Major and Minor Requirements

Admission to a Major

Students may enroll at George Fox University with or without a specific major in mind. However, students must formally declare their major with the registrar. A first-year student should declare his or her major by the beginning of the second semester.

Some departments have an application and screening process for admission to a major. In those cases, the declaration of major form is considered to be a statement of intent, and the process is complete only when the department admits the student to the major.

Admission to the university does not imply automatic admission to a major. Entry into George Fox University may be with a major as an objective, but there is a process for declaring a major.

In most cases, admission to a major will include meeting initial standards, as in the example of admission to teacher education and music. Admission to a major is normally accomplished no later than the end of the junior year, or before the completion of 90 credits.

A major is successfully completed when all major courses are completed with no grade below a C- and with a major GPA of 2.0 or above. A minimum of 10 semester hours within the major must be completed in residency.

Interdisciplinary Studies Majors

The interdisciplinary studies major consists of a minimum of 48 semester hours with either a 24/12/12-hour option from three fields or a 24/24-hour option from two fields. A field must consist of approved courses from any traditional undergraduate major, minor, or concentration currently offered according to the undergraduate catalog. Of these hours, 30 must be upper division. The 24/12/12 and the 24/24 options are permitted at the discretion of each department. The designation of the degree (BA or BS) for the 24/12/12 option is determined by the subject of the 24-credit concentration. The designation of the degree (BA or BS) for the 24/24 option is determined by the subject of both 24-hour concentrations. If the degrees for the two subjects differ, the student may elect BA or BS. The student must complete a contract form prepared in consultation with his or her advisor, the registrar, and the department chairperson of each concentration.

A student pursuing an interdisciplinary studies major as a second degree or second major may not choose as a subject area a discipline that is the student's first major or minor.

Selection of a Minor

A minor is a package of elective courses that have a common bond and that identify certain interests and competencies. Usually a minor consists of an approved group of courses with no fewer than 18 semester hours, 6 of which must be upper-division credit. The registrar's office will provide information on requirements, or some are listed in this catalog.

A minor is successfully completed when all minor courses are completed with no grade below a C- and with a minor GPA of 2.0 or above.