How to declare with Environmental Studies

We're so glad you want to declare a major with the department of Environmental Studies! If you would like to declare any our five majors, please carefully read and follow the instructions below. Steps must be completed in order. Email us at envsadvi@ucsc.edu if you have any questions along the way. 

Step 1: Complete required classes 

Read over the qualification requirements for your desired major, and verify that you have completed all required courses* to declare.

*If you are in your deadline quarter to declare, you must complete the following steps even if you have not yet finished all of the qualification courses. For transfer students, the "deadline quarter to declare" is your 2nd quarter. For students who start as first-years, the "deadline quarter to declare" is your 6th quarter. If you are in your deadline quarter, please proceed with the following steps.

Step 2: Make an academic plan

We strongly recommend making your plan the quarter BEFORE you need to declare.

 

Step 3: Meet with an ENVS faculty member

Once your academic plan has been approved by ENVS advising, you must meet with a faculty member in the department of Environmental Studies. You may not choose a lecturer or advisor; it must be someone from this faculty list. The meeting can be zoom or in-person. Check out our summary of the faculty areas of expertise!

HAVE YOUR ACADEMIC PLAN READY. You can either bring it as a hard copy or on a computer/ tablet. At this meeting, you’ll be showing the faculty member your academic plan, talking with them about your academic & career goals, and discussing any enrichment opportunities you’d like to get involved in. Ask questions!! Then, the faculty will sign off on a google sheet* so that ENVS advisors can verify you’ve met with them. 

Please refer to the list of faculty office hours. Be mindful that office hours tend to get really busy during midterms and before finals, so you may want to go during weeks 1-3 or 6-8 of the quarter.

*Faculty sign off on this google sheet to indicate completion of declaration meeting. Students do not have access to this document; only ENVS faculty. 

Step 4: Petition to declare

After you’ve met with a faculty member, the last step is to fill out the Petition for Major Declaration on your MyUCSC portal.

Login to your MyUCSC portal > Undergraduate E-forms > Petition for Major/Minor > Complete the form, and make sure you click submit! Note: If you are declaring the ENVS major, it will ask you to select a concentration -- concentrations are not required, so you can either select one or choose "no concentration." 

Step 5: Wait for follow-up email

Once your academic plan has been approved and you have submitted your declaration petition form, you will receive a follow-up email. Your declaration is not finalized until you hear that you are officially declared! Please read that follow-up email carefully and take any actions requested in the message.

 


 Campus Declaration Deadlines

Students who enter UCSC as frosh are required to be formally declared in a major by your 6th quarter. Transfer students must declare a major by your 2nd quarter at UCSC. Each quarter has a declaration deadline by which the major or minor must be declared. If you do not declare by the deadline, you will have an enrollment hold preventing you from enrolling into courses until you declare. Please consult with your college advisors if you see an enrollment hold on your myUCSC portal. 

In order to declare, first pass the qualification courses required for the environmental studies major you are pursuing. If you are in progress with the final qualification course, you may complete the steps below but you will not be declared until you have successfully passed the course. 


Frequently Asked Questions about Declaration

Can I declare two majors/ minors at the same time? No, the MyUCSC declaration form will not allow you to have two declaration petitions submitted simultaneously. Please petition to declare one major first, and when that is completed you can petition to declare the second major or minor.

When should I start the declaration process? We recommend that you start making an academic plan the quarter before you submit the petition to declare on MyUCSC. This allows plenty of time for the planning process, so that you can submit the petition to declare right at the beginning of your actual declaration quarter.

Should I attend a declaration workshop? We are not holding any group workshops at this time, but we may start offering declaration workshops again in the future. You can, however, attend drop-in advising or make an appointment if you would like guidance in the declaration process! 

I submitted my declaration materials after following the steps above but I haven't been declared. Hang tight! Once your academic plan has been approved and you've submitted your petition to declare, it will take 7-10 business days for us to fully process your declaration. You will get a confirmation email when you've been officially declared.   

Can I declare anytime during the quarter? Yes, ENVS is currently allowing students to declare anytime during the quarter. 

Don't see your question? Feel free to email us at envsadvi@ucsc.edu and we'll get back to you.