With the help of an academic advisor, an undergraduate student may design a major to fit their own interests and needs. A proposal for an Individualized Major will only be considered when it is clearly shown that no present major offered by the University meets the same need. To be eligible for such an Individualized Major leading to a BS or BA degree, the student must be in good standing.
An Individualized Major will consist of existing courses and must meet all academic requirements of the University, including all course requirements and prerequisites. The major must consist of at least 36 credits if a minor is taken or at least 51 credits if a minor is not taken. For majors of 36 credits, at least 15 must be at the 300 or 400 level. For majors over 36 credits, at least 18 must be at the 300 or 400 level. All Individualized Majors must include a Capstone experience of at least three credits, which might consist of a special project, internship, experiential learning opportunity, or other experience agreed upon by the student and advisor. All Individualized Major programs must total a minimum of 120 credits.
Applications for an Individualized Major normally should be filed prior to the completion of 60 credits. The student must have completed at least 12 credits at CCSU or have earned at least 30 credits including transfer credits prior to beginning an Individualized Major. Applications must be signed by a faculty member who agrees to be the applicant’s advisor and is a member of a department substantially represented in the proposed program of study. Completed applications must be submitted to the Provost’s office which, for the purpose of advising the Individualized Major Advisory Committee, will share signed applications with the deans of all Schools or Colleges that have a course listed in the major. To help plan for course loads, the relevant deans will notify chairs of departments that have 3 or more courses in the major. If a proposed major requires the waiving of prerequisites or special permission from a chair or instructor for an Individualized Major student to enroll in a course, the departments offering those courses shall be notified by their deans and given the opportunity to agree or decline to grant the required permissions.
Final approval of Individualized Majors is granted by the majority of an Individualized Major Advisory Committee consisting of
• The President of the Faculty Senate or their designee.
• The Chair of the Curriculum Committee or their designee.
• The Chair of the Interdisciplinary Subcommittee of the Curriculum Committee
• 2 deans, or assistant or associate deans, appointed by the Provost from the schools or colleges with the most courses represented in the program.
Download application (Word) here.