Self-Designed Major

As a liberal arts institution, AUBG supports and encourages students to develop and utilize their knowledge across areas of study, and the Self-Designed Major (SDM) is designed to allow this by fostering a broader understanding of academic knowledge and methodologies. This degree offers students an opportunity for a unique, intensive educational and research experience through a self-designed program. Examples of interdisciplinary fields for an SDM might include:

• 20th-Century Cultural Studies
• Ancient Studies
• Business Communications and Public Relations
• Eastern European Studies
• Early Modern Studies
• Environmental Policy
• Film Studies
• Marketing and Communications
• Medieval and Renaissance Studies
• Performing and Visual Arts
• Political Communication
• Social Sciences
• Theatre and Film
• Visual Communications
• Women's Studies

The Self-Designed Major is available only as a second major.

This SDM major is offered for students with exceptional motivation, vision and creativity. In consultation with faculty members, the student creates a unique plan of study that is not part of the current AUBG curriculum and that bridges two or more content areas (other than two primary major areas) and is not a subcomponent of one major or minor discipline. The result is an interdisciplinary degree that focuses on integrated learning in multiple areas with sufficient depth to conduct research across fields of knowledge.

Curriculum Requirements:

• develop critical thinking skills by locating, identifying, and utilizing the relationships between academic disciplines;
• synthesize theories, methodologies, and experiences gained from at least two disciplines;
• demonstrate mastery of interdisciplinary praxis - the ability to turn multiple theories and knowledge bases into fully realized, concrete demonstrations of new knowledge and applications; and,
• value the pursuit of academic knowledge utilizing creative and individualized objectives that result in intellectual growth.

Total: 36 credit hours

Required Courses (2 courses; 3 credit hours):

SDM 301: Junior Capstone Project (1 credit)
SDM 401: Senior Thesis (2 credits).

Elective Courses (33 credit hours):

18 credit hours completed at the 300- and/or 400-level
No more than 18 credit hours from any one discipline

With approval, students may transfer up to 16 credit hours from other accredited institutions and may take up to six (6) credits of independent study. Policies on double counting courses for majors and minors apply to this program, as do all General Education requirements.

A self-designed program requires well-developed thinking skills, a strong sense of academic motivation, a keen interest in exploring linkages in fields of study, and strong self-discipline. Working with a discipline-appropriate faculty member, the interested student must develop a proposal for a Self-Designed Major that is intellectually cohesive and does not duplicate other educational learning opportunities available through minors and other majors, singularly or in combination. The student will work with this faculty member to develop an academically sound and intellectually rigorous SDM proposal that will be reviewed by the Self-Designed Major Committee for approval as a major (secondary).

Proposal:

The proposal is written in conjunction with a faculty member who will serve as the Chair of the student's program. Proposal forms for the SDM are available at the Registrar's Office.

The proposal will be reviewed by the Self-Designed Major Committee composed of three faculty members (one from the humanities, one from the social sciences, and one from the sciences or math disciplines). The committee will examine the proposal for clarity and precision of focus, the intellectual and methodological skills to be acquired from the proposed plan of study, and the plan's divergence of content, intent, and ethos from currently offered programs.