Self-Determined Majors
A qualified student may pursue an interest through a program not necessarily contained within or related to a major department. The self-determined major is neither a double major nor an interdepartmental major. In recent years, self-determined majors have included such areas as medieval studies, arts administration, sports management, environmental studies, law and society, and Italian studies. The degree program must contain a core of not fewer than ten courses pertinent to the student’s central interest, one of these being an independent study project that integrates this core of courses, or a senior seminar or colloquium in which a main project achieves the same goal. Self-determined majors must meet the all-college requirements, including the maturity-level requirement.
The student proposes a course of study to the Subcommittee on Self-Determined Majors through the chair of the subcommittee. Normally, a student will apply during the spring of the sophomore year. A self-determined-major proposal must be submitted no later than October 15 of the junior year or its equivalent.
Students seeking departmental honors at graduation may submit their final
project to the subcommittee for evaluation. There are two conditions for
giving a final project honors:
(1) the advisors assess it to be excellent and of honors caliber; (2) the Self-Determined
Majors Subcommittee, based on the advisors’ assessments and its members’ judgments,
deems it worthy of honors. In instances when the subcommittee is not sufficiently
knowledgeable about the subject of a final project to assess it, a faculty
member knowledgeable in the subject will
advise them.
Detailed procedures for establishing a self-determined major may be obtained from the Office of the Dean of Studies or from the chair of the subcommittee.