Senior Madison McIntyre almost transferred from DePauw University, and it was not because of loneliness or low grades. It was because DePauw didn’t offer the major she wanted. Now, McIntyre is one of twenty-seven interdisciplinary majors on campus.
McIntyre, who decided to pursue a career in filmmaking her junior year, forged her own major out of existing courses. “At the point when I was creating this major, I was considering transferring to other schools that had established [film] programs,” McIntyre said over the phone
An independent interdisciplinary major is a custom fusion of at least two existing majors. The option is designed to let students who are passionate about a topic or career develop a curriculum to suit them and their academic interests.
“I think a lot of the students who create their interdisciplinary majors are excited about different interconnections that they see between their disciplines,” said Kelley Hall, associate dean of academic life at DePauw. “[Independent majors] fill that intellectual space or hole that isn’t being filled by traditional majors.”
Interested students start the process of creating their own major during sophomore year by meeting with Hall. “Typically, it’s sophomores heading into their second semester that really come to realize that this major or that major isn’t quite fitting what they want to do,” Hall said. When first-years ask her about independent majors, Hall advises them to take more classes to see if their interest aligns with a preexisting major.
The bulk of interested students who discuss their ideas with Hall never complete the process for many reasons. One of those reasons is that the latest a student can apply for an independent major is the sixth week of their junior year.
After a student decides to pursue an independent major at DePauw, they are required to create a proposal that includes a course schedule and an essay justifying the major. According to the University’s website, the major needs a focal point that is “a legitimate object of study in its own right.”
The student then must find three professors from the disciplines in the proposed major willing to be advisors. In coordination with Hall, these advisors decide whether to approve the major.
“It has taken so long for this to happen,” said Tiffany Miller, a junior Italian studies major. Her independent major combines Italian language, Art History, Studio Art and an extended studies course to Italy. “It was turned down so many times,” Miller said. Hall said a denied proposal is almost always accepted if the student makes the correct adjustments.
After being approved, students pursuing an independent major take classes like a regular student until senior year. Independent majors have the option of taking a senior seminar in any discipline incorporated into their major or they can create a comprehensive senior capstone project.
These projects take a variety of forms; in the case of McIntyre, she hopes to write and produce a short film.
Current interdisciplinary majors include Political Communications, History & Philosophy of Multicultural Education, and Environmental Policy. Others include Quantitative Design, Urban Studies and Environmental Biology. “There are ebbs and flows in what students major in,” Hall said.
The students who pursue these independent majors praise the option. “It really allows you to take the classes that you want without getting bogged down in required classes,” said McIntyre who carefully stitched together Communications and Film Studies classes to create Film and Media Production and Criticism. McIntyre is studying film in London this semester as a part of her major.
While an independent major gives a student freedom, it also has it downsides. “The one thing I worry about is the intellectual community,” said Anne Harris, vice president of academic affairs at DePauw. Independent students, unlike their peers in pre-existing majors, don’t have a built-in group of students and faculty to collaborate with or bounce ideas off of. “It’s a tradeoff, what you gain in initiative and ownership you don’t have in community,” Harris said.
Miller has yet to feel isolated because of her major. She says there are plenty of students in her Art History and Italian studies class and she has a close relationship with her advisor.
Highly specialized majors are also concerning for Harris. She sometimes worries if a major is too obscure or abnormal, students will have a hard time marketing themselves to employers. One such major dealt with the chemistry behind restoration of antique artwork. “If it’s too rarified, I worry about clarity,” Harris said.
Though students who create their own major enjoy their personalized plan, DePauw does little to broadcast the option, instead using it as a vetting process to find students who are truly dedicated. “We absolutely don’t advertise it,” Harris said. “You’ve got to want it bad enough.”
This lack of publicity almost discouraged McIntyre. “I kind of didn’t take it seriously when people first told me about it because I had no idea how to go about it,” McIntyre said.
Despite a lack of recruitment, DePauw has many more independent majors than similar schools. DePauw currently has 27 registered independent majors compare to Oberlin College’s 12 students, Denison University’s five and Kenyon College’s four students.
“I do think [independent majors] happen because we have faculty who are willing to work together because we have a curricular structure that invites innovation,” Harris said.
DePauw has also used independent majors as a vetting tool for new majors. In the spring of 2016, DePauw faculty members voted in favor of creating both a Global Health and Neuroscience major. Both majors were previously very popular independent majors.
There is no policy at DePauw for transitioning an independent major into a fully sanctioned one. Instead, Harris said it takes critical mass, which is the point at which, “students are saying we have this interest, we have this need and the university needs to serve that need.” Once enough students show interest, faculty members create a curriculum which is voted on by all faculty members.
Since 2007, 50 students have graduated from DePauw with an independent major. The number of students pursuing the path has increased over the years. The class of 2008 had no independent majors as opposed to the 12 students who graduated in 2016.
Despite having to forge her own path at DePauw, McIntyre has no qualms. “I am very happy that I stayed at DePauw,” McIntyre said. “I think the liberal arts education has allowed me to become a more well-rounded thinker and actually given me a stand-out resume in the film world.”