Geneva College offers over 145 different majors and programs of study. Despite this, it is possible that one’s personal vocation is directed beyond the established curriculum. Developing an independent major can be a daunting task, especially if attempting to do so during the busyness of the semester. In the end, however, it is a rewarding undertaking. Independent majors are developed under the efforts of the student and their advisor, working together to target the best suited classes offered for the proposed major. As a person who has gone through this process, creating my own major was tedious to figure out, but not impossible. At the time, I would have found it incredibly helpful to have a guide to tell me exactly what I needed to do. If looking into how to develop an independent major, then there are a few key steps that need to be completed in order to submit a formal proposal.
When students start their first semester at college, developing an independent major is not the most obvious thing to do at the time. In most situations a student may already have been pursuing another major until they decided that they would like to dive deeper into an area of study that the college does not provide. In this case, the first thing to do is talk to your current advisor about your desire to pursue an independent major. Speaking with your advisor, you may be able to gain some clarity or direction to what field of study you specifically would like to pursue. Developing a well-structured independent major proposal depends heavily on one’s conviction to explore beyond the college’s established curriculum. In the end, this initial conversation with your advisor could really prove to be helpful.
The second step in creating an Independent major is locating who will stand as your independent major advisor. If you already have contemplated what general field of study you would like to develop your independent major in, then your search for an appropriate advisor will be all that easier. For example, if you want your independent major to incorporate marketing and visual communication then an advisor in either the business department or communications department might be best suited for the job. Your independent major advisor is the person who will assist you in selecting courses and will help you through the process of submitting your independent major proposal. Finding the right advisor to help you through the development stages of the independent major is a key part in the process of sending in a proposal.
After you have found an advisor that will assist you through the development of your IDM, you will need to fill out the independent major form. This form is from the registrar’s office and requires student information, a brief written explanation for why you are developing an independent major, and a list of the courses that you and your advisor decided to include. Before submitting the form, you need to make sure that you and your advisor have looked over classes that would best fit the field of study that you would like to pursue. If a student is looking into developing an independent major, typically they are motivated and excited to dive into their individually tailored major. The IDM form encourages students to write down these reasons of motivation for developing the major and to submit it along with the form.
When you have spoken with your new advisor about which courses to take and have filled out the Independent major form with the necessary material, then it is time to collect signatures. The student and their advisor must sign the independent major proposal in order to officially send it to the Independent major advisor.
Filling out the Independent Major form is one of the more tedious parts of the process. Sending in the proposal for approval is where one must practice the most patience. The Independent Major advisor must look over the independent major proposal that you and your advisor developed, which requires some time. In the end, if your proposal was constructed appropriately, then your independent major will be approved.
After talking to my advisor, selecting a new advisor, developing a course list, attaining signatures, and submitting the proposal, my major was approved! While developing an independent major is difficult, it is exceedingly rewarding in the end. If you seem to be unable to find a major that fits your future career goals it can be unnerving. It is for situations like this that Geneva College encourages their students to develop a major that will meet their academic goals and provide an advantage in the work force.
Geneva College offers Christian liberal arts education with a vocational focus in undergraduate majors and programs, in-demand graduate degrees and adult degree programs. Learn more at geneva.edu.
-Abby Forton ‘22
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Photo by javier trueba on Unsplash
Opinions expressed in the Geneva Blog are those of its contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official position of the College. The Geneva Blog is a place for faculty and contributing writers to express points of view, academic insights, and contribute to national conversations to spark thought, conversation, and the pursuit of truth, in line with our philosophy as a Christian, liberal arts institution.
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