Resources

Overview

UC San Diego has many helpful resources available to assist students in exploring available majors and ensuring their chosen area of study aligns with their career goals or preparation for graduate and professional school. Check out the areas below for some tools to help you on your journey.

Undeclared Majors

Prospective Students

It’s okay if you’re not yet sure what major is right for you. Applying undeclared does not impact your chances of admission. However, you should be aware that some majors might not be available after you are admitted. Selective majors such as Data Science, Public Health, and many Engineering majors are highly sought-after and may not have space available to accommodate admitted or continuing students who did not initially choose one of these majors on their UC application. Many campuses have general undeclared options as well as options to be undeclared within a specific focus area associated with an academic school. At UC San Diego, you can choose Undeclared-Physical Sciences, Undeclared-Social Sciences, etc.

Continuing Students

So, you’re undeclared. Great! There are several resources to help you explore major options and guide you through next steps. The most important thing you need to do is work with an advisor to ensure that once you declare a major, you have enough time before your planned graduation date to complete the necessary requirements. Explore more in this advising resource for undeclared students.

Selective and Screened Majors

Some UC San Diego majors have limited space and cannot welcome all interested students due to their popularity and limited capacity. These majors are called selective majors and screened majors (formerly known as capped or impacted majors). Students not admittedly directly into these majors when entering UC San Diego are not guaranteed to be able to change into these majors and must be selected through the selective major application process after completing coursework at UC San Diego. Students should review the specific eligibility criteria, screening courses, selective major application process, and timeline before making academic plans.

Learn more about Selective Majors.

How to Declare a Major

Declaring a major is an important step in planning your academic path at UC San Diego. Depending on the major, students may be able to declare directly or may need to complete certain requirements first. In most cases, students can begin the process through the continuing student portal in the Triton Student System, where they can request to declare, change, or add a major or minor and review any department-specific instructions.

Learn more about Declaring a Major.

Terminology

You may notice different terms used across UC San Diego websites, forms, and department materials. In many cases, major and degree programs are used interchangeably, and concentration or specialization may refer to a focused area within a major. Similarly, terms like capped, screened, impacted, and selective are often used to describe majors that have additional admission requirements or enrollment limits. While the wording may vary, students should always check the department’s website for the most accurate and current definition of that program’s process.

Career

Check out our Careers page to learn more about career pathways for popular industries such as the medical field and nursing, education, engineering, business, and more.

Resources:

Don't forget: The pages for each major on this website has post-graduation information you can explore. This includes (for most majors) job types, recent employers, graduate school details, and skills gained from each major as recorded from recent alumni. Check out the Academic Schools page to begin exploring individual majors at UC San Diego.