<p>I am a freshman in CALS and I am interested in designing my own major. I am currently a biology major, but I constantly think about transferring to Arts & Sciences to pursue a psychology major instead. I fear that if I did that I would regret it someday because my interests in biology and psychology are pretty much level (and plus, my parents would flip out because my college bills would go way up if I switched to A&S). Does anyone here have any experience with creating their own major? I know it involves designing your own curriculum and getting faculty approval. What are the chances I could get a biopsychology major approved?</p>
<p>I am doing an independent major (although in Engineering). I really like mine and the faculty advisers I have are some of the best in the field my major is in. For me, it was really easy to get approved; plan out the classes that will make up my major, get some advisers and write a short essay. A friend of mine in CAS is also doing an independent major, but the process there is much more involved, including a very long proposal (about 3 times longer than mine) and justification for every class in his major. I think its harder to get your independent major approved in CAS, but what you have to do is find advisers in the areas of interest, pick the classes that will make up your major, and write a proposal/justification for why you want to do it. </p>
<p>Overall, the hardest part about designing my major was scheduling classes 3 years in advance…so this becomes a little bit of a problem when there are conflicts or if I find another class that better suites the degree. It is also hard to explain to people and sometimes I feel I really have to justify myself (especially to employers) so they know I am not taking an easy way out. However, in interviews, employers did mention that they picked me because of my unique background. Ultimately I am happy went through with it, although come graduate school, I will probably go with a more traditional field (unless I get a PhD where I might continue with my major topic…)</p>
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