Frequently Asked Questions

Congratulations on considering a second major or a minor! 

Why might you want a second major or a minor? The answer to this varies for each person, BUT some reasons might include: career preparation, specific interest, you are in a low unit major and this will help you reach 120 OR you want more experience in a certain area! The list of possible reasons is long.  

How do you decide? Of the best things to do is talk to an advisor if you don't already have a 2nd major or minor in mind. But in general, you should think about the program requirements of your second major or minor (for example, how many units? can you use your units to 120 to help you explore?).  

Each major/minor requirement is listed in the course https://catalog.csudh.edu/ (notice not all of the departments have minors!)

Why is a second major or minor important? This list is long too, BUT here are my top reasons:

1. Units to 120: If you have only taken GE courses and Sociology courses, you might need extra units to get to 120 AND it might be between 12-20 units! IF this is the case, then it is worth putting those "extra" units to WORK! 

2. New/Complimenting Skills: With more variety comes a broader skill set! You will learn new things that will support your growth and career preparation! You can explore another passion area and see how you can combine it with Sociology. 

3. Marketable: Having two majors or adding a minor might make you more marketable to graduate programs AND employers! Studying multiple fields is a way to show your diverse interests and experiences. 

Don't be afraid to explore and talk to an advisor! 

If a class has a pre-requisite it might ask you for an add number. Contact the interim department chair, Dr. Carl Sneed, and the administrative assistant, Raman Brar for more details.

If the class is full, it might ask for an add number, contact the instructor of record for an add number. 

Application Filing Periods

The Electronic Application for Graduation must be submitted in accordance with the following schedule. The fees for applying to graduate are due 48 hours after you submit your online application. Failure to apply in accordance with the schedule below could delay your degree past your intended graduation date. Also, there will be additional fees assessed for submitting the graduation application and/or fees after the regular deadline.

Degree Conferral Term Apply for Graduation Apply for Graduation with Late Fee

Fall Semester January 1 - July 1             July 2 - September 15

Spring Semester         June 1 - October 1     October 2 - Last day of fall 

Summe Session November 1 - February 1     February 2 - April 15

Please note that if the above dates fall on a weekend or holiday, the deadline will be the following business day.

See the Registrar's website for more details (click here)

Applying for Graduation

For students who have met with their advisor and are ready to apply for graduation, please follow these steps:

1.        Log into MyCSUDH.edu

2.        Select your “Student Center Page.”

3.        Select the drop-down menu titled “Other Academics” in the My Academic section

4.        Select “Apply for Graduation.”

5.        Complete and verify the questions

6.        You my pay through your portal

Kindly call the Registrar's line at 310-243-3645.

Should you have additional questions with your graduation application inquiry.

Regarding graduation application , please click the link below .

Email the department chair and college Dean (NBS college Dean)--let them know that there's a lack of classes that are accessible to working students! If you don't let us know, we can't try to fix the problem.

If it affects you, it probably affects other students too. This has helped us open additional sections that are more accessible to working students. Shout out to (Starr who listened to this advice and got another section opened!)

This question is "simple" and layered. Depending on your need you have several groups that can help you with advising questions. 

1) General Education (GE) advising should be done with UAC (University Advising Center), you can also see the NBS College advisor for some major and GE advising as well.

2) The department chair, does some academic advising, especially when the faculty are away for intersession breaks. The chair is available year-round. The department chair also is responsible for providing signatures to many of your petitions/forms. 

3) The Sociology Department faculty that are tenured/tenure track (see department page) do some academic advising in the Majors, they help with course planning, degree progress checks and course substitution requests, and even sign some forms. They supplement the work of the department chair & sociology advisor because we have a lot of majors! Faculty are generally only available in fall and spring semesters (not summer/winter/spring break)

4) The Sociology advisor helps with course planning, degree progress checks, course substitution requests, petitions for exceptions, graduation petitions, SAP appeals, connects you to resources that you need to be successful (e.g. scholarship opportunities, research opportunities, co-curricular activities). They also reach out to you when you are not meeting the major degree requirements (e.g. missing class(es), dropping in concurrent enrollment, or GPA below department guidelines).

5) You also may have other academic advisors (e.g. ETE, EOP, Athletics, Guardians Program) who you can see for some advising/support in maintaining your degree progress. 

In short, there's a lot of people who can help you. There's a lot of people here to help you! Some of the pieces are just broken up by area of specialty. The Sociology faculty, chair, and advisor know the MOST about the major. 

Not all of the classes approved in our course catalog are offered during the year (or intersessions). Some classes are offered every semester, some every other semester, some classes RARELY, SO when you start making plans for classes. Look at this list for classes that are offered frequently, rarely, or sometimes. 

Sometimes, things don't go as planned & we don't get the highest grades. BA students can repeat classes for higher grades--"Repeat and Cancel may be used for no more than 16-semester units taken at CSUDH during the entire undergraduate degree program." After these 16 semester units, the school starts to repeat and average your grades (up to 12 units). See the rules, forms, and policies at the registrar's office. The Repeat & Cancel form does not need an advisor's signature, you can submit directly to the university. 

Sociology is a great compliment to many majors! Check out the handout above for a sociology minor checklist. To officially declare a minor in sociology, meet with a sociology advisor to make a plan (see home page for advisors), fill out the Declare/Change of Major or Minor form found here-- https://www.csudh.edu/registrar/records/declarechange-of-major-or-minor/ and submit that form (with signatures) to the registrar's office at this web page--https://www.csudh.edu/registrar/forms/

Depending on the circumstances, you might be able to do this via email too, but it's ideal to have a conversation and review your academic requirements. 

Policy

A student may change his/her major or minor at any time before applying for graduation. If a student has not declared their major and is ready to do so, it is also considered a change of the major or minor. The student should complete the Change of Undergraduate Major/Minor Form [PDF] and sign it. The form must also be signed by the appropriate program/faculty member. Ithe appropriate program/faculty member depends on what major/minor you are declaring--for example, a sociology major/minor requires someone from sociology, but an anthropology major/minor requires anthropology faculty.

Once the form has been signed by all persons, it must be submitted to The Registrar’s Office for processing.

Sociology is a great compliment to many majors! Check out the handout above for a sociology minor checklist. To officially declare a minor in sociology, meet with a sociology advisor to make a plan (see home page for advisors), fill out the Declare/Change of Major or Minor form found here-- https://www.csudh.edu/registrar/records/declarechange-of-major-or-minor/ and submit that form (with signatures) to the registrar's office at this web page--https://www.csudh.edu/registrar/forms/

Depending on the circumstances, you might be able to do this via email too, but it's ideal to have a conversation and review your academic requirements.