Summer 2022 Change of Major Information
School of Social Sciences | Undergraduate Student Affairs Office
We understand that as new students, you may have questions about the possibility of
changing into a major this Summer that is different than the one that you were admitted
to originally. That's okay! On this page we will provide you with a little bit of
information on the Summer change of major process for majors both within Social Sciences
and in other Schools across campus.
Info for students admitted to a major in Social Sciences who wish to change to another
major also within Social Sciences:
New Freshmen
Please send an email to socsci@uci.edu prior to the date of your SPOP session with your change of major request. Be sure
to include your full name, UCI student ID number, current major, and new requested
major in your email. The final deadline for freshmen to request a change of major
within Social Sciences is August 23rd.
New Transfer Students
Please indicate your intended change of major when filling out the 2022 Transfer Pre-Advising Survey (deadline June 6th!). An advisor will review your change of major request while evaluating your previous
coursework and either confirm your request via email or provide you with more details
on how to meet our change of major requirements as part of your academic advising.
Info for students admitted to a major under another School who wish to change to a
major within Social Sciences:
All New Students
Social Sciences is not accepting change of major requests from students outside of
Social Sciences prior to Fall quarter. Students admitted to another major should complete
their new student advising with their current school over the Summer as normal. Then,
after September 1st, students interested in changing into one of our majors may email
our office to request more information on how to meet the Change of Major Requirements
for their intended major and advising on any possible changes to their Fall schedules.
These change of major emails may be sent to: socsci@uci.edu
Info for students admitted to a major in Social Sciences who wish to change to a major
under another School:
Different Schools at UCI have different policies regarding Summer change of major requests from new students. Below you'll find a chart that shows which Schools are accepting Summer change of major requests, as well as any deadlines or special information needed for submitting your request.
| School Program | Freshmen | Transfers | How to Request a Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arts | Yes (before July 1st) (Art, Drama & Arts-Undeclared only) |
Yes (before July 1st) (Art & Drama only) |
Email Amy Kim (amykim@uci.edu) |
| Biological Sciences | No | No | |
| Business | No | No | |
| Education | Yes | Yes | Email Zulakha Sheikh (zulakhas@uci.edu) |
| Engineering | No | No | |
| Humanities | Yes | Yes | Freshmen: Email Malinda Pang (pangmr@uci.edu) Transfers: Email Maribel Valentin (mvalentin@uci.edu) |
| Information & Computer Science | No | No | |
| Nursing | No | No | |
| Pharmaceutical Science | No | No | |
| Physical Sciences | No | Yes (before July 1st) | Email PS Student Affairs (pssazot@uci.edu) |
| Public Health | Yes | Yes | Email PH Student Affairs (phuao@uci.edu) |
| Social Ecology | Yes (before June 15th) |
Yes (before June 6th) (PSCI requires 3.0 GPA) |
Freshmen: https://uci.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aa7mXp0j7tSffFP Transfers: https://uci.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_558hJxJS2jnNeDP |
| Social Sciences | No | No | |
| Undergraduate / Undeclared | Yes | Yes | Email Norma Arevalo (narevalo@uci.edu) |
For Schools who are not accepting change of major requests this Summer, students will be required to meet the Change of Major Requirements for their intended major prior to being able to change into that major.
Additional Information for Psychology Majors
Did you know that UCI actually offers another psychology major under the School of
Social Ecology? It's true! The School of Social Ecology offers a B.A. in Psychological
Science, which is separate from the majors offered under the School of Social Sciences.
In an effort to make sure that all of our psychology students at UCI are in the appropriate
major for their academic and personal goals, we would like to provide you with a quick
explainer on the differences between the psychology majors in Social Sciences and
Social Ecology in case the major you were admitted to is not the best one for you.
B.A. Psychology Major - Social Sciences
(The B.A. Psych major is being discontinued as of Spring 2024, so no change of major
requests will be accepted to this major as of this Fall)
- Introduces students to general principles of psychology
- Focuses on areas of psychology such as: cognition, learning, memory, hearing, and vision
- A good major for students who are interested in general psychology but want to dive into the areas listed above
B.S. Psychology Major - Social Sciences
- Introduces students to general principles of psychology
- Focuses on biological and neuroscientific areas of psychology
- Requires science and math coursework
- Requires research methods and experimental psychology coursework
- A good major for students who may want to pursue graduate school, research, or medical school
B.A. Psychological Sciences Major - Social Ecology
- Introduces students to general principles of psychology
- Focuses on social and behavioral areas of psychology such as: child development, health & occupational psychology, clinical, and forensic psychology
- Requires fieldwork in an area related to the major
- A good major for students who may want to pursue clinical careers in counseling or therapy
If you were admitted into the B.A. or B.S. Psychology major and decide that the B.A. Psychological Science major would be a better fit for you, please make sure to submit the change of major request form linked by the School of Social Ecology in the chart above by the posted deadlines in order to change your major this Summer! Otherwise, you will be required to meet the Change of Major Requirements starting in Fall in order to switch majors in the future.
Questions? Concerns?
Please send us an email at socsci@uci.edu with your full name, UCI student ID, and your questions!
All emails are answered by a full-time academic advisor.