Student-Designed Major

Student-Designed majors provide an opportunity for students who have a particular interest to design a major that crosses the boundaries of disciplinary majors.

Eligibility guidelines

• To be admitted to a Student-Designed major, you must apply for it no later than one year before your intended quarter of graduation.
• All standards governing a major as described elsewhere in the Undergraduate Catalog (e.g., minimum number of upper-division credits in the major, minimum cumulative GPA for acceptance into the major) will apply to Student-Designed programs.
• You must have a minimum cumulative 2.5 GPA in all SPU classes to apply for a Student-Designed major.  

Apply to a student-designed major

Once you have discussed a possible special major with a faculty advisor, you should submit the Student-Designed Major application form (PDF), and include the following:

• The proposed program
• A statement of purpose and rationale
• Evidence of an advisor’s and school’s approval to the Curriculum Committee

Your proposal should include evidence that you have considered courses or learning experiences, such as Internships or Independent Study, which will provide an opportunity to integrate content and skills from the various disciplines in your program.

The Curriculum Committee may suggest changes, but once the proposal has been approved by the committee, a contract will be drawn up to be placed in your file in Student Academic Services.