What should I know before I make my program change request?

• Make sure you understand the degree requirements and the qualifications to be accepted into the program to which you want to change. Detailed information about degree and eligibility requirements can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
• A program change may affect your fees. Please check for any fee differences on the Course and Program Fees website.
• You may also contact the office of the program to which you want to change. Faculty advising offices are also a helpful resource.
• You may make one type of change request at a time. For more information on these types of changes, see the tab below.
• Certain programs have earlier deadlines for new transfers than others. Submit your program change request as soon as possible.
• If you are in an Honours (120 credits minimum) degree, but plan to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in the same program after completing the 90 credits minimum, you are not required to change to a bachelor’s degree, but you still need to apply to graduate.
• If you want to add a certificate to your record without changing your current program, you cannot use this tool. Contact the program offering the certificate for more information.

Who can access the online program change request?

• All undergraduate students except those in the Faculty of Education (BEd), Osgoode Hall Law School and Schulich School of Business. These students should contact the Student Services Office in their home Faculty.
• Students who wish to apply to Internationally Educated Nurses (IEN) should apply through the Student Recruitment & Admissions Office.
• Students who wish to apply to the Engineering program at the Lassonde School of Engineering should apply on the Lassonde Majors & Degree Changes website.

Information for Former Arts and Atkinson Students

• The majority of programs in the former Faculties of Arts and Atkinson were moved to the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) effective the Fall/Winter 2009-2010 Session.
• Applied Mathematics, Computer Science (BA and iBA), Computer Security, Mathematics, Mathematics for Commerce and Statistics were moved, effective the same session, to the Faculty of Science and Lassonde School of Engineering.

Information for Pre-2006 Psychology, Nursing, Health Studies and Kinesiology Students

• Be advised that your program was moved to the Faculty of Health. For more information about how this may affect your degree requirements, contact the Faculty's Academic Advising Office.

There are four possible types of changes to your academic program.

Adding a Certificate

Many students pursue certificates at York to add to their professional qualifications, explore a subject outside of their major or to enhance their studies. A certificate recognizes a specific grouping of courses that:

• are cross-disciplinary but with a thematic coherence;
• form a coherent yet distinctive complement to the major of a degree program; or
• lead to the acquisition of specific skills or professional expertise that may meet requirements of outside accrediting bodies.

If you are interested in adding a certificate to your degree program, you should review the current Undergraduate Academic Calendar.

If you are interested in pursuing a certificate independently and you are a current York student, please connect with the School/Department that offers the certificate to find out more about admission requirements and the application process.

Change of Major

Your major (including double major, minor, area of concentration or stream) changes but your home Faculty and degree type stay the same. Not all programs offer double major or major/minor options. You may not choose both a second (double) major and a minor.

Requesting a change to or from an honours program within the same program major falls under this category as well.

Change of Degree

Your degree program changes but your home Faculty remains the same. Some degree changes automatically include a major change.

Change of Faculty

Your home Faculty changes. Most Faculty change requests include a major change and/or a degree change.

Additional Information

• You must have completed at least one course at York before you can be considered for a Faculty or degree change.
• If you received transfer credit from another institution upon your initial admission to York, your transfer credit may be re-assessed for a new degree. Your Faculty advising office will have access to the revised assessment and can help you interpret how it will impact your degree requirements.
• Decisions will be made after all fall/winter session grades are reported in May/June, and decisions will be communicated by August 1st. If you are admitted, the change will be made effective for the next available fall/winter session.

Change of Major (including double major, minor, area of concentration or stream)

Processing Times

• Change of Majors are normally processed within 4 – 6 weeks
• During peak periods, there will be higher than normal processing times (September, January, May)
• Programs requiring departmental approval may have longer than normal processing times

Exceptions:

• Some academic units require your final grades before approving a program change request. If your request is approved after grades are released, your program change will be made effective for the first available academic session. Check the status of your request at any time by signing-in to the online request tool.
• Students requesting Computer Science or Computer Security should apply between January 2nd and May 15th inclusive. Students will be notified by email by June 7th. All accepted applications will be for Fall/Winter only. For more information visit: lassonde.yorku.ca/student-life/lassonde-program-change-information
• Students in the Faculty of Science who want to change their major must submit their request between June 30 and the 10th day of the fall term for it to be made effective for the fall/winter session. Requests will not be considered after the 10th day of the fall term until January 31. Requests submitted between February 1 and June 29 will be made effective for the summer session.

Change of Degree or Faculty

Students can submit a change of Degree or Faculty between January 2 and June 30. Requests submitted between these times will be processed for the next Fall/Winter session. Departmental approval may be required for some Degree and Faculty changes.

Processing Times

• Change of Degree and Faculty are normally processed within 4 – 6 weeks
• During peak periods, there will be higher than normal processing times (September, January, May)
• Programs requiring departmental approval may have longer than normal processing times

Notes:

• Change of degree, change of major or Faculty change requests may only be submitted between December 1 and June 30 for the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design programs, and between January 1 and June 30 for all other programs.
• Students requesting Computer Science or Computer Security should apply between January 2nd and May 15th inclusive. Students will be notified by email by June 7th. All accepted applications will be for Fall/Winter only. For more information visit: lassonde.yorku.ca/student-life/lassonde-program-change-information

How do I check the status of my request after I submit it?

• You can check the status of your program change at any time by signing-in to the online request tool below. There, you may see that your request has been either:
  • Received.
  • Pending a decision/action (e.g. approval of program).
  • Denied because you did not satisfy the eligibility requirements or the program is no longer accepting program change requests.
  • Approved. Note: some requests require follow-up action.
  • Cancelled. Some requests require departmental advising as part of the approval process. If advising is not obtained, request will be cancelled.
• If you have a request that is still pending and you want to submit a new request, you must first cancel your pending request.
• If your change has been completed, you will see your new program on the drop-down menu of available programs in the online enrolment system the next time you enrol.

Program Change Request