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Explore your passions. Create your
Are you having trouble finding a major that fits your unique interests, talents, and career goals? Do your interests cut across disciplinary boundaries and not fit within existing majors? Then the Individualized Major (IM) may be for you.
Start by reading the guidelines which explain the basic rules for any IM. These are the standards by which the IM Committee will judge the proposal. If you think you have an idea that might work, make an appointment to discuss it with the chair of the individualized major committee.
It’s generally best to set up an individualized major in the sophomore year, though sometimes students manage to do it later. If you have ideas about an IM major in your first year, feel free to discuss it with the chair of the IM committee.
Your faculty advisor should have expertise in the area of your individualized major, and should ideally know you. Your advisor should help you put together your proposal. If you have an idea but don’t know who might serve as an advisor, the IM committee chair can help you identify possibilities. Sometimes you may have two advisors.
The IM is a major within LAS, but students with a major in another college may add an individualized major as a second major. They may also have their IM as a primary major, with a secondary major inside or outside the college. In either case, students must satisfy the LAS language requirement.
Sample Major
Body, Mind, Media, and Sports
Bulldog soccer captain Serina Kashimoto aspires to play professionally and promote soccer back home in Japan. To broaden future options, she’s combining coursework from many disciplines—Anthropology, Psychology, Human Movement and Health Sciences, Sports Media, and more—in her IM.
Sample Major
Political Science and Italian
Lauren Hodge proposed her own major in the Italian language and merged it with her interest in Political Science in the IM program. Her internships with international law offices took her to Milan, Italy, and Washington, DC.
Sample Major
Global-Cultural Studies Through Media
Curious about how film and literature reflect historic moments and people’s experiences, Caitlin Ladd is studying Gone with the Wind, Australia’s Mad Max, Japanese graphic novels, and more in her IM.
Sample Major
Chinese Language and Culture
Eshan Pua’s desire to become a speech pathologist and help Chinese orphans spurred her IM, an intensive exploration of Chinese language, literature, history, business culture, and art. Her knowledge supported her successful bid for a prestigious Fulbright-Hays scholarship to study in China.
