Change of Major Process

• Attend a university-wide Change of Major Workshop.
• Meet with an advisor in the Mustang Success Center.
• Meet with an academic advisor in your current major/college.
• Research careers and industries with Career Services’ career exploration online tools.
• Peer Advisors at Orfalea Student Services are available to answer any questions about the Change of Major process. Please do not schedule an appointment with one of our professional advisors unless advised to do so by the OCOB Change of Major Team. Direct your questions to cobadvis@calpoly.edu.

The following criteria will be evaluated by our department to determine eligibility:

1. Eligibility Upon Admission to Cal Poly:
   • Must have been eligible for admission into BUS or ECON majors when CSU Application to Cal Poly was submitted.
   • Because we evaluate students’ high school academic records to determine eligibility, transfer students are ineligible to switch into the Orfalea College of Business.
   • Cal Poly Selection Criteria 
2. Academic Record at Cal Poly:
   • Students must have a Cal Poly SLO Cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher.
   • GPA requirements will be re-evaluated each academic year and are subject to change at the end of Spring Quarter.
   • Eligible students must meet the GPA requirement in place during the academic year they set up their Change of Major Agreement (ICMA). For example: If a student inquires and is eligible in the Spring, but does not set up their ICMA by the end of Spring Quarter, the student must re-inquire in the Fall and will be expected to meet any new GPA requirements established for that academic year.
3. Ability to Complete Degree Requirements Within Expected Graduation Timeline:
   • Students must be able to feasibly complete new degree coursework within a four-year time frame from their start date at Cal Poly.

If you do not meet the above requirements in full, you may still submit an inquiry so that we can evaluate you on an individual basis. Students are not evaluated on whether or not they have completed BUS or ECON curriculum courses at the time of their inquiry.

Reminder – Students must have completed one full quarter (12 units) at Cal Poly before submitting an inquiry form to change their major.

• Complete the COM Inquiry Form through the My Cal Poly Portal.
  • 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

Once you submit your inquiry, you will receive an email response from the department within 10 business days indicating whether you are eligible or ineligible.

Eligible:

• If you meet eligibility requirements, you will be invited via email to attend a mandatory Change of Major Pre-Appointment Seminar to begin the process.

Ineligible:

• If you are ineligible, you will receive an email response informing you of your ineligibility. Ineligibility is based on any of the required criteria outlined above. The email will specify which criteria you did not meet.
• If you are still interested in pursuing BUS or ECON coursework, we encourage you to explore our minors. Please review minor requirements before pursuing.
• To explore career options that you can pursue without a BUS or ECON specific degree, set up an appointment with Cal Poly Career Services.

Note: Tours are not currently being held regularly. If you are interested in taking an ITP Lab Tour, please reach out to the emails found below to inquire.

Interested in taking an ITP Lab Tour before submitting a COM Inquiry form? ITP Lab Tours meet at Orfalea College of Business Student Services office located in building 3, room 100.

To set up a tour, please email cobadvis@calpoly.edu or Chris Ainsworth at ctainswo@calpoly.edu the date that you wish to complete the tour.

Please email 72 hours in advance. We will email you a confirmation with the location.

Tour Dates/Times

Tuesdays at 11:10 AM

• Complete the COM Inquiry Form through the My Cal Poly Portal.
  • 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.

• If you meet GPA eligibility requirements, you will receive an email invitation from the department within 10 business days to submit a 4-Year Plan directly to cobadvis@calpoly.edu.
• Please check all prerequisites and tentative course offerings to ensure accuracy before submitting.

Instructions for 4 Year Plan:

1. Please list GE Areas as opposed to courses. Example: Write C1 instead of ENGL 241.
2. Please list the tentative course offerings (found on the Course Catalog) for ITP courses next to the name of the course. Example: ITP 303 (F, W, Sp, Su)
3. Please complete your 4 year plan based on the 17-19 Catalog.
4. See the resources below to ensure you have all the courses. There is one curriculum for the Packaging concentration and another for the Industrial Technology concentration.
5. Please use all the resources linked below to ensure an accurate 4-year plan.

Eligible:

• Orfalea Student Services will review the feasibility of your submitted 4 Year Plan.  If you meet all eligibility requirements, you will receive an invitation via email to set up a Lab Tour and an appointment with a COM Peer Advisor. During the appointment, you will set up your Individualized Change of Major Agreement (ICMA).

Ineligible:

• If you are ineligible, you will receive an email response from the department within 10 business days informing you of your ineligibility. The email will specify which criteria you did not meet.

• Cal Poly Catalog & ITP Requirements – For course descriptions for ITP requirements
• Flowchart & Curriculum Sheet – For ITP curriculum sheet and an example ITP flowchart

Note: Please be sure to select the correct catalog year (found on your PolyProfile) when viewing curriculum sheets and flowcharts. Previous catalogs can be found on the “Previous Catalogs” tab on the right-hand side of the Catalog website.