You need to have your major evaluated at least one academic quarter before you plan to graduate. In most cases the major evaluation is done by your faculty advisor, using Degree Works.

For most of our majors, your faculty advisor is in the Department of Mathematics and is listed on the Plan of Study you submitted when you declared your major and in your Degree Works record. A list of our major programs, the relevant faculty advisors, and their contact details, can be found here. If you have forgotten who your faculty advisor is, or have difficulty contacting your faculty advisor, please contact the Math Department office at Math.department@wwu.edu.

For some joint majors with other academic departments your primary faculty advisor is in the other department. In that case the major evaluation process starts in that other department, and it may follow a different process established by that department. A list of those majors, the relevant advisors and their contact details can be found on the Declaring a Major page.

Documents

In order to complete your major evaluation, it may be useful to review the following documents:

• A copy of the relevant major course requirements through the Course Catalog.

• A copy of your student record.

• A copy of your Transfer Equivalency Report (TER), if you have any relevant transfer courses.

• A copy of your original Major Plan of Study form. If you cannot find a copy of your Plan of Study form, contact the Math Department office at Math.department@wwu.edu.

• A copy of your Degree Works record.

Completing the Evaluation

Email your faculty advisor a cover note, including your W number and a clear plan detailing how you intend to satisfy any outstanding major requirements. Ensure that your plan addresses all outstanding requirements for the major as listed in your Degree Works record, and that any course substitution or special exemption requests or approvals are fully detailed and documented.

Your advisor will review your materials and your plan to complete the major requirements, give you advice regarding appropriate courses to take if necessary, and write a Note on the Degree Works record regarding any special circumstances agreed to, such as course substitutions.

Once the major evaluation has been finalized, and agreement has been reached regarding any special circumstances, the advisor will enter the appropriate Note on your Degree Works record. The advisor will notify you that this has been done, and the Degree Works record should reflect that approval after the next business day. If the Office of the Registrar has any questions about the particulars, they will reach out to the faculty advisor for clarification.

If a course substitution needs to be made after a Major Evaluation has been approved, only a Degree Works Note needs to be entered by your advisor; no new major evaluation or other documentation is required.  If the student completes an alternate course than planned, but that course is also permitted per the approved catalog and is recognized by Degree Works, then not even a Degree Works Note is needed since the course is pre-approved.

Please Note

It is your responsibility to confirm that your Degree Works record reflects all the agreements reached and the relevant approvals.

You can track the progress of your Degree Application (and your major evaluation as a part of it) through your Degree Works page. Find the section titled "Degree Application Status" to see when your Degree Application has been received and completed by the Registrar’s Degree Evaluation Office. You will also be sent an email from the Registrar’s Office with your degree evaluation once it is completed and you are pending for graduation.

General Comments

Satisfying the requirements for completion of a major is distinct from meeting the requirements for a degree. For example, to get a degree from Western you must complete 60 upper division credits (courses numbered 300 or higher); your major alone probably does not require 60 upper division credits. Similarly, Western requires completion of a Writing Proficiency requirement; that requirement can often be met by a course that also meets a major requirement (such as Math 419) but can also be met by courses outside the major (e.g. English 302, Technical Writing).

Courses required for the major have to be passed with a grade of at least C-. In the case of majors in Education, including Math Education, a grade of at least C is required in every course.

For course sequences such as Math 124-125-224-225, successful completion of a higher numbered course in the sequence is deemed to imply satisfactory completion of a lower numbered course for the purposes of meeting the requirements of the major. For example, transfer students who have completed a class deemed equivalent to Math 225 are deemed to have successfully completed Math 224 for the major. Note that you will not get additional course or degree credit for such a lower numbered course unless you actually took that course.