L&S Major Declaration Information

The following section provides information on declaring a major in the College of Letters & Science for L&S undergraduate students.

All L&S undergraduate students must declare at least one (1) major by the time they have earned 86 credits in order to graduate.   Detailed information about declaring a major is located at:



Procedures for declaring or cancelling an L&S major, certificate or option

Information about L&S majors and special degree programs can be found at:

Majors, Certificates, and Concentration Programs

Declaring a major is an essential part of a student's academic career at UW-Madison and is very important for graduating in a timely manner.   Students are encouraged to declare a major as soon as possible once they have decided on their particular academic area of interest and have met the requirements for declaration.   Student must go to the individual department(s) in order to declare a major or special degree program (e.g., AMEP, JBA, JBS, BMUS, BSW, etc.). 
  • An enrollment hold will be placed on students' records if they have at least 86 credits (this includes credits already earned plus credits students are currently taking) and have not declared a major by the 5th week of the fall or spring term.  This means that students will not be able to enroll in future terms until they declare a major.
    • Students who have a Mandatory Major Declaration enrollment hold will still be able to drop classes or withdraw from the current term as long as they drop classes or withdraw by the official deadlines.  See Enrollment Deadlines Pages for more information regarding deadlines.
  • Students who have a Mandatory Major Declaration (MMD) enrollment hold on their records can get the hold lifted by declaring a major with the advisor for the major.
  • Students who cannot declare a major because they do not qualify yet or have another issue preventing them from declaring a major should speak with their advisor as soon as possible about their options.
  • Students can find the name and contact information for advisors at Find My Assigned Advisor
All L&S undergraduates must declare a major by the time they have at least 86 credits (senior standing).    Students with senior standing who already know what they wish to major in should go to the major advisor to declare the major as soon as possible.   Students who are still unsure of their major should speak with their undergraduate advisor(s) as soon as possible.  Additional information can be found at: 

Find my advisor

How to schedule an appointment with my advisor

Requirements that Apply to All Majors

Majors, Certificates, and Concentration Programs 

The College of Letters & Science Degrees

BA/BS Degree Requirements


Contact L&S Student Academic Affairs/Academic Dean's Office with any further questions:
Phone: (608) 262-0617
Email: lsdeans@saa.ls.wisc.edu




Keywords:major, declaring major, major declaration, L&S major declaration,86 degree credits, enrollment hold, mandatory major declaration, mandatory major declaration enrollment hold, MMD   Doc ID:53616
Owner:Tori R.Group:L&S KB
Created:2015-07-03 11:11 CDTUpdated:2022-02-10 16:53 CDT
Sites:L&S KB
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