Index Academic Major Double Major Joint Major Individual Major Academic Minor Program of Study

Academic Major

1. Definition - An academic Major is a coherent grouping of courses in a particular academic field of study. the educational purpose of a Major is to require a student to specialize in a single discipline or a coherent field of study within the discipline. Majors are typically offered by academic departments, although the Senate has not limited the offering of Majors to departments.
   Some departments may choose to structure a portion of the Major into particular clusters of specialized subject matter. Such coherent groupings of courses within the Major field of study are designated as tracks. It is entirely optional for a department to establish one or more tracks within a Major.
2. Size and Structure - An academic Major must consist of ten to twelve (10-12) courses of which no more than three should be at the "100" level, and no fewer than three at the level of "300" or above. Departments proposing new Majors are strongly encouraged to require more than three courses at and above the "300" level. There are no formal guidelines on the size of tracks, however tracks do not generally require courses beyond the Major requirements.
3. Administration - The completion of the Major is recorded by the Registrar on the student's transcript. We are requesting that the Dean's office take the necessary steps to assure that tracks are also recorded on the student's transcript.

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Double Major

Students who elect a Double Major complete all requirements of each Major with the following exception: up to two courses may be "double counted", i.e. counted toward the fulfillment of both Majors.

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Joint Major

1. Definition - A Joint Major is a very special Major structure which emphasizes the areas of overlap of two closely related fields. Its purpose is to define the area of overlap between the related fields as a unique program of study. Although a Joint Major is typically offered by two academic departments, it is conceivable that a single department could offer a Joint Major.
2. Size and Structure - The Joint Major -- in parallel with the academic Major -- must consist of ten to twelve (10-12) courses of which no more than three should be at the "100" level, and no fewer than three at the level of "300" or above. Departments proposing new Majors are strongly encouraged to require more than three courses at and above the "300" level.
   The structure of the Joint Major must assure that students will study intensively the area of overlap between two closely related fields, rather than merely gain exposure to two fields of study.
3. Administration - The completion of the Joint Major is recorded by the Registrar on the student's transcript.

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Individual Major

1. Definition - The Individual Major is intended for students who wish to undertake a particular interdisciplinary course of study based on courses from two or more departments or Programs. The Individual Major must be approved by the Committee on Majors, Honors, and Special Programs (MHSP) to assure that the proposed course of study is equivalent to an Academic Major in its intellectual value and rigor.
2. Size and Structure - The Individual Major shall consist of ten logically related courses of which no more than three may be at "100" level and no fewer than six must be at and above "300" level in two or more departments or Programs. One course or Independent Study project should focus on some methods of inquiry or expression in the student's area of study. Normally, no more than two Independent Studies may count toward the Individual Major.
3. Administration - The Individual Major requires the sponsorship of a faculty advisor and it must be approved by the MHSP Committee. The student's graduation requirements are reviewed by the Individual Major Coordinator in Academic Support Services in conjunction with the student's faculty advisor. The completion of the Individual Major is recorded by the Registrar on the student's transcript.

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Academic Minor

1. Definition - An acadmic Minor is a coherent grouping of courses in a particular academic field of study for which there is an existing Major. Like the Major, though reduced in scale, the Minor is designed to familiarize students with a particular academic discipline. It is an optional second specialization for students majoring in another field. Normally, a department will offer a single Minor. In exceptional cases, a department may present justification for more than one Minor.
2. Size and Structure - A Minor must consist of at least six courses of which no more than two may be at the "100" level, and no less than two at the level of "300" or above. Students who take a Minor in a field of study closely related to their Major may not count more than two courses toward the fulfillment of the Major and the Minor.

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Program of Study

1. Definition - There are two types of Programs of Study in the College of Arts and Sciences: (a) those that offer significant exposure to a field of interdisciplinary studies, and (b) those that impart a specific set of skills. Both Programs of Study consist of a coherent grouping of courses offered by either a Program (an administrative entity, e.g. American Studies), or by one or more academic departments.
   1. An Interdisciplinary Program of Study must represent a truly interdisciplinary curriculum and thus it may be offered by either an interdisciplinary Program, or by two or more academic departments. In the case of departmentally based Interdisciplinary Program of Study, a student may not take more than 50% of the courses that count toward the completion of the Program of Study in any one department.
      A student who takes an Interdisciplinary Program of Study and majors in one of the departments that offer that Program, may not count more than 50% of courses taken in fulfillment of the Program requirement toward the Major.
   2. A Skill Oriented Program of Study may be offered by one (or more) department(s) but it must represent a cluster of courses which focus on a particular skill within the discipline, i.e. it differs from a track in that it may not be simply comprised of a sub-set of courses required for the Major.
      A student who takes a skills-based Program of Study and majors in one of the departments that offer that Program, may not count more than 50% of courses taken in fulfillment of the Program requirement towards the Major.

      Note: No Program of Study can be approved as a track within a Major, or as a Minor.

2. Size and Structure - A Program of Study should consist of a minimum of six courses of which no more than two should be at the "100" level, and at least two should be at the level of "300" or higher.
3. Administration - The completion of a Program of Study is recorded by the Registrar on the student's transcript.

Some Programs of Study are open to non-matriculated students. In these Programs the non-matriculated student is said to be enrolled in a Certificate Program. The satisfactory fulfillment of the Program requirements by non-matriculated students is acknowledged by issuing a "Certificate of Completion".

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Prepared by the 1993-1994 Ad Hoc Committee on Technical Guidelines:
Louis Ferliger, Economics
Richard Lyons, Associate Dean, ex officio
Kathleen Sands, Study of Religion, Chair MHSP
Edna Seaman, Biology, Chair
Loretta Slover, Assistant Dean, Office of Academic Support

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