Majors

Introduction
Departmental Majors
Interdisciplinary Major
Special Major 
Requirements Outside the Major

Introduction
Students elect a major by the middle of spring semester of the sophomore year, no later than the advising period. The major may be chosen in a single department or may incorporate two or more departments. The choice of major, and any changes, must be filed in the office of the registrar on the form provided. The dean of the College must approve all special majors.

Once a student has declared her major, one or more advisors are appointed. For a departmental or interdisciplinary major, the advisor is appointed by the department or interdisciplinary committee concerned. For a special major, the dean of the College appoints an advising committee of at least two professors. In most instances it is possible to appoint the professor(s) that a student selects as her preferred advisor(s), but such preferences cannot always be honored. If a student wishes to change her major, she should complete the appropriate form in the Office of the Registrar. A new advisor will be appointed accordingly.

Departmental Major
The major includes at least thirty-two credits, at least twelve of them at the 300 level in the department. At least sixty-eight of the total 128 credits required for the degree must be taken outside of the major department. Individual departments usually specify certain courses that must form a part of a major. Education may not be chosen as a major subject, but it may be part of a special major.

Interdisciplinary Major
Interdisciplinary programs, administered by a committee of faculty members drawn from several departments, have been set up in African American studies, American studies, Asian studies, biochemistry, critical social thought, complex organizations, environmental studies, European studies, international relations, Latin American studies, medieval studies, neuroscience and behavior, psychology and educational studies, Romance languages and literatures, Russian and Eurasian studies, and women’s studies/gender studies. Others may be added from time to time.

The goal of these programs is to provide an integrated course of study focusing intellectual inquiry on a topic of interest common to a group of students and faculty. They are structured enough to emphasize the central theme of the topic of study but flexible enough to allow a wide area for individual interest and exploration. The major consists of at least forty credits in the approved program, at least twenty of these at the 300 level, divided between two or more disciplines. A student with an interdisciplinary major does not need a minor.

Special Major
In addition to these interdisciplinary majors, a properly qualified student whose interests cross departmental lines in some other area may plan an integrated major incorporating work done in two or more departments. Such special majors consist of courses selected from the several departments concerned, in accordance with a definite plan determined by the student in consultation with her advisors. Like the majors in interdisciplinary programs, the special major consists of at least forty credits, at least twenty of these at the 300 level, taken in two or more disciplines. Similarly, a student with an interdisciplinary major does not need a minor.

A student who wishes to elect a special major should present the dean of the College a written proposal stating concisely the purpose and objective of her plan of study and formulating at least the core of an integrated program of course work and independent study that will achieve her objective. A special form for this proposal is available in the Office of the Dean of the College and must be submitted before advising period during the second semester of the student’s junior year. The proposal should be endorsed by two faculty members from different departments. If a plan is judged to be intellectually and educationally sound, the dean of the College will appoint the two faculty members as an advising committee that will assist in planning the program in detail and in meeting graduation requirements. Any changes to this plan must be approved by the student’s advisors and by the dean of the College.

Requirements Outside the Major
A student may choose one of the following three options:

1. She may select a recorded minor, consisting of a minimum of sixteen credits beyond the 100 level in a field or related fields outside her major. No more than one minor will be recorded on a transcript. The minor may take one of two forms.
   
   

   A. A minor within a second major field (such as economics, Latin, physics, women’s studies) must include at least four credits at the 300 level, unless this specification is waived or modified by the department or program concerned; if the proposed minor department or program so specifies, or if it includes work done elsewhere, it must also be approved by a designated member or members of that department or program.

   Or

   B. An interdisciplinary minor of the student’s devising (such as film studies, Victorian painting and poetry), may include one or more 300-level courses among the minimum four courses required, but need not do so in all cases; must be approved by the student’s major advisor and should involve appropriate consultation with qualified faculty in the proposed fields (formal departmental approval is not required); and may not have a title identical with the name of any existing major.

2. A student may opt for an existing certificate program (African studies, international relations).
   
   
3. Students who are pursuing an interdisciplinary major or a special major automatically fulfill the "outside the major" requirement.