Self-Designed Major

The opportunity to design a major appeals to students whose interests and career goals are broadly interdisciplinary. Most students decide to select a major from one of the established academic areas. They choose, for example, to major in geology or Spanish, sociology or religious studies. At Wooster, however, students may also propose a special major if they find that their educational objectives are better served in a curriculum which extends beyond that provided by an existing departmental sequence of courses.

Many students who initially investigate the special major discover, after consultation with faculty members, that their needs can be met by working within an existing department. The Independent Study (I.S.) program at Wooster already lends enough flexibility to the curriculum to allow most students to specialize in certain areas, if they so desire, while remaining in a regular department. However, if a student desires to study a set of issues or questions that cut across conventional disciplinary boundaries, then that student may consider the self-designed major.

To obtain permission to pursue a self-designed major, a student presents a plan for the major to the Upperclass Programs Committee for approval. In considering applications for special majors, the committee makes decisions based on intellectual content and rigor and on the integrity of the proposal as a major in the liberal arts.

« Return to Academic Programs