Individualized Major Program

An individualized major is intended for students with clearly defined academic or career objectives who feel that their specific needs are not met by the existing departmental and interdisciplinary majors. A student at North Central College may propose a plan for an Individualized Major that must be approved by a subcommittee of the Undergraduate Academic Standing Committee and must satisfy the following conditions:

1. Students applying for an Individualized Major must be in good academic standing at the time of application. The proposal must be submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs prior to enrollment in the last 27 credit hours needed to fulfill graduation requirements.
2. Students applying for an Individualized Major must have completed a minimum of 16 credit hours at North Central College at the time of application. Additional guidelines, the application forms for Individualized Major and the Faculty Recommendation form are available on the Registrar’s website and in the Registrar’s office.
3. The proposed major must include at least 30 credit hours but not more than 51 credit hours. At least 12 credit hours must be at the 300-level or above. The major must include a three credit hour capstone experience, typically an independent study (IND 499 ).
4. No more than nine credit hours of the individualized major may be used to meet general education core requirements and/or another major’s or minor’s requirements.
5. The proposal must include a comprehensive statement justifying the overall major as well as a list of the specific courses included in the proposed major. The subcommittee of the Undergraduate Academic Standing Committee must approve any significant revisions in individualized majors.
6. Guidelines and application materials for an individualized major proposal are available in the Registrar’s Office and on the website. The application must include a signature by the student’s academic advisor and a faculty sponsor. In addition, the faculty sponsor must submit the Individualized Major Recommendation Form to the Office of Academic Affairs.

Courses

• IND 499 - Independent Study