Students who wish to pursue an individually-designed major program should first discuss their ideas with their academic advisor. The student should then consult with the associate dean of The Global School, who will determine, with the assistance of other members of the faculty, if the proposed program is feasible, and, if it is, arrange for its evaluation.
The following procedures will be followed for feasible programs:
- The student must submit to the associate dean of The Global School an educational program proposal, including a “definition of scope,” and a concise statement of the educational goals of the proposed program. Goals (such as graduate school or employment) should be specified very clearly. The proposal must be detailed in terms of anticipated course and project work. The proposal must be submitted no later than one calendar year before the student’s expected date of graduation, and normally before the student’s third year.
- The associate dean will name a three-member faculty committee, representing those disciplines most involved in the goals of the program, to evaluate the proposal. The committee may request clarification or additional information for its evaluation. The proposal, as finally accepted by the committee and the student, will serve as an informal contract to enable the student to pursue the stated educational goals most effectively.
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Upon acceptance of the proposal, the student will notify the Office of Academic Advising and the Registrar’s Office of the choice of ID (individually-designed) as the designation of major. The Department of Integrative and Global Studies in the Global School then becomes the student’s academic department for purposes of record-keeping.
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The three-person faculty committee will serve as the student’s program advisory committee, and will devise and certify the distribution requirements (up to a limit of 10 units including the MQP) appropriate to the student’s program.