Regulations

• 1)
  A major shall require the equivalent of 12 or more upper division courses (48 or more units).
• 2)
  Requirements for majors shall be determined by departments and programs, subject to the approval of the Undergraduate Council. Am 3/1/11
• 3)
  Double Majors
  With the approval of both departments or programs and of the college provost, a student in good standing may declare a double major. Am 2/27/96, Am 6/5/18

  • a)
    A student with a double major must fulfill the separate requirements of each major, and the equivalent of at least ten upper-division courses (40 units) must be unique to each major. Courses taken in fulfillment of lower-division requirements may overlap to any degree. Am 2/27/96
  • b)
    The two majors may not be within the School of Engineering, nor, except with the approval of the Undergraduate Council, within a single department. En 2/27/96, Am 3/1/11, Am 5/24/05, En 10/1/17
  • c)
    A student with a double major may graduate only upon completion of all requirements for both majors.  Both majors will be noted on the student's transcript and diploma.  If the two majors lead to different degrees (B.A. and B.S.), that fact will be noted on the transcript, and the two degree designations will appear on one diploma. Am 2/26/96, Am 2/27/96, Am 6/5/18
  • d)
    A student who has declared a double major may graduate in one major upon the completion of all requirements for that major. Am 4/25/95, Am 2/27/96, Am 6/5/18
  • e)
    A student with a double major who has reached the quarter limits of paragraph C and needs additional time to complete all requirements for both majors will be required to submit a completion plan and have it approved by their college prior to enrolling for additional quarters to continue works towards the degree. En 6/5/18
• 4)
  An undergraduate student must have declared a major or pre-major upon completion of 90 units.

• 1)
  Other requirements for graduation shall be determined by the colleges in conformity with Universitywide regulations and subject to approval by the San Diego Division of the Academic Senate.
• 2)
  Each college must set a minimum requirement for a bachelor's degree equivalent to at least 180 units, including not less than 60 at the upper division level.  The minimum number of units required by a college must be the same for the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science.  Except as may be otherwise provided in the Regulations of the Academic Senate or of the San Diego Division, no college may set a standard higher than passing for the satisfaction of any requirement for graduation. Am 5/23/95
• 3)
  The value of a course in units ("quarter units" or "quarter credits") shall be reckoned at the rate of one unit for three hours' work per week per quarter on the part of the student, or the equivalent SR 760 Am 5/22/90, Am 11/27/90

• 1)
  An undergraduate student who enrolls at UC San Diego as a freshman in Fall 2019 or thereafter will be allowed to enroll for 12 quarters to complete all requirements for a degree; if a student reaches this quarter limit and needs additional time to complete those requirements, they will be required to submit a completion plan and have it approved by their college prior to enrolling for additional quarters to continue work towards the degree. Am 3/1/11, Am 6/5/18
• 2)
  An undergraduate student who enrolls at UC San Diego as a transfer student in Fall 2019 or thereafter will be allowed to enroll for six quarters to complete all requirements for a degree; if a student reaches this quarter limit and needs additional time to complete those requirements, they will be required to submit a completion plan and have it approved by their college prior to enrolling for additional quarters to continue work towards the degree. Am 6/5/18
• 3)
  Summer sessions as well as quarters during which students are approved for part-time status or have withdrawn from all courses will not count toward the allowable number of quarters. En 6/5/18

Special kinds of study ‑‑ e.g., laboratories, reading programs, studio work ‑‑ may be required in addition to the basic course work in given curricula.

• 1)
  A minor shall consist of at least 28 units, of which at least 20 units must be upper division.  For sound academic reasons and with the approval of the  Undergraduate Council a minor may be established with fewer than 20 upper-division units. Am 5/28/96, Am 3/1/11
• 2)
  Requirements for minors shall be determined by departments and programs, subject to the approval of the Undergraduate Council. Am 3/1/11
• 3)
  A student may apply the equivalent of two upper-division courses (a maximum of eight units) to fulfill the requirements for a minor that have also been used to satisfy the requirements of a major. Am 5/26/92, Am 4/12/16
• 4)
  Double Minors

  • a)
    With the approval of both departments or programs and of the college provost, a student in good standing may declare a double minor.
  • b)
    A student with a double minor must fulfill the separate requirements of each minor, with no overlap of upper-division courses.  Courses taken in fulfillment of lower-division requirements may overlap to any degree.

• 1)
  One high school unit in American history, or high school unit in American history and high school unit in civics or American government, with a grade of C or better Am 10/23/90
• 2)
  By completing, with a grade of C- or better or a grade of P, any one‑quarter UCSD course of instruction accepted as satis­factory by the Undergraduate Council. Courses suitable for fulfilling the requirement will be designated by the Undergraduate Council. The list of suitable courses will be indicated in the UCSD Catalog, or other official academic publications of the colleges. EC 5/29/73, Am 10/23/90, Am 3/1/11
• 3)
  By presenting proof of having received a grade of 3 or higher on the Advanced Placement Test in American History administered by the Educational Testing Service of Princeton, New Jersey.
• 4)
  By presenting proof of having satisfied the present requirement as administered at another collegiate institution within the state.
• 5)
  By presenting proof of successful completion of a one‑quarter or one‑semester course, with a grade of C or better, in either American history or American government at a junior college within the state.
• 6)
  By presenting proof of successful completion of a one‑quarter or one‑semester course, with a grade of C or better, in either American history or American government at a recognized institution of higher education, junior college included, in another state. Am 2/25/69
• 7)
  A student attending the University on an F‑1 or J‑1 visa, by showing proof of temporary residence in the United States, petition for exemption from this requirement through the office of the student's college provost. Am 4/13/21

• 1)
  This requirement shall be satisfied by passing, with a grade not lower than C- or P, a one-quarter, four-unit course expressly approved by the Undergraduate Council for that purpose. A list of approved courses will be provided in the UC San Diego General Catalog. Am 4/12/16
• 2)
  This requirement may be satisfied by presenting proof of having passed a one-quarter, four-unit transfer course, or its equivalent, at a recognized institution of higher education, community colleges included, that has been articulated to one of the courses approved by the Undergraduate Council for the purpose of meeting the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion requirement. Am 4/12/16

Except as provided in SR 614, the minimum residence at the University of California required for a degree is three terms.  Each summer session in which a student completes a course of at least two units may be used in satisfaction of half a term's residence. Am 12/2/08

Except as otherwise provided in this section and SR 614, 35 of the final 45 units completed by each candidate for the Bachelor's degree must be earned in residence in the college or school of the Univer­sity of California in which the degree is to be taken.  A student who completes the graduation requirements while in the Education Abroad Program, the UC Washington, D.C. program, the UC Center in Sacramento Program, or the UC Natural Reserve System (NRS) California Ecology and Conservation Course may satisfy the requirement with the final 45 units preceding the student’s entrance into any of these programs. Am 5/23/01, Am 12/2/08 Am 12/12/17

Faculties may permit a student who is enrolled in the Education Abroad Program, the UC Washington, D.C. program, the UC Center in Sacramento Program, or the UC NRS California Ecology and Conservation Course to satisfy the residence requirement by earning at least 35 of the final 90 units, including the final 12 units, in residence in the college or school of the University in which the degree is to be taken. En 4/1/75, Am 12/2/08 Am 12/12/17

• 1)
  Degree programs in the University may be open to part-time students whenever there are good educational reasons for so doing.  No majors or other degree programs will be offered only for part-time students, except as specifically authorized by the Academic Senate.
• 2)
  A part-time undergraduate student is one who is approved to enroll for ten units or fewer, or an equivalent number of courses per quarter.
• 3)
  The same admissions standards that apply to full-time students will apply to part-time students.  Approval for individual students to enroll on a part-time basis will be given for reasons of occupation, family responsibilities, health, or for one quarter only graduating senior status.  Approval to enroll as a part-time undergraduate student shall be given by the appropriate provost.
• 4)
  Residence in any regular term is validated for a part-time student on the San Diego campus by a program of one or more courses.  Part-time undergraduate students shall not be required to meet minimum progress requirements.

Subject A Requirement Variance En 5/27/75, Rt by Academic Council 7/14/76, Rp 11/27/84 because variance rescinded by amendment of SR 636 See SR 636 }

• 1)
  There shall be a campuswide requirement for the award of college honors at graduation.  No more than fourteen percent of the grad­uating seniors on campus shall be eligible for college honors.  Normally, no more than the top two percent shall be eligible for summa cum laude and no more than the next four percent for magna cum laude, although minor variations from year to year shall be permitted.  The remaining eight percent are eligible for cum laude.  The ranking of students for eligibility for college honors shall be based upon the grade point average.  In addition, to be eligible for honors, a student must receive letter grades for at least 72 quarter units of course work at the University of California.  Each college may award honors at graduation only to those who are eligible to receive college honors. Am 6/6/17
• 2)
  Each department or program may award honors to a student at gradua­tion in accordance with the following criteria:

  • a)
    The student must have completed a special course of study within the department or program.  The requirements for this special course of study shall be approved by the divisional Undergraduate Council and published in the Catalog.  The requirements must include 8-12 units of supervised research or other creative activity leading to the preparation of a paper or other appropriate project.  Public presentation of the project, through performance, participation in the undergraduate research conference, or other appropriate means, shall explicitly be encouraged. Am 4/23/96, Am 3/1/11
  • b)
    The department or program shall establish formal procedures and criteria for application and admission to the program, which shall normally include a GPA of 3.5 in the major as a prerequisite.  Students with a GPA lower than 3.5 may be admitted by exception if they show promise of success in research or creative activity. Am 4/23/96
  • c)
    Each student whose project earns the equivalent of a grade of B or better and who has maintained a GPA of at least 3.25 in the major shall be entitled to the designation with distinction on the diploma after the departmental or program name.  Subject to the approval of the Undergraduate Council, each department or program shall establish criteria for the award of the designations with high distinction and with highest distinction. Am 4/23/96, Am 3/1/11

• 1)
  University of California Entry Level Writing Requirement is a reading and writing proficiency requirement.  Each student must be able to understand and to respond adequately to written material typical of reading assignments in freshman courses.  This ability must be demonstrated in student writing that communicates effectively to University faculty. SR 636(A) Am 5/23/96 Am 5/26/15
• 2)
  Satisfaction of the University of California Entry Level Writing Requirement is a prerequisite for every university level undergraduate course in English composition, including all courses approved as meeting the writing requirements of the undergraduate colleges at UCSD. Am 5/26/15
• 3)
  Prior to his or her first quarter of study at UCSD, each student may satisfy the University of California Entry Level Writing Requirement by any of the means approved by the Universitywide Committee on Preparatory Education and authorized under Universitywide Senate Regulation 636. Am 5/26/15
• 4)
  A student who has not satisfied the University of California Entry Level Writing Requirement prior to his or her first quarter of study at UCSD must satisfy the requirement by completing with a grade of "C" or better a course approved for this purpose by the divisional Committee on Preparatory Education.   A student who receives a final grade of "C-" or below has not satisfied the University of California Entry Level Writing Requirement and may repeat the course in accordance with Paragraph 6. Am 5/26/15, Am 5/19/20
• 5)
  A student who has not satisfied the University of California Entry Level Writing Requirement must register for the course specified in Paragraph 4 during each quarter of residence at UCSD until the University of California Entry Level Writing Requirement is satisfied. Am 5/26/15
• 6)
  In accordance with Universitywide Senate Regulation 636, a student who has not satisfied the University of California Entry Level Writing Requirement after three quarters of enrollment at any campus of the University of California will not be eligible to enroll for a fourth quarter.  Exceptions to this regulation may be considered in accordance with Divisional Bylaw 200, but only within policies established by the Divisional Educational Policy Committee and the Divisional Committee on Preparatory Education. Am 3/1/11, Am 5/26/15