Change of Major Processes

Changing your major is a multi-step process and specialized to each major. This website is to be used as a guideline. Students must have conversations with appropriate offices and departments to see if changing their major is possible.

General guidelines

  • Students must complete at least one quarter at Cal Poly before they are eligible to enter into an Individualized Change of Major Agreement (ICMA).
  • Students are expected to research their options and make a well-informed decision before entering into an ICMA. This includes attending workshops and conversations with advisors and departments.
  • Students are allowed one ICMA per major. Students who do not meet the conditions of their ICMA will not be issued another ICMA for that major.
  • Change of major is not guaranteed, but it is possible through the policies that we have set up for each major. Criteria may change as demand changes for each major.
  • Review Cal Poly’s General Change of Major Policy in full

Cal Poly terms used on this website

  • COM–Change of major
  • ICMA–Individualized Change of Major Agreement
  • Intended Major–major you plan on changing into

Step 1: Research

Students are expected to research their options and make a well-informed decision before submitting a change of major eligibility inquiry form. Here are some research options:

  • Attend a university workshop to learn about the Change of Major process. This workshop will review resources to help find the best major for you. It will also identify and explore ways to further research your options and next steps. View Workshop Dates

How to sign up for a change of major workshop

1.  Log onto your Cal Poly Portal. Click on the ACADEMICS tab. Click on the "change of major" link on the bottom right of the page.

change of major link on academics tab

2. Select box labeled "I want to attend a change of major workshop". Select ONE major from the drop down menu and click "submit".

Select box to attend workshop

3. Select the workshop you want to attend.

workshop sign up options

4. Click "sign up" for confirm the workshop you want to attend.

click sign up to confirm attendance

  • If you try to sign up for a workshop and it says it is full, we suggest that you still show up. We will try out best to accommodate all students that show up for a workshop.
  • If there are not any more workshops available for this term, or you have any follow up questions about change of major, please contact the Mustang Success Center in building 52 or call at 805-756-6211.
  • Further details on changing your major to a specific major can be found on the advising website within that respective college. We encourage students to look at these requirements and bring their questions to the workshop. The workshop will provide a path for the next steps.

Step 2: Check Major Specific ICMA Criteria

Agricultural Business

Agricultural Science   *Contact Department

Agricultural Communication   *Contact Department

Animal Science

Dairy Science   *Contact Animal Science Department

Agricultural Systems Management (ASM)

BioResource & Agricultural Engineering (BRAE)

Food Science  

Nutrition *ONLY open in Fall 2023 in 2023-24 academic year

Plant Sciences 

Environmental Earth & Soil Sciences

Environmental Management & Protection

Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration

Forestry & Natural Resources

Wine & Viticulture (WVIT)

Step 3: Complete Change of Major Eligibility Inquiry Form

How to submit an eligibility inquiry form for the first time

1.  Log onto your Cal Poly Portal. Click on the ACADEMICS tab. Click on the "change of major" link on the bottom right of the page.

click on change of major link on academics tab

2. Select box labeled "I want to submit a change of major inquiry form". Select ONE major from the drop down menu and click submit box.

Select box to get to eligibility inquiry form

3. Complete the eligibility inquire form.

fill out eligibility inquiry form

  • Each response has a 2000 character limit, including whitespace. Exceeding the character limit will result in the inability to submit your inquiry.

Once you have submitted an inquiry form, you will receive a confirmation email from success@calpoly.edu. The subject line of the confirmation email will read, “Change of Major Inquiry Form Received”.

The change of major coordinator for your desired major will evaluate your eligibility and inform you of your status within 10 academic business days.

After submitting an eligibility inquiry form

View/Edit the status of your inquiry:

Log onto your Cal Poly Portal. Click on the Academics tab. Click on the "change of major" link.

You can view the status of your inquiry under the Change of Major Inquiry Form Details portlet. The default status of a new inquiry is “Requires Attention”. This status indicates that an inquiry form has been submitted.

Requires Attention

The Change of Major Coordinator will evaluate your eligibility and update your status within 10 academic business days to one of the following:

  • Eligible: Student meets initial change of major requirements to proceed to next steps of developing an Individualized Change of Major Agreement (ICMA) as outlined in the email from the Change of Major Coordinator.
  • Not Eligible: Student does not meet initial change of major requirements to proceed to next steps for developing an ICMA. An advisors from the Mustang Success Center will reach out to the student to help determine next steps.
  • Pending Further Action: Student eligibility for an ICMA is dependent on additional information. Student must proceed with next steps as outlined in the email from the Change of Major Coordinator.

You will be notified by your Cal Poly email account within 10 academic business days of updated status and the next steps you will need to take. Follow the directions outlined in the email.

A student can only have one (1) active inquiry form. In order to submit a new inquiry form for a different major, the student will either need to a.) withdraw their current inquiry form through their portlet or b.) be deemed “not eligible” by the Change of Major Coordinator.

You can withdraw your inquiry at any time during the inquiry process by clicking the “Withdraw” button under the Change of Major Inquiry Form Details portlet.

withdraw button Change of major form

To confirm the withdrawal of your inquiry, click the “Yes, Withdraw” button in the pop-up window.

Confirm Withdraw

Once an inquiry has been withdrawn, the status of that inquiry will be listed as “WITHDRAWN_BY_STUDENT”.

To submit a new inquiry, click the “Start New Inquiry” button under the Change of Major Inquiry Form Details portlet.

Start New Inquiry

Step 4: Check Cal Poly email for response

Students who have submitted a Change of Major Inquiry Form will receive an email to their Cal Poly email account from the Change of Major Coordinator. Students will be asked to follow the instructions as outlined in the email.

If you do not hear from anyone within 10 academic days, please contact success@calpoly.edu. Please note, weekends and academic holidays are not counted as academic days.

If you are not eligible to switch into your desired major, please use the resources below to help you determine the best fit for your academic and career goals.

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