Director
Constantin Associate Dean and Assistant Professor Andrews
The Paideia Personalized Major Program offers exceptional students the opportunity to design their own major within the parameters described below. The degree plan will combine selected departmental offerings with independent study under the direction of a personal committee. Students are admitted into this program on the basis of an excellent academic record and a strong proposal for an interdisciplinary project. Applicants to the program should have a grade point average of 3.5 and sophomore standing. Students may not be admitted to the program later than the first semester of the junior year. Continuation in the program requires a grade point average of at least 3.3 in any semester.
A Paideia Scholar proposal must meet a number of requirements. First, it must have both a clearly delimited central topic and that comprehensiveness characteristic of liberal education. Second, the proposal must fall within an area that can be well supervised by the university’s faculty. Third, it must demonstrate that the proposed work cannot be better done within the structure of a departmental major.
Paideia Scholars must, of course, fulfill the university requirements that constitute the core curriculum and the minimum credits required for the degree.
Application
Applications for admission to the Paideia Personalized Major program are made to the Director, who, with appropriate consultation, approves acceptable applications and approves the committee. Applications must be sponsored by a faculty member, who writes a recommendation that accompanies them and makes a commitment to supervising the students’ Paideia Scholar progress and to chairing the students’ committee. A complete proposal will contain a detailed outline of the project students wish to undertake as well as the courses to be taken. Appendices should contain a preliminary bibliography and names of the members of the supervisory committee. When the proposal is approved, students, the supervisory committee and the chairs of departments in which the student will pursue classes will be notified in writing.
Students may view copies of past Scholar proposals and theses by speaking with the Director.
Nota Bene: Students should be advised that only highly motivated students will be successful in the Program; often, Paideia Scholars must do more work than would be required in a double major. The choice of a well-focused project and a helpful committee is crucial. Changes in staffing and faculty appointments can at times make a Paideia Personalized Major program difficult to complete; therefore, students should choose their committee carefully.
Progress
Approval to undertake the program is not a guarantee of success; it must be accompanied by work of high quality and grade-point average must be maintained to continue in the program. The work for the project should proceed primarily through existing classes, including at least 24 advanced credits related to the program.
Required Courses
Role of the Committee
The committee supervises the Paideia course of study. It ensures the integrity of the program and administers an appropriate comprehensive examination in the fall of the senior year. Students should meet with their entire committee at least twice each semester (once early in the semester, once late in the semester) to report progress toward the degree. At these times, the committee reviews the students’ progress, offers suggestions for future work and certifies that they may continue in the Paideia Personalized Major Program. The chairman of the students’ committee supervises the research and directs the student in writing the senior thesis, which must be successfully defended before the whole committee during the spring semester of the senior year.