SPECIAL MAJOR

Office:

Craven Hall, Sixth Floor

Telephone:

(760) 750-4105

Programs Offered:

• Bachelor of Arts in Special Major

The Special Major allows highly motivated students the opportunity to develop an individualized program of study that cannot be realized within a single academic discipline or available major. The special major consists of a closely monitored program of study in two or more disciplines. The program is developed in consultation with a Faculty Guidance Committee specifically formed of members of respective academic areas in the student’s program and is supervised by a faculty advisor, who serves as chair of the committee. The program must be approved by the Dean of a College in coordination with the student’s Faculty Guidance Committee.

Requirements for the Major

1. The student must have completed the equivalent of one full-time semester of academic work at CSUSM and have a grade point average of 2.5 or higher in all work completed at this University.

2. At least thirty (30) semester units must remain to be completed to meet the minimum degree requirements for a Bachelor’s Degree.

3. The Special Major Program consists of forty (40) semester units. A minimum of twenty-four (24) units must be completed at the upper-division level [with nine to twelve (9-12) upper-division units in each area of study selected].

4. Courses taken for lower-division or upper-division General Education credit may not be counted toward the special major.

5. Up to six (6) units may be satisfied in field-based coursework such as independent study, internships, community work, and supervised work experience.

6. Each student must complete a capstone project.

7. The Faculty Guidance Committee and the Dean will review all proposals.

Restrictions in the Major

1. The Special Major cannot duplicate any existing majors offered at CSUSM.

2. The Special Major is not designed for students who have been unsuccessful in other programs, and it may not be used as a second major (double major) or a second bachelor’s degree.

3. The Special Major Program must be a coherent sequence of courses developed in consultation with the student’s Faculty Guidance Committee.

Application to the Major

Students interested in the Special Major must contact a faculty advisor in any of the University’s academic major areas or the Advising Coordinator in the College of Arts and Sciences. With the aid of the faculty advisor, students must select a Faculty Guidance Committee formed of two or more faculty members. The student’s individualized program plan is then developed in consultation with the Faculty Guidance Committee and is submitted to the appropriate college dean for approval. The Dean, in consultation with the student’s Faculty Guidance Committee, reviews and decides on the student’s program plan.

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN SPECIAL MAJOR

Graduation Requirements

Units

General Education 51 units

Major Requirements 40 units

General Electives 33 units

Total Required 124 units