Navigating Double Majors at UCF: A Comprehensive Guide

Declaring a major is a pivotal moment in a student's academic journey. At the University of Central Florida (UCF), students have the opportunity to pursue a double major, allowing them to delve into two distinct fields of study. This article provides a detailed overview of the requirements, considerations, and processes involved in pursuing a double major at UCF.

Understanding Degree Programs, Minors, and Certificates

Before diving into the specifics of double majors, it's essential to understand the different academic options available at UCF:

Degree Program: A course of study offered by a department or school that leads to a baccalaureate degree.
Minor: An area of specialization that complements a major. Minors are authorized only for certification with baccalaureate degrees and must be certified at the same time. Students are encouraged to declare a minor as early as possible, with the deadline being the submission of the online Intent to Graduate Form.
Undergraduate Certificate: An optional supplement to the bachelor's degree program/major. Students must be admitted to a degree-seeking program to be eligible and the certificate is granted upon completion of a UCF baccalaureate degree. All graduation requirements (certificate, major, minor) must align with the same UCF Undergraduate Catalog.

Declaring a Major: Initial Steps

Declaring a major is an important step in your college career. To make an informed decision, students should:

Research various majors: Explore the different programs offered at UCF.
Visit department offices: Gather information and resources from the respective departments.
Ask questions: Speak with current students majoring in areas of interest.
Consult with an advisor: It’s always best to consult with a Departmental or College advisor before changing majors to ensure no delays in graduation.

Most majors in the College of Sciences are open-access programs, without limitations on student declaration. However, some programs have more complex entrance requirements.

For limited access programs, entrance requirements vary, so it's crucial to consult with an advisor about the specific process. This may involve a separate application, specific courses with required grades, or a minimum GPA.

When initially declaring a Limited Access major, the major name will be followed by “Pending”, indicating that acceptance into the program is not yet finalized.

Academic Support and Resources

At UCF, advisors are called Academic Success Coaches (ASCs). Students can find their ASC's name and contact information on the myUCF portal.

The main COSAS office is located on the UCF main campus on the 2nd floor of the College of Sciences Building (room CSB 250), across from the Student Union Smoothie King.

Addressing Common Registration Issues

Several issues can prevent students from registering for courses. These include:

Holds: Check for any holds or to-dos on your account via the student self-service page of myUCF. Holds are the most common issue preventing registration and must be resolved.
Enrollment Appointments: Ensure that enrollment appointments are open by checking the myUCF student self-service page. Each student has a specific day and time to register for the next semester.

Holds may restrict your ability to register, receive grades, transcripts, and/or your diploma. Instructions on how to clear or remove a hold are displayed when viewing it on the myUCF portal.

Add/Drop Week

Add/Drop refers to the first week of classes each semester. Students may continue to add and drop courses during this week and often change classes based upon their experiences during the first-class session. Add/Drop week is an excellent time to seek classes that may have been previously full or closed, as students frequently change one or more classes during this time. Students may add courses all the way through the end of the day of the Friday of Add/Drop week. However, students may only drop or swap courses through the Thursday of Add/Drop week, meaning whatever is on a student’s schedule as of Friday morning at 12:00 am the student is tuition and fee liable. See the Academic Calendar for specific dates and deadlines concerning Add/Drop.

Course Prerequisites and Overrides

The majority of courses at UCF have one or more prerequisites that are required to be completed before being able to enroll. The best way to find out what prerequisites are required for a course you are interested in is to check the UCF Undergraduate Catalog (the last third of which is a course-by-course listing of all prerequisites).

Registration overrides are various ways in which a student attempts to enroll in a course that is otherwise closed. This could be enrolling in a course the student does not meet prerequisites for, or attempting to enroll in a class that is full or closed.

Closed classes occur when a class has met the seat cap with enrolled students. Each classroom can only accommodate so many students safely. Once that limit has been reached, a class is closed for enrollment until enrolled students drop from the course. Students who wish to enroll in a closed class may contact the department that offers the course for any accommodations.

A wait-listed course in myUCF is a class that has a specific queue in place to accommodate students wishing to enroll in an otherwise full class. The waitlist allows students to be automatically enrolled in the class in the order they joined the waitlist and ensures a fair and timely means of accommodating waiting students. Because of the nature of wait-listed courses, no overrides are typically given for these courses as doing so would essentially skip the student to the front of the line.

Students who desire an override around a missing prerequisite fall into two categories: Students who have not completed the prerequisite course - Students who have not completed the prerequisite but still wish to enroll in the course must contact the department offering the course for an override. Keep in mind that such overrides are rarely approved as prerequisites typically are required in order to successfully complete the higher-level course.

Students may enroll in courses that they are presently satisfying prerequisites for with current enrollment (for example, a student taking MAT1033 in Fall may enroll in the following Spring’s MAC1105C). However, when a student does not successfully complete the prerequisite course, the student will need to change future registration to ensure all prerequisites are satisfied. In the College of Sciences, many of our courses will flag students to be dropped should they not be satisfying prerequisites. Some students, particularly new students transferring to UCF with AP, IB, Dual Enrollment, or other institutional course credit may also be contacted by this process should their official records or transcripts not be provided. Should the student not provide this proof by the given deadline they may be dropped from the class even if they do have the records to satisfy the prerequisites.

Students who have been dropped from their course due to not satisfying prerequisites have two options. If the prerequisite was not satisfied due to unsatisfactory or incomplete previous coursework, they will need to contact the department that offers the course for an override. If the student has completed the prerequisite but not have provided the required proof to COSDROPNOTIFY by the stated deadline, they may contact COSAS to get an override into an open section of the course in question. Should all sections of the course be full, the student will need to either wait for a section to open or contact the department offering the course to request an override into a closed class.

Late Add/Drop and Withdrawals

Late Add and Late Drop are administrative appeals to be added or removed from a class after the end of the Add/Drop period. A late add may be pursued only if you were unable to add a course by the add deadline due to extraordinary circumstances. A late drop will result in a full refund of tuition fees and the complete removal of the course from the student’s academic record. Therefore, a late drop requires the student to be involved in a truly extraordinary situation.

The Withdrawal option is a tool for students to remove themselves from a class they no longer feel they can successfully complete after the Add/Drop deadline. The Withdrawal period for each term begins after the Drop/Swap deadline. Students remain fee liable for any classes they withdraw from. Students may withdraw from a class and receive the notation of “W” until the deadline noted in the Academic Calendar. A student may withdraw from courses through their myUCF. Withdrawing from classes may have financial aid, NCAA eligibility, or international visa consequences. Students should seek appropriate advisement prior to withdrawing from a class.

Course prerequisites can occasionally change as departments re-align their majors and content to modern needs. While the major requirements for students are bound to their catalog year, prerequisite requirements are always reflective of the current catalog. If a course you previously qualified for no longer will allow you to enroll, you should check the UCF Undergraduate Catalog for the present year to verify the current prerequisites and determine what, if anything, you may be missing.

Transient Students

Students interested in obtaining transient status to take coursework at another institution will need to follow the instructions listed on the Registrar’s Transient Students Page. Transient applications are required to get several levels approval from multiple offices and separate institutions, so this process can take some time. Students taking transient courses within the Florida public school system will use Florida Shines. Students taking transient courses at any other institution (out-of-state or private Florida institutions) will have a different process, involving the “Non-SUS Transient Student Form”.

Accessing Webcourses

The UCF Webcourses system is the primary tool for online courses to provide students with content and materials. Webcourses can be accessed through myUCF via a gray tab called “Online Course Tools” at the top of the page once a student logs in.

Holds vs. To-Do Items

Holds may be placed on your record for various reasons including failure to turn in the appropriate paperwork, parking infractions, advisement required, orientation required, failure to complete a loan entrance or exit interview, as well as failure to pay a university debt. Holds may restrict any or all of the following: registration, grades, transcripts or diploma. For instructions on how to clear or remove a hold, please follow the instructions displayed when viewing your hold on the myUCF portal.

The To Do List may contain items that you need to complete for Student Financial Assistance (SFA) or other offices within the UCF community. Students receiving financial aid should regularly check their To Do List. Failure to submit the items requested will delay your financial aid from being processed.

Understanding the Degree Audit

The Degree Audit is a computer-generated evaluation of a student’s progress toward a specified degree program. It is NOT an official transcript. Use your Degree Audit to check which degree requirements you have met and which you have not met. Audits are available prior to registration and should be brought to each advising session. You may obtain your Audit online at myUCF using the scroll-down bar located in the Student Center and print a copy as needed.

General Education Program

The General Education Program (GEP) are 36 required semester credit hours. Course descriptions are in the online UCF catalog. Some majors require suggest specific General Education classes. Consult your academic advisor. An awarded Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree from a Florida public community college or university satisfies the general education program requirements at UCF; this includes the Florida Gordon Rules.

University Credit Hour and Foreign Language Requirements

In order to complete your university requirements and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida, you must complete the University Credit hour requirements.

Students must fulfill both the requirements for a major and University requirements to receive a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida. Students graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language equivalent to one year of college instruction (and occasionally more, depending upon the specific major).

Grade Forgiveness

Grade Forgiveness offers a student the opportunity to retake a course and earn a second grade that will be substituted for the previous grade. Students must apply for grade forgiveness before the last day of regularly scheduled classes in the semester in which you are repeating the course. UCF allows two grade forgiveness attempts over your academic career unless you exceeded that number as part of the AA degree in which case all attempts are accepted but no additional attempts are allowed. UCF only allows grade forgiveness for courses originally taken and repeated at UCF. You may only attempt grade forgiveness once per course, and the second grade will replace the original grade regardless of whether or not the grade is an improvement.

Double Major Specifics

UCF offers two options for students interested in pursuing multiple areas of study: double majors and double degrees.

Double Major: A student pursuing a double major will complete all requirements for both majors and will have less than 150 total credit hours. A student with a double major will receive only one diploma. Per the Undergraduate Student Catalog, A student may earn one degree, with two majors, by completing all the requirements for both majors.
Double Degree: For a double degree a student may earn 2 degrees (and diplomas) by completing the requirements for both majors and earning a minimum of 150 credit hours. A student pursuing a double degree will complete all requirements for both majors and will have at least 150 total credit hours.

Limitations and Considerations

The University of Central Florida is committed to facilitating undergraduate students through their academic progress toward degree. The university will award a student’s degree if all requirements are met for the primary degree program, including in cases where a minor, certificate, or double major is incomplete. Exceptions will be granted to allow completion of a minor, certificate, or additional major when it does not impede graduating on time (in four years if admitted as First Time in College (FTIC) student, or three years if admitted as a transfer student).

Any student wishing to change their major must consult with their Academic Success Coach (ASC). Any student wishing to add a major, minor, certificate, or honors undergraduate thesis (HUT) must consult with their ASC.

Students are expected to enroll in classes that support the completion of their primary major.

Upon completion of 60 credit hours or admission to the major, students are required to develop a completion plan with their Academic Success Coach. Declared minor(s)/certificate(s)/honors undergraduate thesis (HUT) can be removed from a student’s academic profile at any time if determined to delay timely graduation unless required for degree completion.

Colleges may establish progression policies for students. Any undergraduate student wishing to appeal an aspect of the above issues, thereby postponing graduation, must submit a written appeal no later than ten (10) business days after being notified. This appeal will be reviewed by the Office of Undergraduate Studies. If the student does not receive appeal approval, the action will remain in place.

Students must fulfill both the requirements for the major and the university graduation requirements to receive a degree from the University of Central Florida.

Intent to Graduate

In most cases, you will need to file for graduation though myUCF, complete the COS Gradform, and attend a COSAS graduation workshop. This online questionnaire is for our COSAS advisors to review and make sure all requirements are being met. After clicking start, you will be guided through the process. First, you will be asked for information regarding yourself and major. Then, you must agree to the conditions set forth by the College of Sciences.

Example: Medicine-Engineering Double Degree (MEDD) Program

The new Medicine-Engineering Double Degree (MEDD) program is a partnership between the colleges of Engineering & Computer Science and Medicine. The demanding program will require 163 credit hours to earn the two degrees. The program is recommended for students who have at least 15 Advanced Placement credit hours coming into UCF in the areas of math and science. The first eligible students for the program will be those first-year students who gain acceptance into The Burnett Honors College. First-year applicants to The Burnett Honors College should apply to the MEDD Program no later than Jan.

Academic Probation and Disqualification

A student is placed on academic probation when their UCF cumulative GPA drops below a 2.0. A student must receive at least a 2.0 term GPA each semester after being placed on probation to remain at the University.

Students within the College of Sciences that are currently on Academic Probation are required to receive advising and take a short quiz each semester during their probationary period. If the “Online Academic Planning Workshop” has appeared in your Webcourses, that means that you are on probation and must complete the requirements of that course until your probation status is lifted.

Please allow at least 5 business days for the COSAS team to review your documents and quiz results. If you have been disqualified, your first step should be to print and follow the Academic Success Checklist. This checklist lists best practices, suggestions, and ideas for self-assessment and identifying what priorities are most important in a student’s studies.

If you have a COS hold appearing in your myUCF account following your recent readmission status, you may have forgotten to fill out the College of Sciences application.

Additional Resources

Financial Aid: Financial Aid refers both to the specific type of grant, scholarship, loan or other means in which a student is assisted in.
Academic Success Coaches (ASCs): Students are assigned to an ASC and it is reflected on their myUCF Student Center.
Foreign Language Proficiency: The Foreign Language Proficiency requirement is separate from high school language courses. The graduation requirement is met through completion of one year of college-level foreign language or demonstrated proficiency in one year of college-level foreign language. Students can meet this requirement through completed coursework through the Elementary Level II course of the foreign language (1121c) or through completion of a proficiency exam, such as CLEP or FLATS, offered through the University Testing Center (UTC). Most CAH majors have a foreign language requirement for graduation.
Major/Minor/Certificate Lookup: Next, click the major, minor, certificate magnifying glass to look up the requested program.

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