Self Design Major
If you wish to design a liberal arts curriculum appropriate to your individual development and in pursuit of your personal goals, you are encouraged to do so; the structure is already in place. You should present for approval a written proposal to a faculty adviser and the academic dean; the proposal should be submitted no earlier than the second semester of the freshman year, and no later than the first semester of the junior year. In the proposed course of study, you must identify its rationale, its liberal arts elements, the major area(s), and a proposed schedule for subsequent semesters. The student will be responsible for the core curriculum requirements, for a comprehensive examination, and for a thesis or its equivalent in the major area. If you wish to create your own curriculum, you should begin by speaking with a faculty member, who will discuss the matter with you using these guidelines. If the faculty member agrees to be your adviser, together you may begin to design the curriculum.

You should prepare:

-A rationale of the program, explaining why it is necessary to design a curriculum rather than completing a departmental or an interdepartmental major.

-A list of the core curriculum courses already taken and those yet to be taken.

-A list of the courses proposed for the major.

-A rationale for taking specific courses in certain semesters.

(The current catalog can make clear in which semester a course is taught.) The proposal is submitted to the academic dean for approval; after this approval, major changes should be made only for serious reasons, such as the cancellation of a course.

Also of Interest
Since 1970, when the self-designed major was approved for the first time, between three to ten students have selected this option each year. More than 60 students have pursued this opportunity through to its conclusion: a unique degree. One student combined design, theatre and clothing construction to arrive at a degree in costume design; another used science and journalism to launch herself in a career as a science writer. One student combined performing arts and gerontology to study dramatic arts therapy for the elderly; another wedded literature and religion to study and create religious literature. A writer focused on creative techniques and elementary education to design a writing curriculum for children. The possibilities are limitless. Career Opportunities Students have designed curricula to match a wide variety of career goals. Besides art therapy, which is now a recognized major but began as a self-designed one, students have put together a course of study for pre-pharmacy, art in business, religion in elementary education, creative writing, creative advertising, and art-to-wear. A woman who wanted to be a museum curator combined art and home economics classes to become a fabric conservator. Whatever you want to accomplish, a self-designed major can help you begin.