Changing into Business

Students not currently in the College of Business must meet the following requirements to be eligible to change into the Business major.

Review the steps below to learn how to declare the business major. 

• Before You Get Started!

  • Please review the information below for why a change of major request may be denied:

    Changing into the College of Business

    Requirement	Restrictions
    Minimum GPA Requirement	Students who start at SJSU as a first-time frosh or lower division transfer must meet the minimum GPA requirement for their desired concentration by the time they reach 60 SJSU units graded. Students who start at SJSU as an upper division transfer must meet the minimum GPA requirement for their desired concentration by the time they reach 90 all-college units earn.
    Minimum Grade Requirements	Students who do not earn the minimum grade in a course requirements for the change of major (e.g. MATH 70, BUS1 20) by their second attempt will not be eligible for change of major to Business.
    Completion of Lower Division Business Requirements	Students who start at SJSU as a first-time frosh or lower division transfer must complete all the lower division change of major requirements by 60 SJSU units graded. Students who start at SJSU as an upper division transfer student must complete all the lower division change of major requirements by 90 all-college units earned.

     

• Step 1: Determine Concentration

  • Determine which Business Concentration you are interested in declaring.

    Please note that students cannot change their major/concentration to the three concentrations listed below until they have earned at least 60 units (junior-standing) and have completed the change of major requirements (see step 2):

         1. Accounting
         2. Accounting Information Systems
         3. Corporate Accounting & Finance

    Important note: If you are currently an exploratory student (undeclared) and wish to declare into one of the above concentrations, consult with an advisor as soon as possible.

• Step 2: Review Change of Major Requirements

  • A) Identify how many units graded (UG) or units earned (UE) you have completed by reviewing your unofficial transcript [pdf] via MySJSU. The number of units completed determine your academic standing (frosh, sophomore, junior, senior).

    B) Now review the GPA and course requirements you must complete prior to changing your major/concentration. The requirements may increase as you complete more courses and earn more units.

    C) Please consult with a business advisor as soon as possible to review outstanding requirements and help you create a plan to successfully change your major/concentration.

         - Frosh or Sophomore Standing: Less than 45 SJSU units graded (UG)
         - Sophomore Standing: 45 to 59 SJSU units graded (UG)
         - Junior Standing: 60 to 89 units earned (UE)
         - Senior Standing: 90 or more units earned (UE)

    Frosh or Sophomore Standing: Less than 45 SJSU units graded (UG)

    *Review your unofficial transcript [pdf] via MySJSU to determine your units graded

    Concentrations:	The following requirements must be met to change your concentration to one of these eleven concentrations:
    Business Analytics Entrepreneurship Finance General Business (with JHSSC advisor permission only) Hospitality, Tourism & Event Management Human Resource Management International Business Management Management Information Systems Marketing Operations and Supply Chain Management	SJSU Cumulative GPA: 2.6 or greater ENGL 2: Critical Thinking and Writing (GE: A3). Also accepted, ENGL 1B: Argument and Analysis (GE: C2) - Must receive a “C” or better MATH 70: Mathematics for Business (GE: B4) - Must receive a “C” or better

    Requests are NOT accepted to the three concentrations listed below until a student meets the requirements outlined in the “Junior Standing: 60 to 89 units earned (UE)” section.

         1. Accounting
         2. Accounting Information Systems
         3. Corporate Accounting & Finance

    For a sample academic plan, please see your Catalog. Students should meet with a business advisor for help with planning. 

    Sophomore Standing: 45 to 59 SJSU units graded (UG)

    *Review your unofficial transcript [pdf] via MySJSU to determine your units earned

    Concentrations:	The following requirements must be met to change your concentration to Finance:
    Finance	SJSU Cumulative GPA: 3.0 or greater ENGL 2: Critical Thinking and Writing (GE: A3). Also accepted, ENGL 1B: Argument and Analysis (GE: C2) - Must receive a “C” or better MATH 70: Mathematics for Business (GE: B4) - Must receive a “C” or better ECON 1A: Principles of Economics: Macroeconomics or ECON 1B (GE: D1): Principles of Economics: Microeconomics - Must receive a “C” or better in either course BUS2 90: Business Statistics - Must receive a “C” or better BUS1 20: Financial Accounting - Must receive a “C” or better
    	The following requirements must be met to change your concentration to one of these ten concentrations:
    Business Analytics Entrepreneurship General Business (with JHSSC advisor permission only) Hospitality, Tourism & Event Management Human Resource Management International Business Management Management Information Systems Marketing Operations and Supply Chain Management	SJSU Cumulative GPA: 2.6 or greater ENGL 2: Critical Thinking and Writing (GE: A3). Also accepted, ENGL 1B: Argument and Analysis (GE: C2) - Must receive a “C” or better MATH 70: Mathematics for Business (GE: B4) - Must receive a “C” or better ECON 1A: Principles of Economics: Macroeconomics or ECON 1B (GE: D1): Principles of Economics: Microeconomics - Must receive a “D-” or better in either course BUS2 90: Business Statistics - Must receive a “C” or better BUS1 20: Financial Accounting  - Must receive a “C” or better

    Requests are NOT accepted to the three concentrations listed below until a student meets the requirements outlined in the “Junior Standing: 60 to 89 units earned (UE)” section.

         1. Accounting
         2. Accounting Information Systems
         3. Corporate Accounting & Finance

    For a sample academic plan, please see your Catalog. Students should meet with a business advisor for help with planning. 

    Junior Standing: 60 to 89 units earned (UE)

    *Review your unofficial transcript [pdf] via MySJSU to determine your units earned

    Concentrations:	The following requirements must be met to change your concentration to one of these three concentrations:
    Accounting Accounting Information Systems Corporate Accounting & Finance	Generally, successful requests have at least an SJSU cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater ENGL 2: Critical Thinking and Writing (GE: A3). Also accepted, ENGL 1B: Argument and Analysis (GE: C2) - Must receive a “C” or better MATH 70: Mathematics for Business (GE: B4) - Must receive a “C” or better ECON 1A: Principles of Economics: Macroeconomics - Must receive a “D-” or better ECON 1B: Principles of Economics (GE: D1): Microeconomics - Must receive a “D-” or better BUS2 90: Business Statistics - Must receive a “C” or better BUS1 20: Financial Accounting - Must receive a “C” or better Complete BUS1 121A: Intermediate Accounting with at least a “B” or better. Register and complete ALEKS for BUS1 121A. Complete three more upper-division business courses or concentration courses. SJSU Studies Areas R and V do not count towards this requirement. Note: Students who have repeated any upper-division accounting course are ineligible to change/declare their concentration to accounting (you only get one attempt).
    	The following requirements must be met to change your concentration to Finance:
    Finance	Generally, successful requests have at least an SJSU cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater ENGL 2: Critical Thinking and Writing (GE: A3). Also accepted, ENGL 1B: Argument and Analysis (GE: C2)  - Must receive a “C” or better MATH 70: Mathematics for Business (GE: B4) - Must receive a “C” or better ECON 1A: Principles of Economics: Macroeconomics - Must receive a “C” or better ECON 1B: Principles of Economics: Microeconomics (GE: D1) - Must receive a “C” or better BUS2 90: Business Statistics - Must receive a “C” or better BUS1 20: Financial Accounting  - Must receive a “C” or better BUS1 21: Managerial Accounting  - Must receive a “C” or better BUS1 170: Fundamentals of Finance  - Must receive a “B” or better Complete three more upper-division business courses or concentration courses. SJSU Studies Areas R and V do not count towards this requirement.
    	The following requirements must be met to change your concentration to one of these ten concentrations:
    Entrepreneurship Business Analytics General Business (with JHSSC advisor permission only) Hospitality, Tourism & Event Management Human Resource Management International Business Management Management Information Systems Marketing Operations and Supply Chain Management	SJSU Cumulative GPA: 2.6 or greater ENGL 2: Critical Thinking and Writing (GE: A3). Also accepted, ENGL 1B: Argument and Analysis (GE: C2) - Must receive a “C” or better MATH 70: Mathematics for Business (GE: B4) - Must receive a “C” or better ECON 1A: Principles of Economics: Macroeconomics - Must receive a “D-” or better ECON 1B: Principles of Economics: Microeconomics - Must receive a “D-” or better BUS2 90: Business Statistics - Must receive a “C” or better BUS1 20: Financial Accounting - Must receive a “C” or better BUS1 21: Managerial Accounting - Must receive a “D-” or better Complete four upper-division business courses or concentration courses. SJSU Studies Areas R and V do not count towards this requirement.

    For a sample academic plan, please see your Catalog. Students should meet with a business advisor for help with planning. 

    Senior Standing: 90 or more units earned (UE):

    In addition to meeting the GPA and course requirements listed for your desired business concentration in the “Junior Standing: 60 to 89 units earned (UE)” section, students must also complete the following four documents (handwritten not accepted), please review the change of major video tutorial for additional support:

         1. “Request for an Addition/Change of Major or Minor: Students with 90 or more units” petition [pdf]
         2. Business Administration Major Form
         3. Personal statement (example can be found here [pdf])
         4. Save your SJSU Unofficial Transcript [pdf] as a PDF

    Once you complete the above steps, meet with an advisor during an appointment or drop-in advising with your completed forms.

• Step 3: Change of Major Dates

  • Meet with an advisor during the following dates:

    Change of Major Dates

    Term	Accept
    Summer 2025	June 9, 2025 - June 27, 2025
    Fall 2025	September 8, 2025 - October 2, 2025
    Spring 2026	January 5, 2026 - February 26, 2026

    See our Lower Division Advising or Upper Division Advising website for how to connect with an advisor.

Newly Admitted Students

Newly admitted students cannot change their major prior to or during orientation and will need to attend orientation with the college housing their admitted major. Newly admitted students must earn an SJSU GPA during their first semester before submitting a change of major request. 

However, students interested in changing their major will have an opportunity to let their current major advisors know during orientation. This will be taken into consideration when registering in classes for your first semester.

New students cannot meet a business advisor regarding change of major until the start of their first semester.