Guide to Completing the Declaration of Major
General Information
The Declaration of Major form must be completed to advance from sophomore to junior standing. It is typically completed during the second semester of a student's sophomore year.
To advance to junior standing, students must have completed a minimum of 13 units (including transfer credit), but the form may be submitted prior to that. Students must declare the major during the semester at the conclusion of which they will have completed 16 units or more (excluding Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate credit).
The Declaration of Major form is available in Eliot 311, and is available as a fillable PDF on the Registrar's Office Forms page: Declaration of Major form (PDF).
We recommend using ATLAS, our degree progress tracking tool, to monitor your requirements. ATLAS can be accessed via IRIS or at atlas.reed.edu. Information about using ATLAS may be found at https://www.reed.edu/registrar/atlas-help/.
Completing the Form
The registrar's office keeps paperless files, which means the Declaration of Major form will be scanned and stored electronically. Please write legibly and in black or dark blue ink. If you use pencil, please be sure it's dark and there is good contrast. Writing with light pencil may not be picked up by the scanner.
When you complete the form, for each course write the department and course number rather than the course title. For example, write "FREN 211 and 212" instead of "Second Year French."
Psychology majors must submit an additional form along with the Declaration of Major form: Declaration of Allied Field form.
Chronological Course Plan
It may be useful to start on the reverse side of the form, the Chronological Course Plan. For each semester, write the courses that you are taking or plan to take. You may not know precisely what is being offered future semesters at the time you complete the form. We ask that you list the type of course, e.g. “ANTH 3XX” for an upper division anthropology course. We want to be sure you have a good idea of what you need to do to complete your degree requirements. Once the form is filed, it is up to you, with your adviser’s help, to choose the specific courses to meet your requirements.
The Chronological Course Plan should add up to at least 30 units, including Reed courses and any transfer credit. If you have transfer credit (including exam credit –AP, IB, etc.), list them in the AP & Transfer Coursework section. If you were a transfer student, include your courses from your prior institution(s) in the first (and second) year blocks as needed.
If you are doing a fifth (or more) year, note that on the form by and either fit the courses in the eight semesters or append an additional page.
Requirements for the Degree
On the front side of the form, indicate which courses are being used to fulfill the requirements. The courses listed on the front side will not necessarily add up to 30 units.
For courses that you have completed, list them in the "Applied" column. If the courses are in progress or will be taken in the future, list them in the "Remaining" column. Note the department and number (CHEM 101, REL 153, RUSS 111 etc) rather than course titles.
In the "Distribution" section, indicate which courses are being used for Group requirements. For Humanities, it will be 110 (unless you are a transfer student of sophomore or junior standing, in which case there are other options).
If your major does not have division requirements (The Arts, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Philosophy, Religion, Psychology, Linguistics and interdisciplinary majors), leave that section blank (or you can use the space if your major has a long list of requirements).
For Major (Department) requirements, there is not enough space to put one class on each line. Fit them in as best you can, or append an additional page, making sure all requirements are listed. Thesis will typically be two units, and is course number 470.
In the Quantity section, write the number of units or PE credits you have completed and have remaining. In total units include transfer credits; in total units at Reed include only units taken on the Reed campus (exclude off-campus study and transfer credit).
Approval
At least two signatures are required in order to declare the major: the student and the student's adviser. The adviser must be in the major department. If the adviser signing the form is not the student’s current adviser, the adviser will be changed without requiring a separate Change of Adviser form.
If the student is declaring an established interdisciplinary major, the chair (or a member of the interdisciplinary committee if no chair is specified) must also sign the form (on the Adviser 2 line), with the following exceptions:
For students declaring the Alternate Biology major: As well as the adivser, the chair of the Biology department needs to approve the form (or approval of the petition to the department must be provided).
For students declaring Biochemistry and Molecular Biology: Faculty from both departments must sign the form. For example, if the adviser is in the Biology department, a member of the Chemistry department must sign the form as Adviser 2.
For students declaring Comparative Race and Ethnicity Studies: In addition to the adviser, the form must be signed by either the committee chair or by the committee member from the home department (if this is not the adviser).
For students declaring Neuroscience: A member fo the Neuroscience Committee must approve the form, whether that is the student's adviser or an additional approval.
To declare an ad hoc interdisciplinary major, four signatures required in addition to the student’s signature: an adviser from each department, and the department chair of each department (the additional signatures can go in the margin of the form or on an attached page). The same four signatures are required for a double major, as well as the signatures of relevant division chairs. The double major must also be approved by petition to the Administration Committee.
In the case of multiple advisers, the adviser of record will be the one who signs as Adviser 1.
Submitting the form
Please turn the form into Ben Bradley in Eliot 311 or send it electronically to bradley@reed.edu. Ben will check for the necessary signatures and see whether the form complete and accurate. If Ben is unavailable, please leave it in the forms box in Eliot 311 and he will process it or inform you of any problems.
Questions
If you have any questions about declaring your major or filling out the form, please contact:
Ben Bradley
bradley@reed.edu
503.777.7295
Last updated January 29, 2024