Declaring an Interdepartmental Major

Procedure

Most students who consider an interdepartmental major (IDM) will do so while they are being advised in the Academic Advising Center. Those students should discuss options with their academic advisor or academic dean. Students should be aware that it is possible that their intellectual goals could be met by completing a major and a minor or a double major, or by completing Program II. Declaration of the IDM by a premajor student should be done at the same time as completion of the long-range plan (LRP). Trinity College students declaring an IDM, like any other academic major, are required to complete the Trinity College Curriculum and all stated requirements for graduation.

If you think you would like to explore an IDM, you will need to discuss your proposal with departmental representatives. An IDM proposal will eventually need the approval of the directors of undergraduate studies (DUSs) in the two departments involved and will require the assignment of an advisor in each department. Depending on how a student's interest in an IDM has developed, there may be variations in the path to planning and finalizing the plan.

A student may become interested in the IDM through a specific course. In such cases, the student might initially discuss with the instructor of the course the feasibility of an IDM. Next, the student would need to discuss the IDM with the directors of undergraduate studies in the departments that would be involved. The instructor of the course might be a logical choice as a primary advisor for the IDM.
A student may think he/she has a rationale for pursuing an IDM, but may not have identified an appropriate faculty member with whom to discuss the IDM. In this case the student should arrange to meet with the directors of undergraduate studies in the departments involved to discuss the feasibility of an IDM. The DUS may be able to suggest an appropriate faculty member to serve as an advisor to the student.

Ultimately, to obtain approval for an IDM, a student must develop a written plan for the IDM, including a rationale describing how the program of study will help them realize their intellectual goals. The student will also select a descriptive title for the IDM and, working with the DUS in each of the two departments, put together a list of courses for the major that must be jointly approved by the DUSs. The application required for use in submitting this information is available below:

IDM Application Form (PDF, 83KB).

The student should indicate which department is to be considered "primary." The student must also have an advisor in each of the two departments.

The student should go over the IDM proposal with the DUS in each department involved in the proposed IDM and the DUSs should be in communication with each other with regard to the student's proposal. If the DUSs approve the plan, they will signify this by signing the IDM declaration form.

Students and departments should keep in mind that the IDM requirements stated in the Bulletin are considered a minimum set of requirements. At the discretion of the DUS, departments may set more stringent and/or more specific requirements.

Upon receiving the approval of the directors of undergraduate studies in the departments involved, premajor students should submit IDM declaration forms to the Academic Advising Center. Students who have previously declared a major but are changing to an IDM should present the signed IDM declaration forms to Dean Norman Keul in 011 Allen Bldg. for processing.

The records of a student who declares an IDM will be transferred to the directors of undergraduate studies in the sponsoring departments and to the academic dean for interdepartmental majors, Norman Keul.

For the purposes of registration, the PIN for an IDM will be sent to the primary advisor. At the time of graduation, the DUS in the primary department will be responsible for certifying that the IDM has been completed. Dean Keul will be responsible for certifying that the student has met all general education requirements for graduation.