Change of Major Policy

Winter 2025 Change of Major Application & Spring 2025 Pass 1/2 Clearance Requests Form is now open HERE! 

Winter 2025 PSTAT Change of Major Petitions

ACTSC/STSDS Major Applicants: APPLY HERE

Used to switch to an ACTSC/STSDS major or pre-major, advance from a ACTSC/STSDS pre-major to the full major, add a ACTSC/STSDS major as a double major, and/or change your STSDS major emphasis (from BA>BS or BS>BA). 

  • Pre-major applicants: must have at least 2 pre-major MATH courses completed or in progress at UCSB (or another UC) as of Winter 2025 (MATH 34A/34B are not PSTAT pre-major courses and do not count towards these 2 MATH courses)​​​​​
  • Full major applicants: must have all pre-major and preparation for the major coursework completed or in progress as of Winter 2025​

If your second MATH course or last pre/preparation course is in progress this quarter, apply by Friday, March 14th (Friday of Week 10). In-progress grades will need to be finalized before we review your major change. Submissions with all grades finalized will be reviewed and processed on a rolling basis. 

 

In order to complete the petition, you will need to upload a PDF of your proposed course schedule.

  • Proposed schedules should include the remaining courses you have to take for the major you are switching to. General Education and University requriements may be included if you wish. Major sheets specifying course requirements and example plans can be found under the major's page here. ​

If your major change request is approved, you will be emailed an invitation to complete an official petition via DocuSign. We will handle sending your petition to any other advisors or offices whose signatures are needed for processing. Please allow 4-6 weeks for processing once approved.

FMS: Financial Mathematics and Statistics major or pre-major applicants submit petitions to the MATH Department HERE.

Spring 2025 Pass 1/2 Clearance Requests for PSTAT Courses

You may request clearance for the courses that are required by your major. We do not clear students for PSTAT electives. Prerequisites for the courses you are requesting must be competed or in progress. REQUEST CLEARANCE HERE

  • Pass 1 clearance: submit form by 2/3 (1 week before Pass 1)
  • Pass 2 clearance: submit form by 2/17 (1 week before Pass 2)

Pre-PSTAT major applicants: PSTAT 120A clearance will be given to students who are on track to complete the pre-major by the end of Winter 2025. If you have more than 3 pre-major/preparation courses to complete, focus on completing those first. Full ACTSCI major applicants: WRIT 107B can be taken before or after declaring the full major.

 

You will NOT receive any sort of confirmation or email once your clearance has been processed. You will receive a copy of your form responses automatically upon submission. As long as you meet all eligibility requirements and have submitted your request prior to the deadlines above, you will be able to log into GOLD during your pass time and enroll in the course(s) on your own.

PSTAT will not endorse any Change of Major Petitions until the following qualifications have been met:

  • Students declaring the Actuarial Science or Statistics and Data Science pre-major must have at least two MATH courses from UCSB (or another UC) on their transcript before they will be considered.
  • Students declaring the full Actuarial Science or Statistics and Data Science major must meet meet the following requirements:
  • Students must complete all pre-major courses with a 2.5 or higher UC GPA. All pre-major courses must be completed with a grade of “C” or better.
  • Students are permitted to repeat up to a maximum of two pre-major courses. Only one repeat is allowed in each course. In the case of a letter grade below C, students must repeat the course at UCSB. 
  • Students must complete both CMPSC 8 and CMPSC 9 (or 16) with a grade of “C” or better in each course prior to declaring the full major. Grades in CMPSC 8 and CMPSC 9 (or 16) are excluded from the pre-major GPA, but will apply to the overall major GPA.
  • Students must show that they are able to pass the majority of their MATH or PSTAT courses from UCSB in one attempt.
  • Students must demonstrate that they will be able to graduate within normative time.