Student-Designed Special Majors
Bachelor of Liberal Studies (BLS) students with special interests, or who desire a major program that is not offered at UMW, may work with a faculty advisor to design a special, interdisciplinary major. Special majors allow students to incorporate transfer credit from their previous college coursework with courses at UMW to design a major that suits their interests and needs.
Examples of Special Majors
Special majors allow a student to develop a major by selecting credits from at least two (2) different academic disciplines that combine to form a coherent academic concentrations. Managerial Economics is one recent example of an approved special major.
Special Major Requirements
- A minimum of fifteen (15) credits required for the major must be earned at UMW.
- There should be a balance between lower level (100-200) and upper level (300-400) courses in the major.
- Courses must be selected from at least two (2) disciplines.
- All majors must include a capstone course clearly identified on the degree plan.
- All majors must include a Writing Intensive and Speaking Intensive requirement clearly identified on the degree plan.
- No more than six (6) credits that count toward the major may be earned as Individual Studies.
- Additionally, no major courses may be taken on a pass/fail basis.
Submission
In order to have a special major considered for approval, the student must prepare a plan that outlines the courses that will be required. It is up to the student to determine that the courses will be offered by the department during her or his academic stay. The special major must be approved by the faculty mentor in one of the disciplines included in the special major.
The form to submit a proposal for a special major must include the following:
- A cover page with the special major title and a list of the courses to be included
- A written rationale (approximately 2-4 pages in length) of the major’s core idea or theme
Students planning to prepare a special major must meet for advising with the BLS Director and Associate Director, who will guide them through the special major process. The student is then asked to submit the special major documents to the BLS Director and Associate Director for revision.
After revision, send an electronic copy of the special major documents to the BLS Director a minimum of one week prior to the next scheduled BLS Committee meeting. The form must be signed by the student and the student’s advisor prior to submission. The BLS Committee reviews and gives final approval of all special majors. Meetings of the BLS committee are monthly, starting in September of the fall semester.
Changes to an Approved Special Major
After the special major has been approved by the BLS Committee, changes may be made in consultation with the student’s major advisor. Students must obtain written permission from the BLS Committee for any course substitutions. A revised cover page must be submitted to the BLS Committee for final approval along with a rationale explaining the need for the change.