Proposal & Approval Process - Student Designed Major

All SDMs require a written proposal and must go through a formal approval process– culminating with an evaluation of the proposal by the Curriculum Review Committee (CRC)– to be adopted. In order to submit a proposal, a Student-Designed Major must be supported by an advisory committee made up of at least two faculty members from two of the areas contributing to the major. The advisory committee assists the student in developing their major.

Students who are proposing an SDM work also with the Associate Dean of Curriculum, who advises students on developing a proposal, ensures that the proposal is approved by the faculty who will serve on the advisory committee, and shepherds the proposal through the approval process.

The SDM Advisory Committee

The Student-Designed Major advisory committee consists of faculty representing the areas that contribute to the SDM. These faculty should be identified early as they will serve an integral role in the development of the major and the SDM proposal. The Associate Dean of Faculty can assist students in identifying faculty who are best suited to serve on the advisory committee.

Faculty serve on the advisory committee at the request of the student. They must confirm their commitment to serve on the advisory committee for the major– and their approval of the final written proposal– to the Associate Dean of Curriculum.

The SDM Proposal

Student-Designed Majors require a formal written proposal that provides a justification for the major as well as details regarding the courses that will contribute to the major.

Proposals should be clearly written for a multidisciplinary audience. Each proposal must include the following sections:

Learning outcomes for the major. These will be written by the faculty who have agreed to serve on the student’s advisory committee.

A detailed description of the topic for the major. What does each disciplinary area included in the major contribute to the academic exploration of the topic? Why does this exploration require a student-designed major rather than completing a traditional major(s) and/or minor(s)? Students may include a list of three to four keywords that encapsulate the major if that’s helpful.

An explanation of the student’s interest in the topic. Specifically, how does the major contribute to future plans: career aspirations, graduate school, engagement in a complex social problem or research question, or other long-term reasons for pursuing the major? Students may want to visit the Career Development Center to discuss their student-designed major in relation to their professional goals prior to developing this part of the proposal.

A list of all courses that will make up the major. Courses should be grouped under separate areas. Course discipline, number, and title must be accurately indicated. Any course already completed should be noted with an asterisk; the grade received should also be included. Course list must include 8 credits of SMP coursework.

A description of any anticipated field work, research activities, internships, study tour or study abroad opportunities that will contribute to the major.

A list of possible areas, questions, or topics to be explored by the SMP. Explain how the coursework for the major will prepare the student for this project. While a student’s ideas for SMP topics will develop or change over time, this discussion allows the advisory committee and the CRC to understand the student’s goals more concretely.

Students should use this template for their proposals.

SDM Proposal Approval Process

Once the proposal is drafted, it will be reviewed by the Associate Dean of Curriculum, who will ensure the proposal conforms to the above guidelines and make revision suggestions as needed.

Once final changes have been made, the advisory committee will sign the proposal as indicated on the proposal template to verify their support of the proposal and their willingness to serve in this role.

Students will then submit their signed proposal through a Google form. Once submitted the proposal is shared with the Curriculum Review Committee, who will discuss and then vote on the proposal. The CRC will vote to approve or deny the major; if the proposal can be approved provided the student makes changes to the proposal, such as adding or deleting a course from the major, the Associate Dean of Curriculum will convey this information to the student.

Students are notified of the status of their proposal by the Associate Dean or the CRC chair via email. If the major is approved, this notification is followed by a letter from the Associate Dean to the student outlining next steps and reiterating responsibilities. A copy of this letter is sent to the advisory committee and the Registrar as well. The Registrar will update the student’s major on the Portal, and assign the advisory committee members to be the student’s academic advisors.

If the major is not approved, the CRC will recommend next steps to the student. If the proposal is approved conditionally, the advisory committee will work with the student to make any necessary changes. Once changes are made and verified by the Associate Dean and the CRC chair, the above steps will be taken.

Managing Approved Student-Designed Majors

Upon CRC approval of the major, the advisory committee members become the student’s academic advisors. One will be the primary advisor, the other secondary. Students must meet with the members of their advisory committee at least once a semester (meetings can be one-on-one or as a group). It is the student’s responsibility to schedule these meetings.

Should a member of the advisory committee become unavailable (due to retirement, paid leave, etc.) the current advisory committee, together with the student, will identify appropriate replacements for the departing member if needed. The student will contact the suggested faculty member to discuss becoming a part of their Student-Designed Major advisory committee.

Students must complete the required courses for the major with a C- or better in order to graduate with the major. Any changes to the courses included in the major must go through an approval process. Changes that the advisory committee deems minor (in keeping with the original intent and justification of the coursework for the major) may be approved by the advisory committee. More significant changes must be approved by the CRC.

All Student-Designed Majors will have a Google folder established by the Associate Dean of Curriculum and shared with the student and the advisory committee. This folder will contain the approved Student-Designed Major proposal, the letter of approval from the Associate Dean, and any updated lists of approved courses.

Finally, remember that all SDMs require an SMP. The SMP mentor does not have to be a member of the SDM advisory committee. Students should, however, discuss their SMP plans with their advisory committee– and they should do so no later than January of their junior year.

Students may register SMPs that cross disciplinary lines under IDIS 493/494; SMPs that meet outcomes for a particular major should be registered with that department (e.g., CHEM 493/494). In the latter case, it is the student’s responsibility to identify any procedures that will govern how their SMP is approved by the department, and to follow those procedures in a timely manner.

All students must apply to graduate during their senior year; once the student applies to graduate, their major will be certified. The primary advisor will certify the student’s major by checking transcripts against the most recent list of courses approved for the major.