Major and Minor Requirements

To obtain a degree from Jacksonville University, each student must complete the core curriculum requirements for the selected degree and the prescribed courses for a major; i.e., a concentration of courses in a particular discipline. The Catalog lists the number of credits required for each major and the particular courses that must be completed. Students who elect to complete two majors must meet all requirements for both majors, and if the major is offered only in a particular degree program, must meet all requirements for both degrees.

Some major and/or degree programs have additional requirements; e.g., the core requirements in the Davis College of Business and the communication major in the College of Arts and Sciences. Some majors in the College of Fine Arts require primary and secondary minors. The student should consult the Catalog section devoted to the major or degree being pursued.

Most disciplines also offer a minor that requires fewer courses in the designated discipline than the major. Students may elect to have one or more minors. The minor is added to the final transcript when the student has completed all requirements for a degree. In order for a minor to be awarded, at least six credit hours of the minor must be completed at JU.

Declaration of Majors and Minors

Undergraduate degree candidate students should declare their majors at the time of acceptance to the University. Students who are undecided about their majors may declare “Undecided” instead of a major, but must declare a major when junior status has been reached; i.e., when 58 credit hours have been earned.
Music, theatre arts, and dance students must audition for faculty approval before being admitted to a major in that area. Similarly, art students must submit a portfolio.
The major of undergraduate transient students will be “non-degree.”
Students may declare more than one major and may change their declared majors. Such additions and changes are made in the Academic Advising Center for traditional undergraduate and in the Registrar’s office for Accelerated Degree students.
Students who choose to declare a minor do so by meeting the requirements listed in the Catalog for the particular minor and asking the Registrar to verify and record this achievement. Minors are not required unless a particular degree program; e.g., a Bachelor of Fine Arts, so specifies. Minors must be selected from the same Catalog that is used for meeting major requirements.

University (Interdisciplinary) Major

The University major is an interdisciplinary major program. There are two options: an interdisciplinary major or a three-minor option. Students electing either option will be designated as University Majors. Proposed university majors should be consistent with JU’s liberal arts philosophy. University majors should not be used to concentrate work in a narrowly pre-professional way or to avoid certain courses in established major programs.

For the interdisciplinary major: an undergraduate student, who chooses to concentrate on a subject that crosses departmental lines, rather than specializing in an established departmental major, may work with an advisor to research and design a University major to achieve the student’s goals for preparation in a major that Jacksonville University does not offer. Any interdisciplinary major program for which a proper pattern of studies exists at JU will be considered.
For the three-minor option: an undergraduate student will select three minors from at least two different academic units to create a university major. For each minor, a student must complete at least 9 upper division credit hours of course work, irrespective of the minor requirements, and one major capstone experience (JU 387). Students may not assign minor elective course work to more than one major, and they may not double major in a discipline that comprises one of the three minors for the university major.
For both options: students must work with a faculty advisor and devise a plan that ensures all course work for the Core Curriculum, specific degree and general degree requirements of the University are met. Additionally, all university major students must have and maintain a 2.5 GPA (based on a minimum of 28 credit hours earned) and have at least 60 hours remaining at Jacksonville University at the time of application for either University major option.

Guidelines and applications for submission of either the Interdisciplinary or three-minor University Major can be found on the Registrar’s portal webpage.