**The below information has been altered from the published version of the catalog. Updates from Policy Statement 14-09 regarding Academic Minors have been edited into the listing. A list of differences in the online and published version of the catalog is available. **
Minors and Certificates
A minor is a structured selection of courses by which a student can enrich his or her academic preparation through concentrated study of a discipline that is different from, but may be related to, the student's declared major. A minor is a means to augment or complement the major by broadening the student's academic experience or serving as preparation for a specific career. A minor must be pursued concurrently with a Bachelor's degree. A minor consists of a minimum of fifteen units, as specified by the department or program, at least six of which must be upper division. The minimum overall GPA in courses toward the minor is 2.0. A minimum of six units of coursework towards the minor must be taken at CSULB. Minors are awarded only as part of a baccalaureate degree. Students may not finish a minor after they have graduated. The minor may be in a single subject or interdisciplinary. Students may not declare or receive a minor in the same subject as the major, and the major and minor may not have the same title. The description of each minor shall have a statement listing all majors, if any, that may not be combined with that particular minor. Students should refer to the requirements of the department and college of their major, to see whether a minor is required for that major. Even if a minor is not required, students may elect to complete one or more minors from those available.
Note that the award of a minor will be reflected on your transcript, not on your diploma.
Certificate programs differ from baccalaureate majors and minors in their emphasis on practical and applied uses of knowledge in a specific area of human enterprise. Certificates may only be earned concurrently with or following the award of the baccalaureate degree. Certificate programs require at least 18 units of course work, of which at least 15 units must be upper-division. Courses taken to fulfill the requirements for the baccalaureate may also be applied to certificate requirements. A maximum of two 500-level courses, taken by eligible students in their senior year, may be applied to a baccalaureate certificate program. Extension and/or transfer credit may comprise no more than one-fourth of the course work used to meet baccalaureate certificate requirements. A grade point average of at least 2.0 must be maintained in the certificate program's course work. Courses taken to fulfill the Bachelor's degree may also be applied to certificate requirements. Note that the award of a certificate will be reflected on your transcript, not on your diploma; a separate certificate document will be issued.
While students are encouraged to pursue their academic interests, all degree objectives (e.g., majors, minors, certificates) must be completed within 120% of the units allowed for the primary degree as stipulated in CSULB's Timely Graduation for Undergraduate Students policy. Also note that CSULB's Academic Progress Rules for Undergraduate Programs policy stipulates that if any one of a student's three GPAs is below 2.5, the student must have the approval of his/her primary major advisor to add any additional degree objectives. Please note that students whose major GPA is near or below a 2.0 are unlikely to be allowed to pursue additional degree objectives until they have improved their major GPA. If the program advisor for the minor or certificate supports the request for an additional degree objective, the advisor will electronically submit the request to Enrollment Services. Be aware that additional information may be requested to insure compliance with the policies mentioned above prior to the processing of the request.
