Change of Major

Changing Your Major to Mechanical Engineering

Here are step-by-step instructions for changing your major to Mechanical Engineering at UCSB:

1. Students who have completed more than six academic quarters or more than 105 units will not be considered for a change of major/change of college in engineering. Students must be at or below 105 units at the time the change of major courses is completed, refer to page 5 of the GEAR catalog.
2. All first-year students interested in changing to Mechanical Engineering are required to contact the Mechanical Engineering Advisor during the fall quarter to get added to the list of interested students and initiate their core GPA spreadsheet. You may either email, meugrad@engineering.ucsb.edu, or Schedule an appointment through the advising links below, options offered M-F 9-11:30 am and 1:30-3:30 pm. 
3. Students may only petition for the change of major at the end of the fall quarter of their second year, no exceptions. Only eligible students will be considered, but there are no guarantees of acceptance. For planning, we suggest always having a plan B major in mind. Please refer to our program of study to help with course planning each quarter.
4. Current UCSB students in a non-engineering major, as well as students wishing to change from one engineering major to Mechanical Engineering, must complete a pre-defined set of core coursework: Change of Major Coursework 
5. Before petitioning for a change of major to mechanical engineering, a minimum of eight (8) of the following core courses or their UC equivalents must be completed: Math 3A-B (or Math 2A-B); Math 4A-B; Math 6A-B; Physics 7A-B; ENGR 3; Chemistry 1A-1B; ME 10; ME 14, 15, 17 (three of the 8 courses must include ENGR 3, ME 14 and ME 17). Please view the form Change of Major Coursework to see the GPA calculations. These courses are preferred to be taken at a UC campus. However, starting in Fall 2021, the Mechanical Engineering change of major process will allow courses taken at a California Community College and CSU that have direct articulations to the courses listed above. Please use assist.org to verify your courses. These courses must be reported to UCSB with an official transcript and included in the student’s course history through GOLD. Grades from a CCC or CSU will be calculated the same as our UC courses, (+/- grades included).
6. After each quarter, students must report their grades from their selected core courses to the Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Advisor. Grades listed in an email will suffice.
7. Students must achieve at least a 3.2 core GPA through the fall quarter of their second year to remain eligible for a change of major. A minimum core GPA of 3.2 is needed to receive an add code for any ME course. If students drop below this GPA they are not eligible for a change of major.
8. Core courses may be repeated as long as they are legal, as outlined in the College of Engineering: Repeating Courses.
9. Acceptance into the major will be based on core grade point averages*, applicable courses completed, and available space.
10. Those admitted will be given the necessary information and petition to move forward as a Mechanical Engineering student. There is no need to submit a petition beforehand.

History of Admission Through the Change of Major Process

Since the inception of the change of major process into Mechanical Engineering, the minimum core GPA has continued to rise and the bar to be admitted through this process is higher than ever. This is an extremely competitive process and we highly encourage students aspiring to be a change of major student, to keep a plan B in mind in the likely chance we are not able to accommodate their request. 

In a typical year, we are able to admit between 7-10 students, this is about a 25% success rate. The decision on how many spots we can fill depends on space and the performance of the potential change of major students. Full transparency, successful change of major students have above a 3.5 core GPA. 

Changing out of the Mechanical Engineering Major

If you are a current mechanical engineering student wishing to change to another engineering major, consult the College of Engineering Undergraduate Office.

Additional Information

College of Engineering - Changing your major general information.