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Guidelines

The Requirements:

• A proven record of academic achievement, seriousness of purpose, and intellectual curiosity.
• Core Courses: A coherent group of twelve courses (48 credits), including a senior capstone project, ranging from three or more academic areas.  A maximum of four courses (16 credits) may be from study abroad, summer school, or cross-registration.
• One Senior Capstone Project: IIM 98b Independent Study (one-semester) or IIM 99d: Senior Research (two semesters).
• Work in conjunction with three faculty advisors from different disciplines.
• Submission of the provided petition as well as proposal, a letter of support signed by all advisors, and evidence of comparable majors offered at other liberal arts institutions by the expected deadline.
• Students must receive approval by the Independent Interdisciplinary Major Sub-committee before the end of their junior year.
• No more than four courses may double-count toward another major or two courses toward another minor.  No more than six course may be used toward any additional major(s) and minor(s). 

The Proposal:

• Completed petition including title, other major(s) and/or minor(s), advisors, list of courses.
• The written essay should describe the IIM while addressing why designing an IIM is more desirable than completing two separate majors or a combination of major and minor.  In addition, students should describe the role each potential course plays in the curriculum and how the various courses relate to one another, as well as their possible plans post-Brandeis with the IIM. 
• A letter of support signed by all three faculty advisors.
• 2-3 examples of comparable majors offered at other undergraduate, liberal arts colleages and universities.

Faculty Advisors:

An IIM must be designed in collaboration with three facultye members from at least two, preferably three, different departments.  While it is acceptable to have faculty from the International Business School or from the Heller Graduate School, the primary advisor of the committee must be from the College of Arts and Sciences.

Advisors are expected to guide the student through the IIM approval process and completion of the IIM for graduation.  Therefore when selecting advisors, especially the primary advisor, students should consider the faculty member's availability during the student's time at Brandeis. 

The primary advisor of a student's Independent Interdisciplinary Major will meet periodically (at least once a semester) with the student to review progress toward completion of courses constituting the major.  This review is necessary because irregularly scheduled courses can impede a students' graduation plans.  Once the student has received approval from the University, any changes in their classes must be approved by the primary advisor and copied in an e-mail to the IIM coordinator.  These changes will be updated in your file and noted when the university certifies completion of your major prior to graduation.  The Office of the Registrar expects that the primary advisor sign off on completion of the IIM during the audit process of the student’s senior year.

The IIM sub-committee:

The complete proposal will be reviewed by the IIM sub-committee. The IIM sub-committee is made up of four faculty members, one from each of the four schools (Science, Humanities, Social Science, and Creative Arts), the Senior Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences for Undergraduate Education, and the IIM Coordinator in the Office of Academic Services. They meet once a semester to review student’s proposals and make final approvals.  The sub-committee pays careful attention to the interdisciplinary and liberal arts context of the IIM, the coherence of the set of classes, and how it fits into the student's overall academic plan. 

Contact:

Students interested in creating an IIM should pick up the packet available in the Office of Academic Services, Usdan 130, and schedule an appointment to meet with Jennifer M. Kim, IIM Coordinator, by calling 6-3470. 

Students may also contact the '09-'10 IIM Undergraduate Departmental Representatives (UDR), Nathan Hakimi '11-"Cognitive Science" or Dana Opas '10-"Forensic Psychology". 

2009-2010 Deadlines:

Complete IIM proposals must be submitted by 5 PM to Academic Services, Usdan 130

• October 5, 2009
• March 15, 2010