Application Process

The deadline for submitting a self-designed major for approval: Before the beginning of pre-registration in the first semester of the student’s senior year. Applications for self-designed majors are submitted using the button below, and approved by the adviser and then by the Vice-Dean, in consultation with the Committee on Interdisciplinary Studies.

Approval of self-designed majors – and of changes in program (see below) – is by no means automatic. A self-designed major should include the same combination of coverage, coherence, experimentation, and rigor as a regular major. Regular majors are reviewed and approved by the entire faculty of Arts & Sciences before adoption, and the review process for self-designed majors approaches that level of oversight.

Before filling out the application for a self-designed major, we suggest you review several documents:

Applications with "elective" as a course description will not be accepted. The application for self-designed majors is in DocuSign. There are four components:

Declaration/change of major
Course selection
Your unofficial transcript (uploaded in the application)
A one-page document that describes and provides a rationale for your proposed program of study (.pdf, .doc/x uploaded in the application)

We recommend completing the application process with your advisor, if possible. Make sure your application is accurate, and be sure to save a .pdf copy.

APPLY NOW FOR SELF-DESIGNED MAJOR

Change in Program

Any changes to your major must be made using the Petition for Change [DocuSign]. Work with your advisor to make sure your proposed changes will still fulfill all requirements.

Application and Approval Timeline

The Committee on Interdisciplinary Studies is responsible for reviewing all proposals for self-designed majors. For timely consideration, please submit your proposal no later than one week before a scheduled meeting of the Committee. Dates of meetings for each semester are posted on the Committee’s website.
Approval can take up to 30 days once the application is submitted.
If for any reason the application requires further details from the student and/or advisor, the application process will have to start from the beginning.
Upon approval, an email confirmation will be sent to the student, advisor, and the Registrar’s Office. Please note that it can take up to 5 days before the information is updated in DegreeWorks.

Overrides

Since Self-Designed majors do not have the same enrollment privileges as department majors, students who have declared a Self-Designed major may request an override for any “Major Restricted” course during the initial registration period. Please note that any override requested must be a course that is a core requirement of your Self-Designed major. Undergraduate Education staff will verify that the course(s) you request is required. However, please note that this is NOT a guarantee that you will get into a course. It simply gives you the same restriction override advantages as other majors in the department. We will contact you at the appropriate time to ask you to submit your override requests.

For More Information

Please contact Sharon Morris, Undergraduate Curriculum Administrative Assistant, at stmorris@wm.edu