Major Programs | Declaring a Major | Additional Regulations | Exceptions to Major Requirements | List of Majors

Major Programs

More than a set of course credits, a sound major is an effort to understand the methods and experience of a discipline or interdisciplinary field. Majors complement the breadth of the University of Chicago Core requirements with an opportunity to come to grips with the depth of knowledge and the complexities of developing knowledge in a particular area of inquiry. 

Students are required to complete at least one major.​ A major generally requires nine to nineteen courses (i.e., 900-1900 units). Successful completion of one or more major programs of study will be noted on both the student's official transcript and diploma.

Declaring a Major

First-year students will see their major listed as 'Common Year' for the majority of their first year in the College. At the close of Spring Quarter, first-year students may begin declaring any major programs of study in the my.UChicago portal, though they will be able to add, modify, or remove majors during subsequent years. Transfer students are granted the ability to begin declaring any major programs of study earlier, at the start of Winter Quarter. All students must have a major officially declared by the end of their third year (i.e., 9th quarter of enrollment) and any majors declared should be confirmed and considered final prior to completing an application to graduate in their final quarter. 

Some majors may require consultation with the academic department or formal acceptance following completion of an application process in order to officially declare. Please consult the Catalog page for the relevant major program below for additional details. Students are also strongly encouraged to consult with their Academic Adviser and contacts in the department throughout the process of selecting any majors and minors. 

Please note that while a student may indicate their interest in a particular major in their My Planner account and utilize the resources there for academic planning purposes at any time, the major will be considered unofficial. Students should be sure to officially declare the major in a timely manner so that their records are up to date approaching graduation.

Additional Regulations

All policies and procedures outlined on this page, or on the individual program's Catalog page, must be followed or the major may be removed from the student's academic record. Please take note of the additional stipulations outlined below:

  • No course being used toward a major may be counted toward a student's Core requirements (with the exception of Language Competence) or any set of minor requirements. Courses may double-count between two or more majors.
  • A minimum of half of the units of credit required for the minor must be completed in residence (i.e., through University of Chicago course enrollments).
  • The majority or all of the courses utilized to meet major requirements must be taken for quality grades. See the specific program's Catalog page for more specific details about grading. If no details are given regarding the acceptance of Pass grades toward the major, then the default is that quality grades are expected.

Exceptions to Major Requirements

Students seeking a modification to a major requirement in the form of a course substitution must submit a General Petition to the Director of Undergraduate Studies or other appointed department contact listed in the program's Catalog page. Course substitutions must consist of equivalent credit value (e.g., one 100 unit course replacing another 100 unit course). Students should be aware of other policies not listed on this page, such as degree requirements, examination credit, and transfer credit, prior to submitting their request as these policies will continue to apply and are not at the discretion of the department. Waivers to requirements will not be granted unless pre-approved as part of the established major curriculum outlined in the Catalog. Any approved course substitutions should be shared with the student's Academic Adviser in a timely manner for academic planning and degree auditing purposes. 

List of Majors

Anthropology
Art History 
Astrophysics 
Biological Chemistry
Biological Sciences 
Chemistry
Cinema and Media Studies 
Classical Studies
Climate and Sustainable Growth
Cognitive Science 
Comparative Human Development
Comparative Literature 
Computational and Applied Mathematics
Computer Science
Creative Writing 
Data Science
East Asian Languages and Civilizations 
Economics
English Language and Literature 
Environmental Science 
Environment, Geography, and Urbanization
Fundamentals: Issues and Texts 
Gender and Sexuality Studies
Geophysical Sciences 
Germanic Studies
Global Studies
History
History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Science and Medicine
Human Rights
Inquiry and Research in the Humanities
Jewish Studies
Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Law, Letters, and Society
Linguistics
Mathematics
Media Arts and Design
Medieval Studies
Middle Eastern Studies
Molecular Engineering
Music
Neuroscience 
Philosophy
Physics
Political Science 
Psychology 
Public Policy Studies
Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity
Religious Studies
Romance Languages and Literatures
Russian and East European Studies 
Sociology
South Asian Languages and Civilizations
Statistics
Theater and Performance Studies
Visual Arts