Individualized Major

Many students will imagine complexes of courses that transcend the College's usual majors and cater to students' particular interests. In order to encourage such inventive thinking, Centenary offers its students the opportunity to construct an Individualized Major.

The individualized major will draw courses from at least two departments and will not exceed 48 hours, 20 of which must be at the 300 level or above. Students pursuing individualized majors must complete the usual Liberal Arts Explorations and any other requirements specific to the degree (BA/BS) they are pursuing. Courses taken within the Individualized Major may also be used to fulfill Liberal Arts Explorations.

Students who wish to pursue this option work with an advisor of their choosing to develop a proposal that explains which courses they want to take, how these are related, and how they will integrate their work in a final project.

The approval process for the Individualized Major includes the following steps:

1. The student identifies a faculty advisor in an appropriate area who is prepared to supervise the Individualized Major.
2. Together, the student and advisor develop a proposal that
   
   • names and describes the major the student wants to pursue;
   • identifies the courses and experiences (internships, study abroad, etc.) that will make up the major;
   • explains how these courses and experiences are integrated; and
   • describes a summary project, taken as an independent study (CDS 491-494) and supervised by the sponsoring advisor, that integrates the various aspects of the major.
3. The student obtains the signatures of all department chairs or program coordinators whose departments or programs contribute to the major, confirming that they endorse the proposal.
4. The student submits the signed proposal along with a completed degree plan to the Program Coordinator for the Individualized Major who will review both to ensure that they meet College requirements.
5. The Program Coordinator sends the proposal to the Registrar, who reviews the degree plan, and to the Academic Policy Council to ensure that the proposal is consistent with the academic goals and mission of the College.
6. Once reviewed, the proposal is endorsed by the Program Coordinator for the Individualized Major and filed in the Registrar's Office.