Types of Majors

NOTE: BIS students are not permitted to have a major or a minor from the College.

Need help selecting your major? See your Association Dean in Monroe Hall!

Distinguished Major

Students who show exceptional promise in their major field of study and have the required 3.400 cumulative and major GPA may be eligible for admission to the Distinguished Majors Program (DMP) within their department. This program consists of advanced course work and a thesis, special project, experiment, or exhibit based on at least six credits of supervised research, advanced laboratory work, or advanced study, as determined by the department. Successful completion of the program with a University cumulative grade point average of at least 3.400 will qualify a student for graduation with distinction, high distinction, or highest distinction. Distinguished Majors Programs require that a student submit a written thesis.

Almost all degree programs in the College of Arts & Sciences offer a Distinguished Majors Program. Visit the complete listing of degree programs to browse specific requirements for each Distinguished Major.

Double Major

Students may major in two subjects, in which case the degree must be approved by both departments or interdepartmental programs. See Declaring a Major for rules and policies.

Interdepartmental Programs

A number of degree programs are administered by committee rather than by departments. These include Comparative Literature, Russian and East European studies, all the area studies programs—Asian, Jewish, Latin American, and Middle Eastern studies; and all the organized interdisciplinary studies programs — Archaeology; Cognitive Science; the Echols Scholars Program; Environmental Thought and Practice; Global Studies (GS); Human Biology; Linguistics; Medieval Studies; Political and Social Thought (PST); Political Philosophy, Policy and Law (PPL), and Women, Gender and Sexuality (WGS).

Interdisciplinary Major

Students wishing to focus on an area for which there is no departmental or interdepartmental major program may apply to the chair for acceptance in the Interdisciplinary Major Program.

Major Concentrations

Some departments and interdisciplinary programs offer concentrations in the major. Students in these departments or programs may concentrate in designated areas of study that also meet the requirements of the major. Concentrations typically involve special topics, applications, or disciplines and may include courses taken in other departments or schools of the University. The concentration appears, along with the major, on the transcript.