An Individualized Major allows students who are interested in pursuing a non-standard major to define their own course of study.
The Individualized Studies major consists of 36 credit hours, with no more than 28 from one discipline. Sixteen of these credit hours must be in upper-level (300 / 400) classes. The maximum number of 100-level course credit hours is limited to 16. It will culminate in either an interdisciplinary capstone class or in a department capstone appropriate to the course of study.
To propose an Individualized Studies major, the student follows these steps:
- Identify two faculty members from different departments to serve as sponsors; one of whom would be identified as the primary advisor.
- Develop a proposal with input from the faculty sponsors that (a) explains how their proposed Individualized Studies major differs from majors currently offered by the college and (b) lists the courses to be taken as part of the proposal.
- Submit the proposal to the Curriculum and Educational Policies Committee (CEPC) for approval.
A student who wants to pursue an Individualized Studies major should have their proposal approved by the CRC before they have earned 60 credit hours; they must have their proposal approved before they have earned 90 credit hours.
The range of possible options for Individualized Studies is wide. Possible topics could include “American Studies,” “Film Studies,” “Social Justice and Human Rights,” “Theatre Arts,” and many others.
