For those who can't find a major that suits them, they can now make their own.
One of Auburn's newest academic programs allows for students to build their own degree, creating a personalized discipline that meets their individual interests.
The Interdisciplinary University Studies program is currently in its first year at Auburn under the direction of Patricia Duffy, professor in agricultural economics, and Doyle Bickers, the registrar-continuing. The program allows students to complete 36 credit hours across several concentrated areas of study.
Students must have concentrated areas from a minimum of two different schools or colleges.
"Interest in the program results from several scenarios," Duffy said. "Maybe you have a student who wants to go to Auburn with some idea of what they want to study, only we don't have it. We have all the courses that they might want, but we don't have a major that would allow them to take all those courses and get a degree in four or five years."
In order to apply for the IDSC major, students must be in good academic standing with the University and have completed no less than 30 credit hours.
This keeps incoming freshmen from entering the program and not building a solid base of University core classes, Bickers said.
A forthcoming bulletin for the "This Week at AU" newsletter states that interested students should register for the course UNIV 2190 for next term.
"Nationally this is the kind of program that some really prestigious universities like Emory and Texas A&M and folks like that have been using," Bickers said. "It really goes back a fairly long way and schools like this were looking for ways that students could meet their professional goals and, at the same time, be able to have a program that was academically credible for employers."
Duffy said the program is especially modeled on a longstanding interdisciplinary major at Mississippi State University. What distinguishes Auburn, however, is its introductory course, which allows students to learn about the program without declaring themselves as a part of the major yet.
"We also have some students that will start in a major, say pre-med, pre-vet, pre-pharmacy, and they get into their junior year and they realize that, although they're doing all right, they're probably not going to make it into the professional program," Duffy said. "This allows them to reinvent their undergraduate degree without having to start over from scratch."
Once students have developed an approved plan of study, they receive a faculty mentor and staff adviser to aid in the completion of the program. The IDSC curriculum culminates into a bachelor of science degree.
"Schools with this kind of thing in place are able to look at courses of study with the recognition that not one-size-fits-all," Bickers said. "The wonderful thing about this program is that it allows you to meet your personal, your professional and your education goals."
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
