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Program Requirements

I'm Interested! What Are The Requirements Of The Program?

Recruit an advisor and write a proposal which goes to the IMP committee. Some specific requirements of the program include:

  • 36 credit hours total, which must form a coherent program. This may include work taken at other colleges. Butler participates in a program that enables students to take a limited number of courses (currently four) without paying additional tuition at other local colleges.
  • A maximum of nine credit hours taken prior to the submission of your IMP proposal may be counted for the IMP major. (Exceptions may be granted, especially for students already well along in their Butler coursework at the time the IMP major was introduced as an option.)
  • The proposal for an IMP should be submitted between the beginning of your sophomore year and the beginning of the second semester of your junior year.
  • More than six hours of independent study require approval of the IMP committee.
  • A course may not be counted for both an IMP major and another major.
  • Meet all normal University (e.g., core curriculum) and LAS (e.g., foreign language) requirements. Except for CUE enrollment, courses taken outside of Butler University during the last 30 hours of academic residence require approval of the dean.
  • Include an experience beyond the normal classroom-based course such as an internship, a semester or more of study abroad, an honors or departmental thesis (which may also serve as a thesis for a second major), a senior seminar in a relevant department, or a service-learning project in the junior or senior year.
  • If you have another major, consult with your IMP advisor(s) at the time of fall registration regarding the courses you will take in the coming year, which count as part of your IMP. Your advisor will record this information in an audit sheet in order to keep track of your progress.
  • Submit to the IMP committee a one-page summary and evaluation of your progress in your IMP at the end of your junior year.
  • Submit a two-page statement on your IMP experience by April 15 of your senior year in which you explain why you undertook the IMP, what you gained from it, how difficult it was, how it advanced your goals, and what suggestions you have for improving the program.

I'm Convinced. What Is The Procedure For Applying To The Individualized Majors Program (IMP)?

Recruit a primary advisor from the full-time LAS faculty. (No faculty member may be primary advisor to more than three IMP students at the same time and no adjunct faculty member may be a primary advisor.) You are also encouraged to consider a secondary advisor who may be from another department, college, or even from outside Butler University. In consultation with your advisor(s), complete the application form. Your application will include:

  1. A general statement which:
    • describes the nature of the proposed IMP
    • indicates how this IMP relates to your specific academic and career goals
    • explains why these goals can better be pursued as an IMP instead of within a traditional major or double major
    • demonstrates the coherence and integrity of your proposed IMP (it should not be a random collection of courses or simply a general education program)
    • provides evidence that you have the initiative and motivation to carry out the IMP, and
    • shows that the academic resources are available to support your IMP.
  2. An application form with general information, summary listing of the courses which will constitute your IMP, and a semester by semester listing of courses for the remainder of your college career at Butler.
    • The application form has a fourth page for submitting revisions to your list of approved courses. This supplement requires approval by your IMP adviser and the IMP committee.
    • The IMP committee may ask you to appear before the committee and discuss and defend your proposal. Approval is not automatic. It is your responsibility to convince the committee that yours is a cogent proposal. However, if the IMP committee is unable to approve your proposal as submitted, it will work with you and your advisor in revising it so that it can be approved.

  3. Your advisors should sign this proposal and you should forward it to the IMP committee for its action. The LAS dean's office can tell you to whom to submit the proposal or you can forward your proposal to the IMP committee.

Anything Else?

Have fun. Be inquisitive. Study and learn. You have just undertaken another major step in directing your own destiny. For more information contact:

Dr. Stuart Glennan, Individualized Programs Committee Chairperson
E-mail: sglennan@butler.edu