COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
GUIDELINES FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY MAJORS AND MINORS
A proposal for an individually created interdisciplinary major or minor is subject to academic review by the Associate Dean
for Academic Affairs, Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, and is evaluated according to the same general criteria used in
other forms of academic review.
The criteria
for approval include:
1. Appropriateness of the objectives
. This includes the following: availability of faculty, library, and technological resources
in the proposed area of study; commensurability of the proposed program with the objectives and mission of the College
and the University.
2. Academic coherence of the proposal
. The proposal of the program should demonstrate curricular coherence by doing the
following:
• indicating the principle or principles of organization of the program,
• detailing the explicit learning objectives of the program,
• laying out a rational sequence of courses that reflects a progression toward the overall aims of the program,
• indicating the explicit connections between the organizing principle or principles of the program, on one hand, and
the individual courses, on the other hand.
In addition, the application should, when possible, include official information on the same or similar programs at other
institutions.
3. Appropriate balance of credits
between lower-division and upper-division courses. The total number of credits should not
be less than the required in the “base” major (30 cr. hrs.) or minor (18 cr. hrs.).
4. Assurance of appropriate faculty supervision
. Continuous academic guidance through the program is essential. Ideally,
the proposed program will involve active participation of several qualified faculty members. The advisor must be a
regular, full-time faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences. The application should include a letter from the
advisor, supporting the program rationale and assessing the student’s likelihood of successfully completing the program.
5. Student’s likelihood of success in completing the program
. This will be assessed using the student transcript and at least
one academic recommendation from an Arts and Sciences faculty member other than the proposed advisor.
REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS:
I.
Program Rationale
This statement must address each of the following: [A] the principle or principles of organization of the program, [B]
explicit learning objectives for this program in the form of statements beginning with “As a result of this program the
student will learn…,” [C] explicitly drawn connections between the organizing principle or principles of the program, on
one hand, and the individual courses, on the other hand, [D] the way or ways in which the proposed program is stronger
than an existing Marquette program, [E] the way or ways in which the proposed program fits into the student’s educational
and career plans.
II.
Letter of Agreement from Proposed Faculty Advisor
The advisor must be a regular, full-time faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences. The advisor’s letter should
address the appropriateness of the program rationale in I. above and the student’s likelihood of completing the program
successfully. The letter should explicitly mention the proposed advisor’s agreement to serve as advisor to the student in
the proposed program.
III.
Proposed Schedule of All Courses through Graduation
This should be prepared in consultation with the advisor.
IV.
Academic Recommendation from an Additional Arts and Sciences Faculty Member
This recommendation should address the likelihood of the student’s successful completion of the program.
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Rev. 2/2017
