, found at the Academic Advising and Achievement Center. The student, with a faculty representative from each of the disciplines, designs a program of courses to fit their goals. The signed contract should then be filed in the Registrar’s Office before the beginning of the second semester of their junior year.

Requirements for the Interdisciplinary Major

• Core upper division units: Customarily 18 upper division units in one discipline
• Total upper division units in the interdisciplinary major: 35-45 units, consisting of the core units above and units from additional disciplines
• Completion of a senior project or thesis, under the direction of a faculty advisor

Please note that the Interdisciplinary major is not recommended for students transferring to Dominican as second semester juniors; this degree track requires the equivalent of four semesters of full-time coursework at Dominican for completion.

The Double Major

Students choosing to concentrate in two fields which yield the same degree, and thereby to carry a double major, are required to:

• Maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 in all courses in both major fields
• Have the written consent of the chairs of both major departments

A maximum of 9 units may be used to fulfill the requirements of both majors. One degree is conferred, with two majors. The exceptions are majors with multi-disciplinary design that have been designed to share a significant amount of curriculum. The maximum number for double-dip units (excludes double-dip between major and General Education) is as indicated below:

• Health Science (General) & Public Health: 9 units plus Capstone/Senior Thesis or Project
• Political Science & International Studies: 13 units plus Capstone/Senior Thesis or Project plus Internship

These exceptions to the 9-unit maximum also apply to concurrent degrees in the majors listed above.

Concurrent Degree Programs (BA, BS, and/or BFA in combination)

An undergraduate student may work simultaneously toward two degrees. In order to qualify for both degrees, a student must:

• Complete all GE requirements
• Complete all departmental degree requirements for each degree
• Complete a minimum total of 72 upper division units

Upon completion of the above requirements, two degrees are conferred, one for each major.

Should a student meet the academic requirements of both degrees without completing the minimum 72 upper division units, only one degree will be conferred, and thus only one degree and major will be listed on the diploma. In this case, the student will be considered to have completed a double major, instead of two degrees. Both majors will be designated as completed on the student’s final transcript.

The Minor

Students may elect a minor course of study, though they are not required to do so. Students who expect to obtain California State Teaching Credentials are advised to pursue a minor.

General Requirements for a Minor

• A minimum of 12 upper division units in the minor: Includes all minor requirements as designated by the minor department
• A minimum GPA of ‘C’ (2.0) in all courses used to fulfill the minor requirements
• A minimum of one half of the upper division units used to fulfill the minor requirements must be taken at Dominican

If major requirements also include courses which fulfill a student’s declared minor, those courses may count toward the fulfillment of both the major and minor requirements; there is no limit to the number of units that may overlap between the major and the minor.