Wanted: Global thinkers, public intellectuals, humane generalists who want to bring a sense of creativity and innovation to thinking about their world.
Do you have a question or an idea or a passion that does not seem to fit neatly into a pre-existing major? Oglethorpe’s individually planned major (IPM) gives you the opportunity to create a major of your own design. While the University offers majors in a variety of fields, we also feel that it is in keeping with our liberal arts heritage to recognize and encourage the intellectual and creative diversity that the IPM can afford.
Students who are motivated to develop an IPM do so by working in close collaboration with their academic advisors. The IPM application, which is also available at the Registrar’s Office, is generally submitted for approval no later than the end of one’s sophomore year. Central to this document is an exposition of the major’s coverage and definition. The student identifies a corpus of at least nine four-hour courses (beyond core requirements) which comprise the major. Of these nine (or more) classes, at least four must be both above the introductory level and housed in a single discipline (English or Sociology, for example). This discipline is known as the major’s “area of concentration.” The remaining courses can be from any other discipline, or from a mixture of other disciplines, although at least one of the courses must be a foreign language at the second-semester elementary level (or higher). In the end, it is the responsibility of each student to delineate and compellingly convey the conceptual linkages which unite these nine (or more) courses into a coherent, uniquely tailored major. The IPM application ultimately asks each student to thoughtfully and persuasively explore the anticipated outcomes of the major, both in terms of the student’s intellectual growth and also as regards his/her graduate school and/or career ambitions.
Most students find that preparing the IPM application is an enriching and satisfying task. We are proud to showcase several recent examples of IPM applications. These demonstrate some of the incredibly interesting and diverse pursuits that a few of our current students are undertaking. They can also be used as guides for preparing a new IPM proposal.
Before attempting to develop an actual IPM you should consult the relevant academic reguations which enumerate the complete set of associated requirements. IPM Regulations.
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