A self-designed major may be planned by a student in consultation with a faculty advisor from a sponsoring program (with approval of the division or program involved) and representatives of the other division(s) or program(s) involved. The proposed major must be comparable in rigor and philosophy to other majors offered at Sweet Briar, show a progression in complexity, and include a designated culminating experience. A student must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00 before she will be permitted to undertake a self-designed major.

The major must include:

·         A minimum of 36 credit hours

·         At least 18 credit hours must be taken in the primary sponsoring program

·         Of the 36 minimum credit hours, 18 credit hours must be in courses at the 200-level or above; and at least 9 additional credit hours must be taken at the 300-level or above (the culminating experience may be 3 of these 9 credit hours)

The student, working with her primary faculty advisor, should submit the Self-designed Interdisciplinary Major Proposal Form to the Dean of the College by March 15 of the student’s sophomore year. The proposal must include course descriptions, comparable to those of a typical course, for any special or independent study that is part of the major as well as a detailed description of the culminating experience. The proposal must be signed by the chair of the sponsoring division and by faculty members from other divisions or programs who have contributed to the proposed major. The proposal will be reviewed by a standing subcommittee of the Instruction Committee consisting of the Dean and two faculty members appointed by the Chair of the committee. The subcommittee may approve, approve with emendations, or reject the proposal. An approval proposal may be amended after its acceptance only by petition to the Dean who will consult with the subcommittee.

The transcript of a student with a self-designed major will show her major as Interdisciplinary Studies.