Change of Major Dates

Internal Transfers:

• Overall GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Grade of C- or higher in CHEM 1035

Students not yet meeting these criteria are encouraged to enter the Exercise and Health Sciences major as a first step. There are no restrictions for Exercise and Health Sciences.

External Transfers:

• Competitive GPA for university admission.

Completion or progress toward completion of prerequisite coursework for the major, with particular emphasis on General Chemistry, as outlined on the Admissions Transfer Roadmap.

Space is limited in the Architecture, Industrial Design, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture majors.  Virginia Tech students wishing to change into one of these majors should follow the outlined major change process:

1. Attend, if you can, a major change information session (typically held in mid-October).  Each of the faculty program chairs for Architecture, Industrial Design, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture shall host a meeting for internal major changes to outline the restricted major change process and timeline.  
   • During this meeting you will learn about the curriculum in these majors, the required attendance of our on-campus summer studio (summer design lab) where students enroll in ARCH 1015 and ARCH 1016.
   • Information on the change of major process is detailed on the following webpages:
     • Architecture Major
     • Industrial Design, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture Majors
2. Apply using the School of Architecture or School of Design internal major change form.  This application is published each year on the above links, and generally is due early February each year.
3. Every student who applies to the Architecture, Interior Design, Industrial Design, or Landscape Architecture majors is given an interview with the chair of the program who will review their application and check that the applicant has met the minimum academic requirements for acceptance.  The number of students accepted each year depends on the space available in each major. Only when seats open up in our program do we have room to allow for internal major changes.
4. Students are notified of their acceptance typically by mid-March, if not sooner.  They will be enrolled in ARCH 1015 and ARCH 1016 over the summer, and required to attend the summer design lab.  The guarantee of changing majors is conditional upon successfully passing the ARCH 1015/ARCH 1016 classes with a grade of C or better.

The Creative Technologies, Graphic Design, and Studio Art majors are restricted majors which typically admit an incoming cohort of around 25 first-time-in-college and transfer students each year, to each major.

Only when seats open in our majors do we have room to allow for internal major changes to these restricted majors.  The availability of internal major changes is most likely during the Fall semester, but it is never a guarantee that we will have room to accept internal major changes.

In order to transfer to either of these majors, students should follow the procedures on the School of Visual Arts website.

Students exploring these restricted majors are eligible to enroll in SOVA foundation studio classes, if space is available.  Taking these courses does not expedite times towards graduation, or increase the changes of being allowed to change majors.

These courses are:

• ART 1204 - Principles of 2D Art & Design
• ART 1214 - Principles of 3D Art & Design
• ART 1404 - Principles of Drawing
• ART 1504 - Contemporary Art & Practice
• ART 1604 - Principles of 4D Art & Design

When exploring these restricted majors, it is important to consider the time towards graduation.  Due to the sequencing of required classes, it typically takes students 3.5-4 years to finish these majors from the time they successfully change majors.

1. New internal transfer requirements:

For students applying August 2019 and later.

• Minimum in-major GPA: 2.5
• Minimum overall GPA: 2.0
• Completion of: ACIS 1504, MATH 1524, MGT 1104, ECON 2005
• a. At least two of the above courses must be taken at VT (must earn a grade in at least two courses, cannot all be transferred)
• b. No grade lower than C- earned in any of the above courses or any lower division business course attempted
• All non-native Pamplin* students must re-apply when attempting to change or add a major. For example, a student from University Studies accepted into Finance would have to re-apply to change into BIT or add BIT as a second major
• Acceptance based on competitive GPA and space availability in major
• *Real Estate and Event & Experience Management students are subject to internal transfer requirements to change into or add a restricted business major.

1. Completion of MATH 1524 (or equivalent)
2. Minimum GPA of 2.0 in at least 24 credit hours at VT

Admission is offered upon completion of the above requirements and not competitively base among students

1. General Engineering Students to Degree-Granting Engineering Majors
2. Non-Engineering Students to Degree-Granting Engineering Majors
3. Degree-Granting Engineering Majors to Degree-Granting Engineering Majors