The Journal

Issue date: 11/16/06 Section: News

SHIPLEY

Every year, thousands of students churn through the educational system with no idea what they want to major in. For these students, no single major covers what they want to do and many remain undecided, only to choose a major they're only half-heartedly sure of.

But Self-Designed Interdisciplinary Majors know exactly what they're doing, and they like it.

SIMs give students the chance to create their own major from several different subject areas, combining the flexibility and self-determination of the student with the structure and advising of a traditional major. While the program has only attracted a handful of students per semester in the past, Webster's Coordinator of Experiential Learning, Lori Diefenbacher, says the success stories are literally writing themselves.

"It's a passion - they know they don't want a straight degree," Diefenbacher said. "It's for people who really know what they want."

While many students say they don't know what they want, Diefenbacher said they often do; they just don't realize it until they talk to her.

The SIM process begins when a student comes to Diefenbacher to discuss the student's areas of interest and the possibilities for a major based on those interests. The student then searches the faculty for someone familiar with the subjects to serve as the student's adviser. With the adviser's help, the student determines which courses will make up the core credits of the major. The student then writes a proposal including the selected courses, a formal rationale for the major and a brief description of the senior overview project. The student submits the proposal to Diefenbacher, who passes it along to the General Studies Committee for approval.

Not every proposal is accepted, though. The core requirements have to include between 36 and 64 credits from three or more disciplines and must include realistic class progression - at least 12 hours of 3000- and 4000-level courses.

"This is not an opportunity to sidestep the courses that are hard," Diefenbacher said. "We still want our students to have the expertise."

Before his or her final semester, the student has to submit a senior overview proposal to the General Studies Committee. This proposal can take many forms - a thesis, a performance or practical fieldwork - so long as it shows the student's mastery of the chosen subjects.

While the SIM program only was introduced during the summer of 2006, independent majors are nothing new to Webster. The SIM is a revision of the Individualized Area of Concentration program, which required fewer core credit hours. For some graduates, choosing an individual major has been crucial to their post-college careers.

Continued...

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