Change of Major/Minor
Change of Major Requirements
All engineering majors are restricted, which indicates specific requirements must be completed for students to be eligible to apply. Please review the "How to Declare an Engineering Major" document for a complete list of engineering's change of major requirements and policies. Students changing out of engineering should use the resources located here.Application Dates and Deadlines for December/January 2020
The College of Engineering accepts applications for majors and minors three times per year: end of spring, end of summer, end of fall. The below dates and deadlines are for the end of fall (December/January 2020):- Applications accepted: December 14, 2020 - January 3, 2021
- Primary: Hokie Spa (Change of Major Application) -- newly admitted students will not be able to access this application until final grades have posted for the fall 2020 semester (approximately December 20)
- Secondary: COE Secondary Major Application
- Minors: COE Engineering Minor Application
- Essay Responses available here: December 14, 2020 - January 3, 2020 (only required for non-engineering students)
- Transfer Credit survey available here: December 14, 2020 - January 6, 2021 (only required for change of major courses not displayed on Hokie Spa)
- Decisions will be sent out on Thursday, January 7 by 5 pm to your VT email account.
The College of Engineering offers a variety of engineering majors, listed below. Please refer to the "How to Declare an Engineering Major" document for a complete list of requirements and steps necessary to declare an engineering major.
Students currently in a degree-granting engineering major that wish to change their major to another degree-granting engineering major should complete the change of major application on Hokie Spa during the application dates listed on the "How to Declare an Engineering Major" document.
Degree-Granting Engineering Majors
- Aerospace Engineering (AE)
- Biomedical Engineering (BME)
- Biological Systems Engineering (BSE)
- Chemical Engineering (CHE)
- Civil Engineering (CE)
- Computer Engineering (CPE)
- Chip-Scale Integration (CSI)
- Controls, Robotics, & Autonomy (CRA)
- Machine Learning (MCHL)
- Networking & Cybersecurity (NWCS)
- Software Systems (SFTW)
- Computer Science (CS)
- Data-Centric Computing (DCC)
- Secure Computing (SC)
- Construction Engineering and Management (CEM)
- Electrical Engineering (EE)
- Communications & Networking (CMNW)
- Controls, Robotics, & Autonomy (ECRA)
- Energy & Power Electronics Systems (ERES)
- Micro/Nanosytems (MNSY)
- Photonics (PHTN)
- Radio Frequency & Microwave (RFMW)
- Space Systems (SPCS)
- Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE)
- Materials Science and Engineering (MSE)
- Mechancial Engineering (ME)
- Mining Engineering (MINE)
- Ocean Engineering (OE)
Important Notes:
- Biomedical Engineering (BME) has an additional application/interview process and does not adhere to the 3.0 guarantee. Applications for BME are only reviewed in the spring semester.
- Students must first declare Electrical Engineering (EE) or Computer Engineering (CPE). Upon completion of ECE 2804: Integrated Design Project, students may apply to declare one of the 7 electrical engineering majors (CMNW, ECRA, ERES, MNSY, PHTN, RFMW, SPCS) or 5 computer engineering majors (CPI, CRA, MCHL, NWCS, SFTW). Students may also choose to remain in EE or CPE.
The College of Engineering offers 10 minors. Please review the table below for a list of the requirements for each minor. If you have any questions about an engineering minor, please reach out to the contact listed below.
Adding an Engineering Minor:
To add an engineering minors, students should complete the College of Engineering Minor Application . The minor application will be available during the below dates:
- End of Spring 2020: May 4, 2020 - May 17, 2020
- End of Summer 2020: August 3, 2020 - August 16, 2020
- End of Fall 2020: December 14, 2020 - January 3, 2021
Dropping an Engineering Minor:
To drop a current engineering minor, students should email Natasha Smith (noliver@vt.edu).
| Minor | Requirements | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Biomedical Engineering | In a degree-granting engineering major Minimum 3.0 overall GPA |
Amanda Sandridge asandridge@vt.edu |
| Computer Science | In a degree-granting major Completed a CS course (1114, 2114, 2505, or 3114) at Virginia Tech with a minimum grade of a C |
CS Advising Staff ruth2018@vt.edu |
| Cybersecurity | Completed CS 3214 or ECE 3574 | Joe Tront jgtront@vt.edu |
| Engineering Science and Mechanics | None | Amanda Sandridge asandridge@vt.edu |
| Green Engineering | None | Sean McGinnis smcginn@vt.edu |
| Human-Computer Interaction | In a degree-granting major | CS Advising Staff ruth2018@vt.edu |
| Innovation | None | Lisa McNair lmcnair@vt.edu |
| Interdisciplinary Engineering and Science (Scieneering) | None | Christi Boone chboone2@vt.edu |
| Naval Engineering | None | Alan Brown albrown5@vt.edu |
| Nuclear Engineering | None | Mark Pierson mark.pierson@vt.edu |
General Engineering students are encouraged to attend one of the below information sessions to ensure they understand the change of major process. Please register using the links below.
| Date | Time | Location | Registration Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, April 24 | 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM | Virtual (Zoom Meeting) | Register Here |
The College of Engineering will host multiple informational workshops throughout the academic year for non-engineering students to learn about the process of becoming eligible to apply for an engineering major.
Students are required to attend one of the below workshops prior to meeting with an engineering advisor.
| Date | Time | Location | How to Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, January 19 | 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM | Virtual | Sign-Up |
Change of major decisions may be appealed using the College of Engineering Change of Major Appeals Petition. Appeals can only be submitted if you completed the change of major application and are for addressing unusual and extenuating circumstances that occured while at Virginia Tech which caused you to be denied admission to an engineering major. Students wishing to appeal their decision must submit the appeal petition according to the deadlines below.
Engineering Change of Major Appeals Petition
Form Type: Microsoft Forms (Trouble logging in?)
| Change of Major Dates | Change of Major Decision Date | Appeal Deadline | Appeal Decision Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| End of Spring May 4 - May 17 |
May 21 | May 26, 12 PM (noon) | May 27, 5 PM |
| End of Summer August 3 - August 16 |
August 20 | August 24, 12 PM EDT (noon) | August 25 |
| End of Fall December 14 - January 3 |
January 7 | January 11, 12 PM EDT (noon) | January 12 |