Academic Advising Glossary

College

A college is a larger academic division that includes several related departments, like the College of Liberal Arts or the College of Engineering, each offering various programs and degrees.

Degree Requirements

Degree requirements are the specific courses and credits you need to complete in order to graduate. These include your major, general education, and elective courses.

Department

A department is a specialized academic unit that offers courses and degrees in a specific field of study, like the Department of Psychology or the Department of Physics.

Focused Student Groups

A focused student group consists of students with shared characteristics or needs, such as first-generation students, veterans, or specific ethnic communities, who receive specialized advising and resources.

General Education Requirements

General education requirements are essential for all students to graduate, providing the foundational skills needed to excel in any discipline and succeed in their future careers.

Major

A major is your main area of study in college, where you focus on a specific subject and take most of your classes. You declare your major by choosing it when you apply or by working with an academic advisor to select it later.

Major-Specific Degree Requirements (MSDR) for CSULB Students

While first-year students may be admitted directly into some majors, many majors need students to begin as “pre-majors” and then meet precise major-specific degree requirements to officially declare the major. Criteria includes meeting all major-specific degree requirements in the new major and demonstrating a progressively successful academic history that reflects potential success in the major. Upon declaration of major, students must adopt the requirements of the major and any minors in effect at that time in the CSULB Catalog.

Major-Specific Degree Requirements (MSDR) for Transfer Students

Admission to all majors at CSULB is competitive as CSULB continues to have more qualified applicants than available new student spaces.  All CSULB undergraduate majors continue to be "impacted." As a result, all majors have specific admission and declaration requirements. Please carefully review the information for your major, as requirements for some majors may differ from those previously listed for prior semesters. 

All transfer students must declare a major when submitting their application. See Transfer Admission Eligibility and Transfer Application Process for details.

Minor

A minor is a secondary area of study that lets you explore another subject of interest, requiring fewer classes than a major. You can declare a minor by working with an academic advisor to choose it.

Undeclared

Being undeclared means you have not chosen a major yet. You can take general education courses and explore different subjects while working with an academic advisor to find the right major for you.