Academic Advisement

Choosing and Declaring a Major: Choosing a major means deciding on an area of academic specialization. Declaring a major means filing the official paperwork necessary to have major status in the selected department.

The major functions as a students academic home at the University, so it is crucial for a student to decide on a major as soon as possible (and no later than 60 units earned, when junior standing is achieved.) Faculty in the students major are an excellent source of academic advising, as are the professional advisors in each Colleges Student Services Center/EOP.

Students must formally notify the University and the department of their choice of major, either by declaring the major at the time of application to CSUN or by filing a Change of Major form with Admissions & Records. CSU Northridge offers students more than 50 different undergraduate majors.

Most majors require a student to complete at least 45 units of the bachelors degree in the major field, but some require substantially more units or even a few less than 45. (Degree requirements for each major are explained at the start of each academic departments listing in the middle section of this Catalog.) Factors to consider when choosing a major include personal interests, academic strengths, faculty advice, and career or professional goals. Each students major will be printed on the CSUN transcript and on the diploma after graduation. A freshman or sophomore student who is undecided about the major may enroll in undecided status. However, once a student nears junior standing without declaring a major, he or she will be required to obtain additional academic advisement at the Advising Resource Center/EOP. Specific major and career advisement is required for any undecided student who has completed 45 units toward graduation. Once 60 units are earned, a hold will be put on the students ability to register for classes until a major is declared.

Choosing and Declaring a Minor: Many students decide that they would benefit from a minor, a formal program of study in a field other than their major. The name (or term) minor refers to the smaller number of units in the program, as compared with the major. A minor may be required of students in certain majors, but for most students, it is optional.

Students who voluntarily choose a minor typically do so from personal interest in the field or because a minor can provide them with a recognized field of secondary knowledge that may be attractive to employers and to graduate/professional schools. A student who plans to complete a minor should choose it early so that General Education classes can be selected to satisfy requirements for both GE and the minor simultaneously. The student must formally notify the University when choosing a minor by filing a Change of Minor form with Admissions and Records. The name of the completed minor is notated on the student’s transcript at graduation.

All students are expected to declare a major by the time they complete 60 units. A registration hold will be placed on your record until you declare a major. The Advising Resource Center/EOP can provide assistance in selecting a major. These holds will be reviewed daily and the hold released for any student who declares a major.

Choosing Classes: Prior to the start of each registration period, students should review the Students should ensure that they meet all prerequisites and consider all requirements for each course in their program of study. Certain departments and special programs require students to receive advisement before enrollment is allowed.

Faculty Advisors: Students should seek a faculty advisor in their major field. Faculty advisors are available in each department prior to registration and at regular intervals during the semester. They are prepared to assist and advise students in the selection of a balanced academic program of courses compatible with their background and future plans. However, the primary responsibility for course registration rests with the student. Students should consult departmental listings in the catalog for further information on academic advisement. Except for emergency absences or approved modifications to the class schedule, faculty members are responsible for meeting all assigned undergraduate and graduate courses. Faculty office hours for appointments are scheduled, announced in class, posted, and on file in departmental offices.

Undergraduate Studies Office

  • University Hall (UN) 215
  • Associate Vice President: Cynthia Z. Rawitch
  • Director: Maureen Rubin
  • Telephone: (818) 677-2969
  • Fax: (818) 677-3977

This Office is responsible for the undergraduate offerings at CSUN. The Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Studies coordinates and supports the activities of Academic Advisement, Academic Services for Student Athletes, Developmental Mathematics and Writing, the Honors Program in General Education, University Assessment and Program Review, Special Majors, the Learning Resource Center, the publication of the University Catalog and the Center for Innovative and Engaged Learning Opportunities (CIELO) which includes the activities of Academic First Year Experience, Faculty Development and Community Engagement. A new UGS initiative, the Writing and Reading Across Disciplines (WRAD) program, will help students continue to develop their literacy skills in their chosen majors. This office also is responsible for the University’s re-accreditation process through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)

The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) at California State University, Northridge is a student centered program. EOP designs, administers, and supports programs to deliver access and retention services to CSUN students. Established in 1969 by a legislative mandate, EOP focuses on highly motivated low-income, first-generation college students, a population that not only reflects the diversity of CSUN’s feeder communities, but also the diversity of the university itself. For those who qualify, EOP provides students with a modest EOP grant and participation in one of EOP’s Transitional Programs: Bridge Commuter; Bridge Residential; Transfer Bridge or FreshStart.

The Faculty Mentor Program provides mentoring services, training, and resources for faculty, staff, and students. Holistic support services are provided to all students through the Student Services Centers/EOP Satellites located in each academic college (and for undecided students - the Advising Resource Center/EOP)

EOP programs help to:
  1. create a stronger pipeline from the community to the university
  2. transition students to CSUN
  3. build community to ensure greater probability of student’s success at the university.

Student Services Centers/EOP Satellites

Advising Resource Center/EOP

  • Bayramian Hall (BH) 210
  • Director: Conchita Y. Battle
  • Telephone: (818) 677-2108
  • Fax: (818) 677-7728
  • www.csun.edu/eop/

The Advising Resource Center/EOP exists to provide extensive holistic services to undecided/undeclared students in their first two years of matriculation (0-59 units) at the university, or until they declare a major. We provide students with the opportunity to:

Explore

  • By providing advisement (peer advisor mentors & professional) and advocacy for students to aid in successful matriculation during their academic career;
  • providing personal support during the students transition to a college;
  • providing appropriate referrals to students; and
  • promoting, guiding and supporting the overall academic, personal and career development of undecided/undeclared students.

Discover

  • By providing an array of holistic student support services in a caring environment;
  • fostering community and mentoring experiences;
  • helping students connect to the appropriate programs/departments (major); and,
  • providing students with ample opportunities for self exploration through career development.

Decide

  • By creating opportunities for students to choose a major.

Student Services Centers/EOP Satellites in the Colleges

Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, & Communication

The Student Resource Center & EOP Satellite (SRC/EOP) is a comprehensive effort designed to assist students enrolled in the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication at California State University, Northridge. In maintaining our vision of further developing a community of talented students, the College is committed to providing services to students to facilitate their success within the majors of Art, Cinema and Television Arts, Communication Studies, Journalism, Music, and Theatre.

The SRC/EOP in coordination with the College Departments seeks to build a network in which students can benefit from the strengths and talents of faculty, staff, and peers. The Center is designed to enhance the transition, retention, and graduation of students majoring in the College’s academic departments. It provides a variety of academic support services, which include, but are not limited to, holistic academic advisement and counseling, guidance and information, personal support and multicultural activities to maintain a cohesive student centered environment to help students realized their educational goals.

We encouraged participants to become part of our “family” and take advantage of the resources. Students gain a greater understanding of community and enrich their lives by availing themselves of this opportunity while at CSUN. The Student Resource Center & EOP Satellite considers each student as an individual with a unique set of experiences, talents, ideas, and life and career goals. As such, it recognizes that advisement is a holistic process having the mission of assisting students to identify and clarify goals, plan and monitor academic progress, and advance towards graduation. Towards this, some of the services that are available via the Center for a targeted student population during peak advisement periods are (refer to the MCCAMC Advisement Grid available in our website): 1) assistance with course selection, 2) help with developing a balanced and realistic schedule, 3) help with developing an overall academic plan, including general education, the major and other graduation requirements, 4) help with improving and monitoring academic performance, 5) assist students with re-admission procedures, undergraduate financial aid appeals, and late schedule adjustment requests.

College of Business and Economics

  • Juniper Hall 2113
  • Director: Renée M. Martínez
  • Telephone: (818) 677-3537
  • Fax:(818) 677-5822
  • www.csun.edu/ossa

Student Services Center/EOP is the student services center in the College of Business & Economics, and a satellite of the University’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). Services are offered to all undergraduate business majors in the College of Business & Economics. The center assists the College in its efforts to support, retain and graduate students by promoting and fostering student development and academic success. Professional staff support students throughout their academic experience. Wholistic services offered include: new freshmen and transfer advisement and transition assistance, helping students identify and achieve long and short term goals, academic advisement, graduation planning, and referrals to College and university resources for academic, personal, and professional development.

College of Engineering and Computer Science

  • Jacaranda Hall (JD) 1501
  • Director: Dr. Karla Johnson-Majedi
  • Telephone: (818) 677-2191
  • Fax: (818) 677-2026
  • www.csun.edu/~cecsssc/

As part of the College of Engineering and Computer Sciences overall retention efforts, the CECS Student Services Center/EOP Satellite (CECS SSC/EOP) provides a wide range of student services including freshman orientation experiences, comprehensive academic advisement, tutorial services, scholarship and internship information, career development, and specialized help for students in academic difficulty.

The Center also administers additional services to eligible Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) students. Students are encouraged to schedule an appointment with a professional advisor. Extended hours are also available. Visit our website for more information and current offerings/activities.

College of Health and Human Development

  • Sequoia Hall (SQ) 111
  • Director: Dr. Mario Lopez
  • Telephone: (818) 677-2883
  • Fax: (818) 677-5885
  • http://chhd.csun.edu/

The HHD Student Services Center/EOP is a comprehensive effort designed to assist in the recruitment, retention and graduation of students majoring in Child and Adolescent Development, Communication Disorders and Sciences, Environmental and Occupational Health, Family and Consumer Sciences, Health Sciences, Kinesiology and Recreation and tourism Management, and Physical Therapy..

The Student Services Center/HHD/EOP works in partnership with students in meeting their academic needs and to facilitate success in the various disciplines represented in the College. Services offered through The Student Services Center/HHD/EOP include: academic advisement, HHD Freshmen and Transfer Student Orientation, academic workshops, personal support, peer advisement and faculty mentoring.

College of Humanities

The Student Services Center/EOP (SSC/EOP) offers a wide variety of support services in order to recruit, retain and graduate students with majors declared from within the College of Humanities. These support services include, but are not limited to, academic advisement, mentoring activities, specialized services for EOP students and freshman programs. Students may schedule individual appointments with professional advisors in the SSC/EOP. Telephone, email and fax inquiries are also welcome. Extended hours are offered in an attempt to meet the needs of our evening students. Students are encouraged to meet regularly with the staff of the SSC/EOP and with a faculty member in their chosen major. The partnership maintained by the professional staff of the SSC/EOP and the faculty of the College provides students with the information they need to meet their academic goals.

Liberal Studies Program

The Liberal Studies Program offers advisement services to students who are interested in the Teacher Preparation or the General Studies Options of the major. Students interested in need to complete a Liberal Studies workshop to learn more about the major and credentialing requirements. Students who have applied to CSUN and who have completed a workshop may schedule an individual appointment with an advisor.

College of Science and Mathematics

  • Eucalyptus Hall (EH) 2126
  • Director: Frankie Augustin
  • Telephone: (818) 677-4558
  • Fax: (818) 677-3877
  • www.csun.edu/~smssceop

Mission: Empowering students by providing quality holistic student services, to ensure educational excellence. The College of Science and Mathematics Student Services Center/EOP Satellite Office (CSM SSC/EOP) provides comprehensive advisement, mentoring and other student services to undergraduate students pursuing majors in the College of Science and Mathematics. CSM SSC also serves as a satellite office for the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). CSM SSC/EOP is staffed with Professional Advisors and Student Peer Mentors/Advisors to assist undergraduate students with academic advisement, Degree Progress Report (DPR) Reviews, information and assistance on financial aid resources, employment opportunities, research internships and fellowships, faculty mentoring, information on graduate and professional school programs, tutoring and referrals to other campus resources.

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Student Services Center/ Educational Opportunity Program Satellite (SSC/EOP) assists the College in its efforts to retain, graduate, and promote the advancement of students to graduate and professional degree programs. The Center is committed to providing opportunities that will enhance students’ educational experiences, foster student development, and promote academic success.

Professional staff advisors are available to assist students with academic advisement, educational planning, career resource referrals, and graduate and professional school preparation. Special programs and services provided by the SSC/EOP include the Freshmen Mentor Program , Student Success Workshops on topics such as: budget and time management; preparing for graduation; how to read their Degree Progress Report, and other helpful information.

The SSC/EOP also administers additional services to eligible Educational Opportunity Program students. Students with an interest or majoring in Anthropology, Geography, History, Pan African Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Urban Studies are encouraged to seek assistance in the Center.

Pre-Professional Advisement

Pre-Dentistry

There is no specific pre-dental major at CSU Northridge, but most students accepted into dental school have majored in Biology or Chemistry. The Dental Admission Test is required, and most students admitted to dental school have a baccalaureate degree. The courses listed below are the minimum requirements for most dental schools. To enroll in the first courses in Biology, Chemistry, English, and Physics, appropriate prerequisites must be met. Check catalog course descriptions for prerequisites.

Pre-Dental Curriculum - Minimum Requirements
  • CHEM 101/L, 102/L General Chemistry I, II (10)
  • CHEM 333, 334 Principles of Organic Chem I, II (8)
  • PHYS 100A/AL, 100B/BL General Physics I, II (8)
  • AAS/CHS/ENGL/PAS155 Freshman Composition (3)
  • ENGL 255 Introduction to Literature (3)

Many schools recommend or require additional courses (e.g., another year of Biology courses, Biochemistry, Psychology). A broad exposure to the arts and humanities is encouraged. For specific information, consult a pre-dental advisor, study the book entitled “Admission Requirements of U.S. and Canadian Dental Schools” published by the American Dental Education Association, 1625 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20036-2212, and visit the website at www.adea.org.

Pre-law

  • John Evans, Professor, Political Science Department.
  • Email: john.evans@csun.edu
  • (818) 677-7232

Law schools typically do not recommend any particular undergraduate major. Hence, there is no program specifically designated by the University as the only appropriate preparation for the study of law. Some generalizations regarding preparation at the undergraduate level may be made, however. Pre-law students should seek to develop skills in critical thinking and writing, as those will be useful in law school and as a practicing attorney. Taking classes where there is extensive writing and feedback is helpful in achieving this. A critical understanding of the values and institutions with which the law deals and a sense of how the law relates to the business community is also valuable. Central to all this is the power to think clearly, carefully, and independently. Skill in research, in analysis of relevant data, in deductive and inductive reasoning, and in reasoning by analogy all foster the student’s power to think creatively. The cultivation of these skills and insights is not the province of any one discipline at the University. Choice of major should be governed by the student’s interests and abilities in light of the comments above. It is recommended, though, that you schedule an advisement appointment with either the university pre-law advisor above or a pre-law advisor within your major department sometime before your senior year to discuss strategies and deadlines in the law school application process. Additional information, including detailed advisement and news about events and pre-law opportunities is available on the pre-law advisement website at http://www.csun.edu/lawprogram/. Information on pre-law events is also posted on the Pre-Law Bulletin Board posted outside the Political Science office in Sierra Hall 210.

The LSAT exam is a very important component in law school admission decisions. LSAT exams are offered 4 times yearly (3 times at CSUN). Information about the LSAT and the law school admissions process is also available from the Law School Admissions Council website at www.lsac.org.

Pre-Medicine

  • Eucalyptus Hall (EH) 2224
  • Biology Department
  • (818) 677-4600
  • www.aamc.org

Pre-health professional students may select any major in the sciences or humanities provided they include the courses required by the professional schools. Requirements to enter each of the health professions can be found on the URLs indicated below:

  • Medicine (www.aamc.org); Osteopathy (www.aacom.org); Podiatry (www.aacpm.org); Chiropractic (www.chirocolleges.org); Physician Assistance (www.aapa.org); Dentistry (www.adea.org); Optometry (www.opted.org); Pharmacy (www.aacp.org); Veterinary Medicine (www.aavmc.org); Naturopathic Medicine (www.naturopathic.org).

Competition for entrance into the health-professional schools is intense. Students (both undergraduate and post-baccalaureate) are encouraged to seek advice of a pre-professional advisor early in their enrollment at the University regarding proper preparation for the professional schools. Preparation in the sciences must begin in the freshman year. Pre-dental students should consult the pre-dental advisor; the pre-medical advisor counsels all others.

A suggested pre-medical curriculum for medical schools is given below. For specific information, consult a pre-medical advisor, study the book entitled “Medical School Admission Requirements” published by the Association of American Medical Colleges, 2450 N Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037, and visit the website: www.aamc.org.

Pre-Medical Curriculum: Students are advised to take both the Mathematics and Chemistry Placement Tests (MPT and CPT) before registration, and to note the course prerequisites, so that courses at the appropriate level can be selected.

  • BIOL 106/L, 107/L Biological Principles I, II (8)
  • CHEM 101/L, 102/L General Chemistry I, II (10)
  • CHEM 333, 334 Principles of Organic Chem I, II (8)
  • PHYS 100A/AL, 100B/BL General Physics I, II (8)
  • MATH 255A Calculus I (3)
  • MATH 255B Calculus II (3)
  • and/or MATH 140 Introductory Statistics (4)
  • AAS/CH S/ENGL/PAS 155 Freshman Composition (3)
  • ENGL 255 Introduction to Literature (3)

Recommended Studies: Many schools recommend or require additional courses in fields such as genetics (BIOL 360), cell biology (BIOL 380), embryology (BIOL 441/L), biochemistry (CHEM 464), computer science (COMP 100), conversational Spanish (SPAN 101/C), and behavioral sciences (PSY 150). Many recommend or require both Calculus and Statistics. Medical schools also emphasize the humanities and social sciences, and it is imperative to develop critical thinking and verbal and written communication skills.

Factors considered by professional schools reviewing applicants for admission include grade point averages, scores on professional school entrance examinations (MCAT, DAT, OAT, GRE, PCAT, VCAT), previous experience in related fields, recommendations from faculty members and supervisors, and interviews with applicants.

Students should plan to take the MCAT in the spring rather than in the summer of the year of application.