Majors, Minors & Concentrations

Declarations

You must declare a major by the end of the registration period during the second semester of your sophomore year; however, you may declare early as the second semester of your first year. If you plan to study abroad, you must declare a major before you submit your study abroad application in early February of your sophomore year. Junior transfer students must declare a major before registration for their second Smith semester. Ada Comstock Scholars must declare within a semester of earning 64 credits.

Smith College recognizes only two purely academic programs of study (major, minor or certificate) on the student’s record, in the following combinations:

  • One major
  • One major and one minor
  • One major and one Five College Certificate
  • Two majors (i.e., double major)

A concentration is the only option to add a third program of study to your record. You must apply and be accepted into a concentration before you can declare it.

You must declare a Five College Certificate by submitting the declaration form with the registrar's office and completing the steps on the Five College website. The student record sheet that is submitted to the Five College Consortium must also be submitted to the registrar's office in order for the certificate to be eligible to appear on your Smith transcript.

To declare a major complete the Program of Study Declaration form found on Workday or our Forms page. When declaring your first major, you need the approval of your liberal arts adviser (LAA) and your new adviser. If you are declaring a second major, minor or Five College Certificate, or a concentration, you will only need the approval of your adviser for that specific program of study. No major or minor can be in the same department or program as the first major.

Concentrations

A concentration may be declared as an additional program in conjunction with any of the academic program combinations above. A concentration gives students a way to organize a combination of intellectual and practical experiences, such as internships and service learning, around an area of interest.