Academic Programs
MAJOR
The requirements a student must complete for the student's degree program (major(s), minor(s), and concentration(s)) are those published in the catalog in effect at the time students officially declare their first major. The year of the official declaration of a student's first major is recorded on the student's record as the student's catalog year.
A student is welcome to declare a major at any point during the first year, and is required to do so by the end of the sophomore year. Only under exceptional circumstances, after review and approval of a petition for special consideration, may a major be changed after the end of the junior year.
Unless different regulations are specified under the departmental requirements for graduation, a student who fails to attain a 2.0 grade point average in introductory and intermediate courses within the major may not be accepted by that department as a major.
The minimum number of units for a major is prescribed by the individual departments. The maximum units that may be required by a department is 48, but a student who wishes to do so may take more than the required number of units in the major subject. At least 64 units of coursework counting toward the Bachelor of Arts degree, however, must be taken outside the major department. In any single semester, students are strongly discouraged from taking more than 12 units in a single department.
A student who wishes to complete more than one major must complete all requirements, including the second-stage writing and the comprehensive requirement, for each major.
Occidental College currently offers the following majors:
MINOR
A student may declare an academic minor. A minor is not required to earn the Bachelor of Arts degree. Students should consult the appropriate department or program section of this catalog for the minor requirements. Students who wish to declare minors must do so no later than the end of the fall semester of the senior year.
In addition to the programs listed above (unless otherwise, designated), the following minors are also available to students:
Classical Studies
Education
Food Studies
Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies
German
Interdisciplinary Writing
Linguistics
Neuroscience
Public Health
Russian