The Ad Hoc Major
Members of the Weinberg College Curriculum Review Committee have the responsibility of encouraging and approving well planned individualized programs of study as ad hoc majors. The information which follows is designed to help you decide whether you need an ad hoc major and if so, how to make a successful application.
What is a major?
In addition to a range of skills and perspectives necessary to a liberal education, this faculty believes a college education must include competence in some recognizable field of study which has a coherence of its own. The classic disciplines of this century are represented by departments, each of which prescribes a set of courses e.g., the major in political science calculated to impart the information, language, methods, and values essential to the field.
To supplement these departmental majors, the faculty has established inter-disciplinary programs to meet educational needs not adequately answered within the departmental structure. Such programs as computer science, urban studies, comparative literature, and American culture are a second type of major which a student can elect.
A third type is the combined major, such as English and classics, in which the major requirements of two departments are dovetailed into a single program with classics courses fulfilling related course requirements of the English major and vice versa. The combined major is more demanding than the other types, but the double-barreled competence which it provides is an impressive academic credential.
These three methods of specialization serve the needs of most undergraduates, whatever their abilities, professional ambitions, or educational needs. They have the great advantage of nearly universal recognition: no potential employer or graduate school will need a special explanation if they see a major in mathematics or philosophy on your transcript. Such established majors are recognized and generally respected because they are designed by scholars committed to the integrity of their discipline. Certification in a recognized field has a practical value, and it provides a good foundation for future development even if you plan to enter a new, exotic or highly specialized field as a graduate.
A few students' curricular interests will remain inadequately served by the University's wide variety of majors and programs. Furthermore, there is a certain challenge and excitement about mapping your own course into a field which you define for yourself with the guidance of your favorite professors. There is also an element of risk, trial and error, and discovery which can be stimulating and educational in itself. Time and change move faster than the most adroit academic planners, and an enterprising undergraduate can break significant new ground by designing and carrying out innovative programs of study.
This is where the ad hoc major comes in. Using already existing majors as formal models, you and the professors who agree to advise you can carve out a new major by putting together existing courses and special projects in new combinations which reflect your interests and talents.
The only limits are those of the curriculum itself and of the faculty. For example, a major in the business and ethics might not be feasible because of a shortage of courses and professors with the appropriate expertise, whereas a major in computational chemistry might exploit some extraodinary strengths in the curriculum and the faculty. In this way a student can take personal advantage of the best Northwestern has to offer while at the same time showing new directions for others to follow.
How to Apply for an Ad Hoc Major
If you decide that you would like to design your own major, you should first discuss your proposal with a congenial professor who is an expert in at least one of the disciplines included in your prospective field. You may need to consult with a number of instructors. Among other things, you must determine whether Northwestern offers enough courses in your field(s) of interest to make up a program. Don't base your plans on courses which may be offered, or on the expertise of a single professor, or on the prospect of a string of 399's. Your program should reflect existing and continuing curricular strengths. It should also be robust enough to survive the departure of any one professor.
If you and your advisor(s) decide that no existing major can accommodate your special needs and that Northwestern has the courses and the faculty that your alternative major requires, your next step is to petition the Curricular Review Committee for approval. Petitions supported by faculty advisors are not approved automatically. They must be convincing in content and presentation. The burden of proof lies upon you to show that your proposal is intellectually rigorous and practically feasible. The following suggestions are to help you make a persuasive ad hoc major proposal.
- The first page of the ad hoc major proposal should identify the proposal prominently and provide essential information about the applicant. The object of the paragraph or two which follows is to persuade the committee that the proposal has been intelligently thought out and discussed with appropriate faculty advisors. Proposals that seem insufficiently justified or are poorly written, illiterate, vague, or sloppily presented are less likely to receive favorable attention than proposals which are carefully prepared and easily read. Remember, the burden of proof is on you, and the committee doesn't have to approve anything!
- For the first category, Introductory Courses, use as your model the courses listed in the "Prerequisites" category of departmental programs in the catalogue. They should normally include introductory courses in the disciplines which your ad hoc major combines. Section II, "Advanced Courses," corresponds to the Major and Related course categories in the "departmental programs listed in the catalogue.
- It is a good idea to distinguish with an asterisk or some other means the courses you have already taken, so that the committee can see how far you have already gone with your course of study.
- Give yourself some flexibility, especially in Section II, by listing more courses than you actually plan to take and committing yourself to, say, "at least six of the following." Many applicants subdivide Section II by department, indicating, for example, six courses in history and proposing to take at least four, five out of eight English courses, and so on. Subdividing in this way indicates more precisely how you intend to distribute your work, and providing options in each department protects you against closeouts, schedule conflicts, and other contingencies. Remember that you will be able to graduate only within the limits that are specified in your approved proposal. So make it flexible.
- Generally, the more hard-nosed and comprehensive a proposal looks, the more likely it is to win approval. A proposal calling for 18 courses will be more persuasive than one calling for only 12.
By applying these principles to the attached sample proposal, you will be able readily to detect its strengths and weaknesses. The strengths and weaknesses of your own proposal should reflect those of the existing curriculum, the faculty, and your own preparation in the field. Finally, attach supporting letters from professors with whom you have consulted and who approve your program as submitted. PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR GRADUATION DATE.
Recent Ad Hoc Majors
- Multidisciplinary Models of the Mind
- Jewish History and Culture Within the International System
- Gender, Medicine and Science in Society
- African Studies
- Digital Media Arts
- International Development Policy
Mark Sheldon
sheldon@northwestern.edu
(847) 491-8916
