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Elective Course Substitutions

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FAQs

What is an elective course substitution?

Elective course substitutions are any electives applied to the sociology program that are not numbered SOCY 110-189 at UCSC. Courses must be upper-division, are generally 5-units (though some exceptions may apply, such as courses from abroad), and have sociological content. Courses may be from:

  • Other UCSC departments
  • Other UCs or four-year institutions
  • Global Learning
  • 5-unit Individual Study courses with sociology professors
  • UCDC or UC Sacramento

How many substitutions are allowed?

The number of course substitutions a student is allowed depends on the major or minor the student is pursuing:

Can electives be shared between my majors/minor? (i.e. double counting)   

If an upper-division elective you wish to apply to sociology is already being used towards another major or minor, then the double counting policy must be applied. Student may not apply an upper-division course to two different programs unless they are eligible, per the policy, and both department advisors must approve the double counting. Please check in with your department advisor to verify whether you are allowed to double count in your program.

  

Approved Elective Course Substitutions

Many courses at UCSC and beyond have already been reviewed and approved! Use the list of the approved courses under the major/minor you are pursuing. Search through all approved courses below. Or review approved courses for the upcoming quarter on our enrollment page.

Once you pass the course (C or better or Pass) let us know! We'll apply the course to your major.
   
approved courses from UCSC, UC, and global learning for each major

Sociology BA

GISES Concentration OR GISES Minor

Combined BA in LALS/SOCY
UCSC Courses All Approved Courses Global Learning Courses
UC Courses 5-unit Independent Study course with Professor Chris Benner
Global Learning Courses 5 or 7-unit courses from UCDC or UC Sacramento
5-unit Independent Study course with Sociology faculty
5 or 7-unit courses from UCDC or UC Sacramento

Petitioning a New Course

If the course you wish to take is not already on an approved list above, you may submit a petition to determine if the sociology department can approve it as a new elective course substitution.

A course syllabus is required for all new elective course substitution petitions. A syllabus should include goals/objectives of the course, assignments, a week-by-week breakdown, and a reading/materials list. If the syllabus lacks this information, you may keep your own notes and submit them along with the syllabus.

Ideally, you should petition a course prior to taking it, however, in some cases it may be difficult to obtain a syllabus before the first day of instruction, particularly courses offered through Global Learning. If you are not able to obtain the syllabus prior to taking the course, be sure to petition the course as soon as you have received the syllabus.

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Petitions will be reviewed by a sociology faculty member, and results will be emailed to the student's UCSC email within 2-3 weeks.

If the course is approved, a passing grade is posted, and the student is declared in the major/minor, the course will be entered into the student's Degree Progress Report in MyUCSC. Students who are declared in the LALS/SOCY Combined major do not have an Degree Progress Report for their major. Instead, the petition is noted in the student's records in Slug Success.