FAQs

The first stop for students who are trying to determine their major is the Career Center in Benson Center.  They have a number of self-assessment tools and major resources which can help you determine the right direction for you.

If you've narrowed your choice down to a couple of possibilities, you might want to request a meeting with the department chair, or another faculty member, in the departments you're interested in.  They can give you more specifics about what students tend to do with the major in their department.

If you are planning to double-major, you should plan to meet with an advisor in the Drahmann Center.  They are prepared to advise on majors in all schools (business, engineering, and A&S).

This page should help you understand the best person to assist you with your advising questions.  If you’re still not sure who to talk to, send an email to the LSB Peer Advisors, or come by the Undergraduate Business Programs Office in Lucas 115 for further guidance.

For students who will be abroad in the fall quarter:  Students who are going abroad do receive advising holds as this is an automated process.  However, since they must meet with an advisor prior to applying to study abroad, the Office of the Registrar will remove the hold prior to the winter registration period.  Students receive another hold which prevents them from dropping the study abroad units and registering for classes at SCU for the term when they are to be abroad. This hold can only be removed after the student has formally notified the International Programs Office that they are no longer planning to go abroad.

For students who are abroad during the annual Academic Advising period: Students who are abroad during the Annual Academic Advising period but will be registering for fall quarter classes at Santa Clara University must receive advising from their assigned faculty advisor during the mandatory advising period.  This advising can be performed via phone or email.

This is a two course sequence which must be completed in the first year at SCU. Once you have been pre-enrolled or have registered for C&I, you may not change your C&I sections unless you have exceptional circumstances.  If you believe you do have exceptional circumstances, you must make an appointment with a Drahmann Center Advisor.  You can make an appointment with a Drahmann Advisor If you haven't used this site before, simply click on "forgot my password" and one will be sent to you.

This is a two-course sequence that must be completed in the first year at SCU. Once you have been pre-enrolled or have registered for CTW, you may not change your CTW sections unless you have exceptional circumstances.  If you believe you do have exceptional circumstances, you must make an appointment with a Drahmann Advisor. If you haven't used this site before, simply click on "forgot my password" and one will be sent to you.

The Experiential Learning for Social Justice (ELSJ) requirement cultivates social justice, civic life, perspective and civic engagement. Business students can fulfill the requirement in one of 3 ways:

1. One class, incorporating the key elements, in which all students receive ELSJ credit (units variable).
2. One class, in which ELSJ community contact is one of several options. Those students receiving ELSJ credit register for an ELSJ option. The ELSJ option typically involves no additional units. The ELSJ option incorporates the key elements. The syllabus, however, includes the four ELSJ learning objectives for all students and all students complete assignments aligned with the learning objectives.
3. One non-departmental milestone (no units) in which students contract with the ELSJ Curriculum Manager and register for the ELSJ milestone to fulfill the ELSJ requirement without units, as credit for work produced in association with an immersion trip or other experience involving contact with communities. The ELSJ Curriculum Manager will confirm whether the experience qualifies for ELSJ. Students will submit work products to the ELSJ Curriculum

Check the ELSJ site for updated information.

Pathways are a cluster of courses with a common theme which promote integrative and intentional learning.  Business students must take four courses equaling at least 16 units.  Transfer students, who matriculate with at least 44 units, take three courses equaling at least 12 units. Students should be advised as follows:

• First-Year
• Visit Pathways site (https://www.scu.edu/provost/core/integrations/pathways/)
• Review Pathways and associated courses
• Save your coursework!!
• Sophomore Year
• Declare Pathway
• Review Pathways policies, procedures & course guidelines
• Determine links between Pathways courses and core, major and minor requirements
• Not all Pathways courses will fulfill one of these requirements. Enjoy branching out into another subject of interest!
• Senior Year 
• Submit Pathways Portfolio
• Two-page reflective paper
• Check Pathways website for submission deadline

Check the Pathways site listed above for updated information.

• The three Religion, Theology & Cultures courses must be completed in sequence. Religious studies courses (offered in TESP, SCTR, and RSOC) are numbered as follows
• 1-19 (for RTC1)
• 20-99 (for RTC2)
• 100 and above (for RTC3).
• The third Religion, Theology & Culture course (RTC3) must be completed after 88 units.
• If students do not follow these requirements, the courses will not be reflected in the degree audit and will not satisfy the graduation requirements.

To satisfy the requirement, business students must have proficiency to the 2nd course of the 1st year of college level language.  They can satisfy this requirement in the following ways:

• Successfully complete the two courses at SCU (e.g. ITAL 1 and ITAL 2)
• Some students may have prior experience with a 2nd language in high school. These students may want to enroll in a higher level (e.g. ITAL 2 or ITAL 21).  Students should refer to the modern languages website (https://www.scu.edu/modernlanguages/student-resources/) for information about placement tests and surveys.  Students who take and pass any course from level two onward have met the requirement.
• Successful completion of a proficiency test to demonstrate mastery to the required level. Students should be referred to the modern languages website (https://www.scu.edu/modernlanguages/student-resources/) for information about proficiency tests.

Most business students take the MATH 30/31 sequence. Business students desiring to take mathematics beyond the two required courses of calculus are advised to take MATH 11/12 instead in order to satisfy the prerequisite to more advanced mathematics courses. Students are not advised to switch to MATH 12 if they have already completed MATH 30

Note: Students will not be permitted to enroll in MATH 30 or MATH 11 until they have completed the Calculus Readiness Exam (on the ALEKS platform).  The resulting score will determine whether the student can enroll in calculus 1, or must start with MATH 9, pre-calculus. See here for more information about this exam.

Most business students must take OMIS 34 to fulfill the Information Systems requirement in the business core. Accounting students may take ACTG 134 instead. These courses also satisfy the Science, Technology and Society requirement in the university core. AIS, MIS majors and MIS minors take OMIS 30 or 31 to satisfy the Information Systems requirement and need to take an additional course, chosen from the list of approved courses to satisfy their STS requirement.

Business students will take MGMT 80 to fulfill their Cultures and Ideas 3 requirement in the university core, if they take it on the SCU campus.  MGMT 80 taken abroad will likely NOT satisfy the Cultures & Ideas III requirement.

The statistics sequence for most business students is OMIS 15, OMIS 40 and OMIS 41.  However, the statistics sequence for economics majors is OMIS 15, OMIS 40 and ECON 41 and 42.

A score of 4 or 5 in AP statistics yields SCU credit in Math 8 or OMIS 40. Students who receive this credit must complete OMIS 15 before taking OMIS 41.

Reviewing a course plan can be completed in three easy steps:

• Ensure that all the requirements which have not been completed as indicated in the degree audit, are listed on the course plan.
• Ensure that all courses are planned in quarters after any required prerequisites have been taken/fulfilled (see prerequisite guides for business courses here).hyperlink to new prerequisites site.
• Ensure that the graduation unit requirements (175 units, 60 of which must be in upper-division courses) will be met

You can find full instructions for how to complete a course plan and all the forms you need in Completing a Requirements Checklist and Course Plan: 

If you’re a first-year student, you can find additional recommendations on this page.

If you're having trouble completing your course plan, and need some assistance with questions about university and/or business core course placement, you can request an appointment with an LSB Peer Advisor by using the Ask A Peer Advisor button on our advising site. 

Regardless of how you put together your initial course plan, you must ultimately have it reviewed by your faculty advisor.  This is the only person who can review the placement of your major courses.  If your course plan includes more than one major and or minor, you should have it reviewed by a Drahmann Faculty Advisor.  The Drahmann Faculty Advisors are qualified to review course placement for majors and/or minors in all schools (business, engineering, and A&S).

Some helpful tips for registration:

• Make sure you fill your schedule at registration.
• Do NOT leave a blank space in your schedule and assume that you’ll get into a class from the electronic waitlist or in the first week of classes. Fill your schedule completely and then if you get into a class from a waitlist, you can swap it later on eCampus.
• When it comes to your university core courses, keep in mind that you don't need to enroll in an exclusively business-focused curriculum. It's recommended not to exceed one or two business courses per quarter during your first and second quarters.
• Have you determined your Pathway? This could provide further course options.
• Don’t panic – you won’t fall behind the expected four-year graduation just because you can’t get into a class. If you doubt it, complete a course plan
• If, after completing a course plan, you find that you DO have a problem, go to the Undergraduate Business Programs Office in Lucas 115 and ask for assistance.

You can see which courses have been approved to meet specific graduation requirements in theCore Curriculum Guide. You can also use Course Avail to determine if courses meet requirements.  Simply click on the 5 digit course number for any course and it will give you the course description, prerequisites, and which requirements the course is approved to satisfy.  

Here are instructions showing how to find courses which satisfy more than one requirement on Course Avail.  But, be aware, courses may not double-dip between or within the foundations and explorations phases of the university core. For more information, use this chart.

The policy for unit overload is depends upon numerous factors, including number of units completed, GPA, timing, etc.  For the most current information regarding policy, procedure, and dates for overload,  see the REGISTRATION eCAMPUS page of the Registrar’s most current Undergraduate Deadline & Registration Information virtual book at:  http://scu.edu/studentrecords/.  In general:

• Registration Window 1 (Normal Registration Period) – Students may enroll in up to 19. Anything over 19 units is considered an overload, and is not permitted.
• Registration Window 2 (Second Registration Period for Seniors) – Students who have completed 131 units and have a cumulative GPA of 2.20 or higher may enroll in up to 20 units without approval.
• Registration Window 3 (Add/Drop Period – 1st Week of Classes) – Students who are in the University Honors Program, or who have a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher, may enroll in up to 25 units without approval. Students who do not meet these criteria, may seek approval for overload at the Drahmann Center.

Note – during all registration windows, 1-unit or 2-unit courses do not count as overload units.  Students may add a 1-unit or 2-unit course without approval by filling out the form at:  https://www.scu.edu/registrar/forms/request-to-add-fractional-1-or-2-unit-courses-up-to-2-units/

Internships for academic credit are generally only available to upper-division students.  You can find out more about policies regarding this type of study in the Undergraduate Bulletin (Tip: Once you're in the Bulletin, search for “Students may pursue independent study”).

As you will note, internships and independent study are generally restricted to upper-division students because academic credit for these experiences is dependent upon the student having "demonstrated a sufficient knowledge of the academic discipline involved," which is difficult to demonstrate as a first or second year student who hasn't taken any of the courses in a particular discipline.  

Junior and senior students in the business school who are eligible to receive academic credit for internships must have a declared major and should see the department of their major for information about the policy and procedure for internship credit.

(Effective for economics prerequisites taken Fall 2015 and after)

Economics courses build on knowledge and skills from prerequisite courses; moving on to more advanced courses requires a minimum degree of mastery over the previous material beyond merely passing with a D.  Students earning a grade below C- in a course will need to retake the course before enrolling in another course for which it is a prerequisite. 

Prerequisites for Economics 2 and 3 are exempt from the C- minimum requirement.  However, while there is not a minimum C- grade required in Econ 1 to take Econ 2 or in Econ 1 & Econ 2 to take Econ 3, all other economics courses that have Econ 1, 2, and 3 as prerequisites require a C- in all three courses.  For example:  a student may enroll in Econ 2 and Econ 3 even after earning a D in Econ 1, but he or she may not take any other course that has Econ 1 as a prerequisite (e.g. Econ 41/42, 113, electives, etc.).  This implies that economics majors and minors must have a C- or higher in Econ 1, 2, and/or 3 and in any other courses that are prerequisites for economics courses (e.g. Math 30 or 11 and OMIS 40 or Math 8 for Econ 41/42, Econ 113 for Econ 114, and so on.). Please refer to the following page for a list of prerequisites. 

Prerequisite courses taken before Fall 2015 will be exempt from the C- minimum but students will have to meet with Professor Ardelean and obtain a PIN from Marianne Farag in order to take courses with a prerequisite of the course for which they earned a grade lower than C-.  The Economics Department strongly recommends that students retake all courses for which they earn lower than a C- because such low grades indicate insufficient knowledge of the material covered to continue taking higher level courses.  Additionally, in order to graduate, students must maintain an overall 2.0 GPA or higher and they must also have a 2.0 or higher GPA in their courses for their major.  The Economics Department highly recommends that students who find it difficult to get C or higher in economics or math courses change their major.  Each year there are a few economics majors who have completed all their university requirements but who do not graduate because their GPA in economics courses is below 2.0.  They must continue taking additional economics courses until they raise their GPAs over 2.0, some never do and cannot earn their degree.  This is an extremely unfortunate situation for these students.  The Department recommends that students whose economics and math GPA is below 2.0 consider minoring in economics or in one of the related business minors listed on pp. 12-16.

Questions about this policy should be addressed to Marianne Farag or your advisor.

When considering whether to drop a class, there are a couple of factors to take into consideration:

      Having a W on the transcript - 

This is generally a non-issue.  A "W" or even a few "W's" on the transcript is not viewed unfavorably by anyone reviewing your transcript.  However, when students have a "W" every quarter or many "W's" through the course of their academic career, reviewers may wonder about the student's ability to complete what he/she starts.

      Impacting expected graduation date - 

One or two "W's" throughout the academic career generally does not impact one's ability to complete graduation requirements in the expected 4-years.  The only way to determine this for sure is to complete a course plan.  You can find full instructions for completing a course plan here.

The classification of students is determined by the number of quarter units completed with passing grades. Lower-division students are considered first-year if they have completed fewer than 44 units and sophomores when they have completed at least 44 units but fewer than 88 units. Upper-division students are considered juniors when they have completed at least 88 units but fewer than 131 units and seniors when they have completed at least 131 units.  (Excerpt from the Undergraduate Bulletin)

Students in the business school have the flexibility to choose their major at any point during their freshman or sophomore year. However, they must declare a major by the end of their sophomore year. It's important to note that all students must declare a major before they can apply for study abroad. 

To officially declare a major and/or minor, students can initiate the process by submitting an online Program Petition form through the Office of the Registrar's website.

You can find the policy and procedure for contesting a grade in the Undergraduate Bulletin in the Academic and Administrative Policies and Regulations chapter, under Student Appeals of Grades section.  (Tip: Once you're in the Bulletin, search for “student appeals of grades")

A D+ is considered a passing grade unless the course description in the Undergraduate Bulletin notes a different passing grade, or a required grade in a prerequisite course (note Economics courses).

According to SCU policy, you can repeat a course for credit if you earn less than a C-.  If you do repeat the course, you will only earn units for one section.

If you repeat a class, when calculating GPA, the two grades you earned in the class are not averaged together, nor is one of the grades dropped. The grades in both sections will be calculated in your total GPA.  For this reason, it is difficult to raise your cumulative GPA significantly by repeating a class in which you’ve earned a low grade, so it is not advisable to repeat a class just to “boost” your GPA.  However, if it is a foundation course leading to another course, you may want to consider repetition of the course in order to build a better knowledge base before moving on to the next course in the sequence.

A grade of “P” signifies that the quality of work done is equivalent to a letter grade of “C” or higher, while a grade of “NP” denotes work at the level of “C–” or lower. A maximum of six courses taken under the pass/no pass option in which the student receives a mark of “P” can be used to fulfill the unit requirements for graduation.

Some courses are offered only on a pass/no pass basis. If a graded option is not available, a course can satisfy Core, major, and/or minor requirements. A student with junior or senior standing and a declared major may choose to take an elective course on a pass/no pass basis. Students may enroll in only one elective course on a pass/no pass basis per quarter. Students may choose the pass/no pass option for a class through the end of the fourth week of classes, but may not change the grading option after that date. (Excerpt from the Undergraduate Bulletin)

The mark of “I” (incomplete) may be assigned by the instructor when a student does not complete some essential portion of the assigned work in a class because of extraordinary circumstances beyond the student’s control. The unfinished work must be completed and given to the course instructor within three weeks of the beginning of classes in the next scheduled term (not the student’s next term of enrollment), excluding summer session, unless extraordinary circumstances require an extension. A request for an extension must be submitted in writing by the instructor and approved by the University Registrar within the original three-week period. Extensions shall not be for longer than two academic quarters after the mark of “I” was assigned, excluding summer session. An incomplete that has not been completed within the specified deadline or has not received an approved extension will be converted to a grade of “F.” (Excerpt from the Undergraduate Bulletin)

Students who are graduating with a major in the Leavey School of Business should complete a Candidacy Petition for the Bachelor’s Degree form in the Undergraduate Business Programs Office no later than the date listed on the Graduation Petition Due Dates listing. .  Students who have a second major should check with the 2nd major department regarding their graduation petition process.

Students who are seeking a double degree must make an appointment with a Drahmann Center advisor as soon as they begin to think about a double degree to ensure that all the requirements will be satisfied.  You can make an appointment with a Drahmann Advisor at: https://scu-insight.symplicity.com/students/index.php If you haven't used this site before, simply click on "forgot my password" and one will be sent to you.

Note:  The following information applies only to courses offered in these academic departments: ACTG, ECON, FNCE, MGMT, MKTG, OMIS. For courses offered in any other department, students should contact the academic department for further information regarding how to inquire about space in full classes.

Workday will give you the option when registering if a class has a waitlist available. You are allowed to waitlist up to 15 units electronically per quarter in addition to the units you are registered for. The department administrative assistants will review the waitlists to determine who gets into a course. 

 Position on the wait list will NOT determine placement in the class. The department administrative assistants will review the wait lists and assign permission numbers based upon the current criteria developed by the departments and the Undergraduate Business Programs Office to distribute permission numbers.  These criteria will be based on one or more of the following factors: current enrollment in another section of the requested course, declared business-related majors/minors, completion of prerequisites, graduation petition status and number of units completed.

Getting on a wait list doesn't ensure students will get into the class. Students will be notified of their status on wait lists no later than Friday of the 3rd week following the end of the registration period.

Students should not contact professors about space in their class and are not encouraged to attend first class sessions of courses unless they are enrolled or have received a seat.

Workday will give you the option when registering if a class has a waitlist available. You are allowed to waitlist up to 15 units electronically per quarter in addition to the units you are registered for. The department administrative assistants will review the waitlists to determine who gets into a course. 

If you get into a course, the department admin will add you when you are allowed to overload.

Additionally, getting on a wait list doesn't ensure that they'll get into the class so students should plan their schedules accordingly.

Business Core

• BUSN 70
• Students who receive transfer credit for either the 3-course lower-division economics sequence (ECON 1, 2, 3), or one of these economics courses plus one of Accounting 11 or 12 receive a waiver for BUSN 70.
• Students who do not receive credit or a waiver for BUSN 70 may take either BUSN 70 or BUSN 170 (must have junior or senior standing).

• Statistics
• Students who receive transfer credit for MATH 8 or OMIS 40 have satisfied the OMIS 40 requirement in the business core. However, students who have not received credit for OMIS 15 or 17 must also complete this course before taking OMIS 41 (or ECON 41/42 for economics majors).

University Core 

• Critical Thinking & Writing (CTW)
• Transfer students who matriculate with credit for both CTW 1 and 2 have satisfied the requirement. This may include exemptions granted at other schools and credit granted through Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate test scores.
• Transfer students who matriculate with 44 or more units and credit for CTW 1 will take an Advanced Writing course to complete the CTW 2 requirement. A second Advanced Writing (BUSN 179 for business students) course will be completed to fulfill the Advanced Writing requirement.
• Transfer students who matriculate with 44 or more units and credit for CTW 2 will have CTW 1 waived.
• All other transfer students will complete both CTW 1 and 2 at SCU.

• Cultures & Ideas (C & I)
• Transfer students who receive credit for both C & I 1 and 2 have satisfied the requirement.
•  Transfer students who matriculate with 44 or more units and receive credit for a course that satisfies C & I 1 will take a C & I 3 course to substitute for C & I 2. A second C & I 3 course will be completed to fulfill the C & I 3 requirement (MGMT 80 for business students). 
• All other transfer students will complete both C & I 1 and 2 at SCU.

• Religion, Theology and Culture (RTC)
• Transfer students who matriculate with fewer than 44 units will take all three RTC courses in the required sequence.
• Transfer students who matriculate with 44 or more units may take any two RTC courses at any level, in any order, to fulfill the RTC requirement. Note – the 3rd RTC (number 100 and above) may not be taken until students have completed 88 units. 

• Pathways
• Transfer students will declare their Pathways by the end of their third quarter at SCU.
• Transfer students in the College of Arts & Sciences and Leavey School of Business who matriculate with fewer than 44 units will take four courses (minimum of 16 units) to fulfill the Pathways requirement.
• Transfer students in the College of Arts & Sciences and Leavey School of Business who matriculate with more than 44 units will take three courses (minimum of 12 units) to fulfill the Pathways requirement.
• All transfer students in the School of Engineering will take three courses (minimum of 12 units) to fulfill the Pathways requirement.

According to the Undergraduate Bulletin, Transfer credit earned after initial enrollment at Santa Clara may not be used to fulfill Undergraduate Core Curriculum, college or school, department, or program requirements. “ (Please see Chapter 8, Academic and Administrative Policies and Regulations, Registration Policies and Regulations in the Undergraduate Bulletin for more information. Tip: Once you're in the Bulletin, search for “Units Taken at Other Institutions”)

Therefore, students may not take any required course at another institution.  With Drahmann Center approval, students may transfer up to 10 units of elective credit from another institution after matriculating at SCU.