Student Designed Major

A student-designed major can be a great way to build bridges between disciplines

Student Designed Major / Degree Requirements

Degree Requirements

Curricular and other Requirements for Student-Designed Majors

  1. General College Requirements
  2. A minimum of 48 credit hours of coursework for the major, chosen from at least three areas (defined here as courses beginning with different prefixes, such as ECON or BIOL). One of these areas can be a recognized Cross Disciplinary Study Area, such as Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSX) or African and African Diaspora Studies (AADS).
    The 48 hours of coursework must include:

    • 20 credits in a single area contributing to the major, at least 12 of which must be upper level;
    • 12 additional upper-division credits, chosen from among the other areas contributing to the major;
    • At least one methodology or theory course, preferably from the first designated area (i.e., from a., above);
    • Core 302 or a similar credit-bearing professional literacy experience housed by one of the areas contributing to the major;
    • A St. Mary’s Project (SMP) (eight credits);
    • Elective credits to complete the required 48 credits.
  3. No more than eight hours of internship credit or four hours of Independent Study may be counted toward the major.
  4. Students must earn a grade of C- or better in each course counted toward the major, and maintain an overall GPA of at least 2.0 in these courses.

All Student-Designed Majors are guided by a faculty advisory committee. The advisory committee consists of at least two faculty members, each from different disciplinary areas included in the major. Advisory committee members must become the students’ primary and secondary academic advisors.