Academic Catalog 2023-24 > Degree Requirements and General Information > Undergraduate Education General Degree Information > Classification of Students and Program Options

Classification of Students and Program Options

Classification of Students

All students who are enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program are classified as follows, for the purposes of registration, regardless of major:

Class levels for Nursing and Health Science majors, for the purposes of progression in their major programs, are determined by the academic department.

The Major

Students must declare a major no later than the first semester of their junior year (i.e., by the time they have earned 60 semester units). Note: students who transfer a minimum of 60 units to Dominican at the time of their enrollment are not required to declare a major at matriculation;  must declare a major before they have completed 18 additional units at Dominican.

Students may choose to concentrate in one of the many major fields of study currently offered, or plan an interdisciplinary major. In order to declare a major, students must have a ‘C’ (2.0) GPA in lower division courses in the major. For a listing of all major programs offered, please see the list of Programs Offered section of this catalog.

General Requirements for a Major

• A minimum of 36 upper division units: Includes all requirements designated by the major department
• A minimum GPA of ‘C’ (2.0) in courses in the major field
• Completion of a senior thesis, research project, presentation, and/or comprehensive exam

For specific major requirements, please see the applicable sections of this catalog.

Academic Standing in the Major

The University reserves the right to request a student to withdraw from a major or a program due to unsatisfactory performance in the theoretical and/or practical phases of the program.

The Interdisciplinary Major

For students choosing to study in a broader area than is afforded by a conventional major field, the University offers the opportunity to design an interdisciplinary major, with courses chosen from two or more disciplines. Courses should constitute a coherent, integrated course of study. Courses are selected with a view to preparing the student for a senior project or thesis, directed toward a specific interdisciplinary problem.

When registering for their junior year, a student initiates the process of declaring the Interdisciplinary major by obtaining the Interdisciplinary Contract Major form, available from the Student Success Center. The student, with a faculty representative from each of the disciplines, designs a program of courses to fit their goals. The signed contract should then be filed in the Registrar’s Office before the beginning of the second semester of their junior year.

Requirements for the Interdisciplinary Major

• Core upper division units: Customarily 18 upper division units in one discipline
• Total upper division units in the interdisciplinary major: 35-45 units, consisting of the core units above and units from additional disciplines
• Completion of a senior project or thesis, under the direction of a faculty advisor

Please note that the Interdisciplinary major is not recommended for students transferring to Dominican as second semester juniors; this degree track requires the equivalent of four semesters of full-time coursework at Dominican for completion.

The Double Major

Students choosing to concentrate in two fields which yield the same degree, and thereby to carry a double major, are required to:

• Maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 in all courses in both major fields
• Have the written consent of the chairs of both major departments

A maximum of 16 units may be used to fulfill the requirements of both majors. One degree is conferred, with two majors.

Concurrent Degree Programs (BA, BS, and/or BFA in combination)

An undergraduate student may work simultaneously toward two degrees. In order to qualify for both degrees, a student must:

• Complete all CORE requirements
• Complete all departmental degree requirements for each degree
• Complete the Upper Division requirements of both majors

Upon completion of the above requirements, two degrees are conferred, one for each major.

The Minor

Students may elect one or more minor courses of study, though they are not required to do so.

General Requirements for a Minor

• Requires no fewer than 12 units and no more than 16 units of coursework.  Exceptions require shared governance approval.
• A minimum GPA of ‘C’ (2.0) in all courses used to fulfill the minor requirements
• A minimum of 50% of the units used to fulfill the minor requirements must be taken at Dominican
• If major requirements include courses that fulfill a student's declared minor, those courses may count toward the fulfillment of both the major and the minor requirements. The limit on the number of units that may overlap between the major and the minor is no more than 50% of the minor
• The limit on the number of units that may overlap between two minors is no more than 25% of either minor.

Summary of "Double-dipping" policies (counting one course to meet two requirements)

Certain courses may satisfy two requirements rather than just one.  For example, a course might meet both a major requirement and a minor requirement. In that case, the units are counted toward the total number needed for the degree only once, but the course may be used to satisfy both requirements.  Below is a summary of all the current policies regarding double-dipping at Dominican University of CA.

• Major to major: In the case of a double-major or two concurrent degrees, 16 units maximum may be used to satisfy requirements in both majors.
• Major to minor/Minor to major: Up to 50% of the units required for a minor may be used to satisfy major requirements.
• Minor to minor: Up to 25% of the units required for either minor may be used to satisfy requirements of a second minor.
• CORE to major or minor: The university has no policy restricting the double-dipping of CORE requirements to major or minor requirement.