Program Overview
Why an IDM?
Sometimes your academic journey takes you off the beaten track. If you know what you want to do, but haven’t found the right program for it, UVM’s College of Arts and Sciences gives you the option of designing a major or minor that closely fits your particular interests and career objectives.
If you find a promising academic route that lies along on the margins of different disciplines, an interdisciplinary major or minor may be right for you.
Nondepartmental, Interdisciplinary Studies
In CAS, the Independently Designed Major (IDMajor) and Minor (IDMinor) are non-departmental, interdisciplinary options for students with academic interests that are not met by the programs currently offered. An IDM may not be a program of narrow professional training. Rather, the goal of an IDM should be intensive investigation of a broad area of human knowledge which is not covered by a single major discipline, or reflected in a grouping of loosely associated courses. With their faculty sponsor, students pursuing an IDM will craft a coherent curriculum that allows the student to concentrate on a unique area of study; for the ID Major, this will culminate in a "capstone" senior project research paper, project, or thesis.
Application Form
Individually Designed Major-Minor Form
