Program Overview
Introduction to the Individual Major, BA
The Individual Major in the College of Letters & Science is a method of fulfilling the depth requirement for students whose interests bridge existing departments and disciplines in ways not accommodated by an existing major. The Individual Major must consist of a coherent pattern of courses in more than one department or recognized interdisciplinary program in the College of Letters & Science and must be approved by a committee of appropriate faculty from the College of Letters & Science.
How to Get in
Eligibility
To declare an Individual Major, students must:
- Be an L&S degree student
- Have a minimum University GPA of 2.000
- Receive committee approval by the first semester of the junior year
- A student may only earn one individual major
Applying for an Individual Major
Applications for the individual major are accepted up to Friday of the fourth week of classes in the fall and spring semesters only. Applications received after that deadline will be reviewed during the following term. Individual major applications are not reviewed during the summer.
The application must include:
- A meeting with the academic dean coordinator for the L&S undergraduate individual major
- A cover letter from the student to the Faculty Committee on Individual Majors describing the area of interest, explaining why the academic goals of the individual major cannot be achieved through an existing major or combination of majors and certificates, and discussing the individual major's applicability to future goals and plans
- A list of courses that will be included in the major along with a narrative explaining how the courses included on the list apply to the proposed individual major program
- A letter of recommendation and support for the proposal from the individual major advisor
- The student's current student record (unofficial transcript)
Additional supporting materials may also be included.
University General Education Requirements
All undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are required to fulfill a minimum set of common university general education requirements to ensure that every graduate acquires the essential core of an undergraduate education. This core establishes a foundation for living a productive life, being a citizen of the world, appreciating aesthetic values, and engaging in lifelong learning in a continually changing world.
University General Education Requirements include:
- BreadthHumanities/Literature/Arts: 6 credits
- BreadthNatural Science: 4 to 6 credits
- BreadthSocial Studies: 3 credits
- Communication Part A & Part B
- Ethnic Studies
- Quantitative Reasoning Part A & Part B
College of Letters & Science Degree Requirements: Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Students pursuing a bachelor of arts degree in the College of Letters & Science must complete all of the requirements below.
Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements
- Mathematics: Complete the University General Education Requirements for Quantitative Reasoning A (QR-A) and Quantitative Reasoning B (QR-B) coursework
- Language: Complete the fourth unit of a language other than English, or complete the third unit of a language and the second unit of an additional language other than English
- L&S Breadth: 12 credits of Humanities, 12 credits of Social Science, and 12 credits of Natural Science
- Liberal Arts and Science Coursework: Complete at least 108 credits
- Depth of Intermediate/Advanced work: Complete at least 60 credits at the intermediate or advanced level
- Major: Declare and complete at least one major
- Total Credits: Complete at least 120 credits
- UW-Madison Experience: 30 credits in residence, overall, and 30 credits in residence after the 86th credit
- Quality of Work: 2.000 in all coursework at UWMadison and 2.000 in Intermediate/Advanced level coursework at UWMadison
Requirements for the Major
Developing an Individual Major
Students are required to complete at least 30 credits after the term in which approval is given and complete their approved individual major course plan.
Honors in the Individual Major: Requirements
To earn Honors in the Individual Major, students must:
- Complete 36 credits toward the individual major
- Complete 20 credits, taken for Honors, with individual grades of B or better, toward the individual major, to include a two-semester Senior Honors Thesis for a total of 6 credits
University Degree Requirements
- Total Degree: To receive a bachelor's degree from UWMadison, students must earn a minimum of 120 degree credits
- Residency: Degree candidates are required to earn a minimum of 30 credits in residence at UWMadison
- Quality of Work: Undergraduate students must maintain the minimum grade point average specified by the school, college, or academic program to remain in good academic standing
Four-Year Plan
Due to the nature of the Individual Major, the following four-year plan is meant solely as a guide. Once/if a student is approved to pursue an Individual Major, the student will develop and discuss their four-year plan with their advisor.
First Year
- Fall: Communication-A, Quantitative Reasoning-A, Foreign Language, L&S Breadth
- Spring: Ethnic Studies, Foreign Language, Elective, L&S Breadth
Second Year
- Fall: Quantitative Reasoning-B, I/A Comp Sci, Math, or Stats, INTER-LS 210, L&S Breadth, Elective
- Spring: Communication-B, INTER-LS 215, L&S Breadth, Elective
Third Year
- Fall: L&S Breadth, Approved IM Major Course, Approved IM Major Course, Elective
- Spring: Approved IM Major Course, L&S Breadth, Elective
Fourth Year
- Fall: Approved IM Major Course, Approved IM Major Course, Elective
- Spring: Approved IM Major Course, Approved IM Major Course, Elective
Total Credits: 120