Would you like to design your own major?
Students at SMCM who find that their academic interests cross disciplinary lines may propose a Student-Designed Major (SDM). SDMs develop a student’s expertise in a particular area by providing opportunities for both breadth and depth of study in that area. Unlike other majors, however, these goals are accomplished by assembling sets of courses across multiple programs offered by the College.
Student-designed majors build bridges between disciplines to explore topics that can’t be fully understood from one vantage point. They pose tough questions about seemingly intractable problems. Like any other major at St. Mary’s College, they use their coursework to prepare for research and internship opportunities—all student-designed majors include coursework that supports professional development, and each culminates in a St. Mary’s Project.
Many students develop their own majors as offshoots of established cross-disciplinary programs, such as Environmental Studies, Neuroscience, or Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies. Others range farther afield. In recent years, some majors have included:
- geography
- psychology, media, and marketing
- Medieval and Renaissance studies
- translation studies
- interaction design
- social justice & social change
- public health
- linguistics
- Central and Eastern European studies
- archaeology and the ancient world
- international relations
- African studies
- cultural studies
- studies in adolescence