Declaring a COE Pre-Major
This information is for pre-major and undeclared undergraduate students intending to declare COE as a pre-major. For information about changing your major, declaring a second major, or declaring a minor or certificate, see Student Records: Change of Major (Undergraduates).
At the time of admission to the university, each undergraduate student is assigned to a pre-major, major, or is designated as an undeclared major. All undergraduate students must fully-declare a major by completing Major Specific Declaration Requirements (MSDR) for that major by the time they earn 60 units.
If you are a pre-major in COE and would like to switch out to another college, please contact that college's advising center.
COE Pre-Major Change Criteria:
First-Time Freshmen (FTF) are students who were admitted directly to CSULB right after high school. FTF who are currently in their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd semester at CSULB may switch their pre-major to an eligible COE pre-major if they meet the necessary requirements.
The typical requirements for major changes include a CSULB GPA of 2.5 or above, ability to complete their intended major’s requirements within Timely Graduation (144 units), and the following:
Students in their first semester can request to change to any COE Pre-Major, except Pre-CECS, if they are currently enrolled in or have credit for MATH 122 (Calculus).
For CECS Majors:
Students in their first semester can change to Pre-Computer Engineering or Pre-Computer Science, if they have completed MATH 122 or CECS 174. Major changes will not be processed for students who have these courses in progress.
Students in their second semester can request to change to any COE Pre-Major, except Pre-CECS, if they have either completed MATH 122 or are currently enrolled in MATH 122 after earning a grade of “B” or better in Pre-Calculus courses.
For CECS Majors:
Students in their second semester can change to Pre-Computer Engineering or Pre-Computer Science, if they have completed MATH 122 or CECS 174. Major changes will not be processed for students who have these courses in progress.
Students in their third semester can request to change to any COE Pre-Major, except Pre-ET or Pre-CECS, if they have completed MATH 122 and are currently enrolled in MATH 123 (Calculus 2)
For ET Majors:
Students in their third semester can change to Pre-Computer Engineering Technology or Pre-Electronics Engineering Technology majors if they have completed MATH 122 and are currently enrolled in PHYS 100A (General Physics).
For CECS Majors:
Students in their third semester can change to Pre-Computer Engineering or Pre-Computer Science, if they have completed MATH 122 and CECS 174, are currently enrolled in MATH 123, and are demonstrating satisfactory progress in other lower-division major courses.
Students in their fourth semester are not typically able to change to any COE Pre-Major however, changes to any COE Pre-Major will be considered if students have their final MSDR in progress, and are demonstrating satisfactory progress in other lower-division major courses.
For CECS Majors:
Students in their fourth semester can change to Pre-Computer Engineering or Pre-Computer Science, if they have completed MATH 122, MATH 123, and CECS 174, are currently enrolled in PHYS 151*, and are demonstrating satisfactory progress in other lower-division major courses.
*For Computer Science, students have the option to take either PHYS 151 or CHEM 111A.
Transfer students are admitted as fully-declared and are unable to declare into a pre-major. Please visit Declaring a COE Major to determine if a major change into a COE major will be possible.
For Students Who Meet COE Pre-Major Criteria
If you meet the pre-major declaration criteria outlined above and wish to switch your pre-major to COE, please use the following form to submit your request. Submitting a form does not guarantee your major change. Please allow up ten (10) business days for a decision. If you have already submitted a request and are awaiting a decision, do not submit an additional request, as it may result in delays.
Requests must be submitted by the deadlines listed below, in order to be processed prior to the registration period of that semester.
- Fall Semester Deadline: October 1st
- Spring Semester Deadline: March 1st
Term | Pre-Major Change Deadline | Registration Period |
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | October 1st at 11:59PM | First week of November |
| Spring Semester | March 1st at 11:59PM | Last week of March |
Requests submitted after the deadline will not be processed until AFTER final grades are posted in the current term. ESSC Advising is not responsible for registration delays that may occur while requests are being reviewed and/or processed.
Please note that this form is for changing into COE pre-majors ONLY. If you are trying to declare/change into a pre-major in another college, please visit that college's website for instructions.
For Students Who Do Not Meet Pre-Major Criteria
If you do not meet the pre-major declaration criteria outlined above, a pre-major change will not be possible.
However, you may review the fully-declared major declaration criteria on Declaring a Major, to determine if a fully-declared major change will be possible.
If you still do not meet either set of criteria, no major change will be permitted. We recommend meeting with the University Center for Undergraduate Advising (UCUA) to explore a major change to a different college.
