Student-Designed Major

The academic interests of some students may be served through the creation of a student-designed major drawn from curricula of two or more departmental programs. These majors are intended to be inter-disciplinary, self-designed programs of study distinctive from conventional majors offered at MC or other colleges and universities. A student-designed major must be focused on a particular subject area, and be comparable in rigor to that of a conventional major. All other requirements of the general education curriculum must be fulfilled.

Students who wish to propose a student-designed major should:

Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.000.
Submit the proposal to the Curriculum Committee no later than the fall semester of the junior year.
Identify a faculty advisor who will help develop the program of study, approve course selections, and oversee the progress of the student through the curriculum.

The student-designed major should:

Include 35 to 60 credit hours.
Have no more than 2/3 of the credit hours drawn from an existing major.
Include no more than 2/3 of the credit hours from the courses already completed.
Designate the course or courses that will serve as the major’s capstone.
Include in-depth independent studies, off campus experiences and internships in the major, where possible and appropriate.

The written description and rationale for the major should include:

A title for the major.
An explanation of how the major will help the student to achieve career objectives.
A list of the courses in the proposed major grouped by subject areas and indicating which courses have been completed.
A rationale for each course (or groups of related courses) in the program of study. If the program of study corresponds with a specialized major at another institution, a comparison between major content areas must be demonstrated.
The signature of the faculty advisor.
Signatures of approval from each of the academic departments represented in the proposed major
A copy of the student’s transcript.

If the proposal is approved, the chair of the Curriculum Committee will submit a copy of the student-designed major to the Records Office and the Provost’s Office.