Program Contact: Hillary Haldane 203-582-3822

While housed in the College of Arts and Sciences, the individualized minor is open to any undergraduate student regardless of school. Students in this minor design a unique program to fit their personal, academic and professional goals. The responsibility for the planning of such a program rests with the student proposing it, and a proposal for an individualized minor must contain suitable justification, a coherent curricular plan and an appropriate title. The proposal must be submitted to the director of the Collaborative for Interdisciplinary/Integrative Studies for approval and also must have the approval of a full-time CAS faculty member, chosen by the student, who will serve as the student’s adviser and work with the student to plan the program.

Individualized minors must include at least 18 credits of coursework, at least 6 of which must be completed at the 300 level or above, and at least 12 of which must be in courses housed in CAS.

Full individualized minor proposals should be submitted no later than the second semester of the sophomore year to start by no later than the first semester of the junior year. Individualized minor proposals will be accepted before March 1 for review in the spring semester, and before October 15 for review in the fall semester.

The individualized minor is designed for students of any major who would like to focus their attention in a specific area of study not currently offered by the university. Individualized minor programs are designed individually by students, in consultation with CAS faculty. Therefore, the curriculum for this minor will vary by student. Areas of focus might include:

  • Single subjects for which no minor currently exists, such as Non-Western Literature or Ethics.
  • Interdisciplinary fields, such as African-American Studies, Genomics, Scientific Illustration or Public Policy.
  • Problem-based inquiry, such as individual rights vs. public good, violent/non-violent activism or ending water/food insecurity.
  • Skill areas, such as public speaking, leadership or creativity/innovation, or skills related to any of the Essential Learning Outcomes.

Program Minimum Requirements

  • The minor must consist of a minimum of 18 credits (may include up to three courses already completed).
  • No fewer than 6 of the 18 credits must be at the 300 level or above (the UC Integrative Capstone may not count).
  • At least 12 credits for the minor must be completed in courses offered by CAS departments.
  • None of the courses included in the minor may overlap with courses in the major, or with courses in another declared minor.
  • Independent minors may not be declared retroactively or based on more than 9 credits already completed or in progress.