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INSTRUCTIONS TO REQUEST APPROVAL OF A SPECIAL MAJOR

Download the instructions to request approval of a special major

Download the special major outline cover sheet and the special major course outline

The University of Mary Washington provides the opportunity for students to develop a Special Major if the existing programs do not meet academic interests. Students who are interested in developing a Special Major must adhere to the following guidelines:

All material must be submitted to the Curriculum Committee for approval prior to completing 15 credits in the proposed Special Major.  The Committee usually meets once per month during the academic year.  Meeting dates for the 2009 - 2010 academic year are: September 7, September 23, October 21, November 16, January 22, February 17, March 17, and April 14. Check with the Office of Academic Services (Lee Hall, room 206, extension 1010) for additional information regarding the application process.

General Requirement for a Special Major:

  • Students must work with a faculty advisor who is a member of the continuing faculty and who has expertise in the field of study the student wishes to pursue. The faculty adviser is the faculty member who helps the student organize the Special Major and works with the student throughout the time that the student is completing the Special Major. The faculty member must sign the “Special Major Outline Cover Sheet.”  Special Major applications submitted without a faculty adviser’s signature will not be considered by the Curriculum Committee.
  • Students must have completed 28 credits in order to request a Special Major.
  • The number of credits in the Special Major must be at least 30 credits but may be no more than 40. All of these must be graded credits.  No more than 15 credits in the proposed special major may have been completed at the time of the application.
  • The proposed Special Major must have a clear title that is (a) no more than 24 characters long and (b) uses only reasonable abbreviations.  (This is a restriction based on the limits of the size of the data field for “major” in the computer system.)
  • Students must conduct an exhaustive survey of UMW’s course offerings to determine whether UMW can viably support the proposed Special Major program and to ensure that the strongest possible complement of courses has been included in the proposal.
  • Complete information about the courses to be included in the Special Major must be provided on the Special Major Course Outline.  Specifically, the course number, course title, and the number of credits for each course must be listed in the appropriate spaces on the Special Major Course Outline.
  • Students must include courses in the Special Major from two or more disciplines.
  • Whenever possible, there should be a good balance between lower level (100-200) courses and upper level (300-400) courses.
  • If possible, the major should be designed with a core of required courses and elective courses. Students should list several options for the elective courses. The design of the major with required courses and elective courses, as other majors at Mary Washington, would provide flexibility in scheduling. The committee also advises that students contact department chairs to ensure that the proposed courses will be offered in the future.
  • The Special Major must include a seminar or a suitable capstone course alternative. On the “Special Major Course Outline” sheet, the student should note by the symbol (#) the course that is the seminar or capstone course.
  • In the case of double majors, the maximum degree of overlap between the majors is nine (9) credits.
  • One-half (1/2) of the Special Major program required credits must be earned at the University of Mary Washington.
  • Courses that are prerequisites for the courses that are included in the Special Major must be listed in the appropriate space on the Special Major Course Outline. A Special Major may include no more than four (4) prerequisite courses that are not counted as part of the credits for the major.
  • At least a 2.00 grade-point average in the major is required for graduation.
  • No more than 60 credits in any one discipline will be counted as part of the credits required for a baccalaureate degree.
  • Once the Special Major has been approved, Academic Services will complete the Major Declaration Card for the student.

Application and Approval Process for a Special Major:

1.  Students must make twelve (12) high-quality, collated and stapled, copies of the required application materials for the Curriculum Committee.  Required materials are: the Special Major Outline Cover Sheet; the Special Major Course Outline; and the written rationale for the Special Major.

2.  All copies of the necessary materials must be received by the chair of the committee by 5:00 p.m. one week prior to the next meeting of the committee.   Committee Chair for 2009 – 2010 is Dr. Stephen Davies in the Department of Computer Science. See the first page of this document for the dates of the committee meetings.

3.  THE SPECIAL MAJOR OUTLINE COVER SHEET and the SPECIAL MAJOR COURSE OUTLINE are both newly revised forms.  Applicants must use these new forms (as revised in June2009), which are available online at http://www.umw.edu/cas/acaffairs/committees/cc_materials/documents/Special_Major_form_revised.doc

4.  The written rationale for the Special Major must state:

  • The learning goals and objectives of the Special Major.
  • Why the applicant is interested in this Special Major.
  • Why the program outlined as a Special Major is an appropriate course of study in a liberal arts college environment.
  • Why a Special Major will allow the applicant to accomplish learning goals and objectives that an existing major will not allow them to accomplish.
  • Why the specific courses chosen will help the student meet the goals laid out for the Special Major. Applicants should also provide an explanation for the chosen required courses and the elective courses. The student can strengthen the case for a Special Major by demonstrating that other colleges or universities offer major programs in the proposed discipline and that UMW can provide a comparable experience.

SUBMITTING A REVISED SPECIAL MAJOR PROPOSAL

If the Special Major proposal is not immediately approved by the Curriculum Committee, the Committee may request that the applicant submit a revised proposal incorporating specific recommendations for improvement.  If an applicant receives such a request, the following documents must be included with the revised proposal, which is to be submitted to the Committee one week prior to its next meeting (in 12 copies):

  • The original proposal
  • A copy of the memo from the Curriculum Committee chair containing the Committee’s decision and recommendations for revision
  • A statement summarizing how the proposal was revised based upon the Committee’s recommendations
  • If applicable, a rationale statement explaining why revisions were not carried out as suggested by the Committee.

Changes to the Special Major:

After the committee has approved a Special Major, students wishing to substitute one course for another must receive prior approval of this action.  Proposed changes must be made in writing and submitted with the faculty adviser’s signature.  In order to request a change in the Special Major, the student must submit a proposal for the changes that must include the following:

1. A brief explanation and clear justification for the requested changes.

2. A copy of the original Special Major Course Outline Sheet.

3. A copy of a new Special Major Cover Sheet – this is where the faculty adviser will sign in support of the proposed change. Clearly mark “revision” somewhere on this sheet.

4.  A copy of the revised Special Major Course Outline Sheet.  Clearly mark “revision” somewhere on this sheet.

Submit twelve (12) high quality, collated and stapled, copies of the proposal to change your Special Major to the Curriculum Committee chair according to the deadlines stated above.

The committee must approve the changes in the major prior to the student enrolling in the courses.