» Major Requirements

One of your graduation requirements at Chapman is to complete your major requirements:

• Major requirements are the classes you need to take for your degree program.
• In addition to classes, some majors also require projects, capstone experiences or internships.
• Unlike General Education requirements, which are the same for everyone, major requirements vary depending on your major. This means that the classes you need to take and the amount of units you need to earn are different depending on which major you are in.
• Regardless of how many credits your major requires, remember that you must complete 120 credits to earn a bachelor's degree. The 120 credits will also include General Education requirements.
• Students entering Undeclared must declare a major before earning 60 credits.
• You can overlap up to 9 credits between your major requirements and your General Education requirements.

Find your major requirements

You can use the Chapman Catalog to look up the major requirements for all undergraduate programs. Under “catalog search,” change the first field to “Degrees” and then search for the major you want.

You will find:

• The number of credits required for the major.
• Core classes that you must take to complete the major.
• Elective classes that you can choose from within the program.
• And more.

Visit Chapman Catalog

Four-year plans

Every major also has a four-year plan. Four-year plans are suggested roadmaps for finishing your major requirements. They help you graduate in four years by showing you which classes to take each semester.

You can find the four-year plan for your major on our Four-Year Plans page.

Major requirements and studying abroad

At Chapman, we make sure studying abroad and staying on track in your major go hand in hand. 

That’s why every Chapman student has a dedicated Global Education Advisor. Your Global Education Advisor can help you:

• Find study abroad programs that align with your major.
• Make sure the classes you take abroad transfer to your major or GE requirements on campus.
• Have the full study abroad experience while staying on track to graduate on time.

Changing/adding majors

According to the U.S. Department of Education, about a third of students earning bachelor’s degrees change majors at least once.

If you are thinking about changing your major or adding another major, see our page on Changing or Adding Majors. There, you can:

• Learn more about the process of changing or adding a major.
• See requirements for all the majors we offer.
• Get started changing or adding a major (if you already know you are ready).

How to explore majors

Check out our Program Finder

To see all the majors and minors Chapman has to offer, see our Program Finder. It lists all the degree programs we have on campus, with links to learn more about each one. This makes it a great way to see all our majors and narrow down your choice.

Explore with General Ed

If you’re already at Chapman and still searching for the right major, use your General Education requirements as a guide. General Ed classes cover a wide variety of subjects and topics, from the sciences to the arts and more. Taking entry-level classes in the subjects you’re interested in will help hone down your choice, and you’ll be completing your requirements at the same time.

How to declare a major

There are two ways to declare a major at Chapman.

• Declare your major when you apply via the Common App. If you declare your major this way and are admitted, you will enter Chapman with your major already set.
• Declare a major once you are already at Chapman. To do this, select the major you want to declare on our Change/Add Major Tool. Follow the instructions listed. We encourage you to talk to your advisor first. They can help explain the process and address questions along the way.