Curriculum & Catalog Changes

Students should talk with their new advisors before initiating this process.

Changing your major is a simple process and you have many resources and tools to determine if changing your major is the right thing for your future goals.  Consider exploring these resources before changing your major.

1. Visit with an advisor in your potentially “new” major
• Chatting with an advisor in your potential new major is a great way to understand how your previous coursework might complement your new program requirements or better understand the rigor and research opportunities in your new field of study.
• You can find advising contacts in each department here: https://www.montana.edu/advising/toolkitresources/change-of-curriculum-student-contacts.html
2. Visit with a Career Coach

• The Allen Yarnell Center for Student Success provides career counselors to assist students in learning about their strengths, reviewing resumes and cover letters, updating LinkedIn Profiles, preparing for job, internship, and graduate school interviews, and connecting students with experiential learning opportunities in their field of interest.
• Schedule a meeting with a Career Coach here: https://www.montana.edu/aycss/careers/career-coach.html

1. Explore the “my major” feature in NavMSU

• The My Major feature in NavMSU provides market salary information and potential fields of employment based on your chosen degree.

1. Use the “What If” function in DegreeWorks to see how your progress toward earning your degree will be impacted.

• The “What If” function in DegreeWorks will show you how all your earned credit will apply to your potential new major. You can change your major, and multiple degrees or concentrations, or add a minor.  Understanding how changing your major will impact your time to degree is an important factor in choosing the program that is right for you.

Steps for Completing a Request

Changing your major is easy! Simply set up an appointment with new advisor/department.  Your advisor can access the Curriculum Change Request and will submit the change on your behalf.  You will be notified via email when the request is sent to the Registrar’s Office and when it is processed.

If your advisor is unfimilar with this process, you may initiate the Curriculum Change form via Docusign. 

If your curriculum requires professional licensure, please refer to the Professional Licensure & Certification Disclosures for On-campus and Online Programs section of this page for information regarding working outside Montana.

Important Details to Know Regarding a Curriculum Change

Catalog Year

MSU undergraduates who change majors may follow the catalog in effect when they began their freshman year at MSU or any subsequent catalog in effect prior to their graduation, provided there has been no break in attendance of more than one academic year. In these instances, too, the six-year catalog limitation policy applies... it may be necessary to make course substitutions within the department curricular requirements, due to changes in tabulations from year to year; students should consult with their academic advisors about this. The curriculum advisor and department certifying officer make the official check on degree-specific requirements for graduation. The Registrar provides the final check on university requirements: CORE, total credits earned, grade point, cumulative grade point average earned at MSU, as well as university-wide requirements.

Six-Year Catalog Limitation Policy

Each MSU-Bozeman catalog covers a specific time period beginning fall semester of the first year and ending the following summer session. From the time a student enters Montana State University, he or she has six years to fulfill the curricular requirements stated in the catalog in effect when he or she enters. If a student does not complete the requirements in six years, he or she must select a subsequent catalog. This policy applies to all students, including undergraduates who change curriculum and transfer students.

Second Major

A student may declare a second major by visiting with an advisor who can submit a curriculum change on their behalf.  A student may earn a second major by fulfilling the curricular requirements of that major in addition to the requirements of the primary major. The student is not required to complete additional core requirements for the second major since these requirements will be fulfilled with the primary major.

The department of the second major will assign an advisor to assist the student in meeting all the second major's requirements. The second major will be posted on the student’s transcript at the time of graduation and upon verification by the Registrar that all curricular and procedural requirements have been met.

Second Bachelor’s Degree: Second Associate's Degree

To receive two baccalaureate degrees a student must complete all of the requirements for each degree including but not limited to Core/Gen Ed, all major requirements, Capstone Coursework, and 27 of the last 30 credits in residence.  In addition to meeting all of the courses required in both curricula the student must complete 30 credits beyond the larger number of credits required for either of the two degrees he or she is seeking.  Fifty-one credits (forty-two for the first degree: nine for the second) of the total minimum number of credits required for both degrees must be upper division.

To receive two associate degrees a student must complete all of the curricular requirements for each degree including any in-residence restrictions (generally at least 15 credits).  Additionally, a student must complete 15 unique credits; these are credits that are not counted toward the completion of the first degree.  Generally, a student who has met the requirements for both associate degrees who has at least 75 credits the last 15 of which are completed at Montana State University could be considered for a second associate degree.  

Minors

A student must declare his or her intentions of seeking a minor(s), by visiting with an advisor who will submit a curriculum change on their behalf prior to submitting a graduation application. Minor's must be linked to a baccalaureate degree. A student must be seeking or have already received an MSU baccalaureate degree to declare a minor(s). The minimum number of credits required for a minor is twenty-one, with nine of those being upper-division credits. A student may not receive a minor in the same discipline as their major(s).  There are two categories of minors:

Teaching Minors

Students must be pursuing a teaching major to pursue a teaching minor for licensing purposes. Teaching minors must be approved by the certifying officer in the Education Department.

Non-Teaching Minors

Non-teaching minors must be approved by the certifying officer in the related department