Individualized Programs
What is the Individualized Program?
The College of Arts and Sciences sponsors the Individualized Program in order to help self-directed students achieve their academic goals. Individualized programs are multi-disciplinary in nature and can include coursework from throughout the university. Students who elect to develop an Individualized Program have free license to build an academically sound, coherent, self-designed major using the entire college and campus as resources. Students who pursue an independent course of study through the Individualized Program must incorporate at least two-thirds of their major courses from the College of Arts and Sciences. In addition, Individualized Program majors must satisfy all Arts and Sciences curriculum requirements. Individualized Program is not a general studies degree.
How do I create an Individualized Program?
Students who successfully design and complete Individualized Programs have very unique academic goals. In fact, the process of becoming an Individualized Program major includes writing an illustrative proposal to prove that no other program or major at the University of Tennessee will accommodate a your particular academic goals. In addition to writing the proposal, you must research established programs offered at other colleges and universities that are related to, or closely resemble, the program you are proposing. You may then use the established program as a model to decide which courses to take.
What makes a successful Individualized Program proposal?
Keeping a central focus is the key to a good proposal. The Arts and Sciences faculty members who serve on the Individualized Program Committee will evaluate your proposal. Specifically, they will determine the cohesiveness, rigor, and future utility of your proposed program with regard to your career options or graduate level education. Thus, you are required to discuss your future plans in the program proposal. The Committee will not accept unfocused programs that are too broad or programs that reflect little or no academic rigor or organization. An Individualized Program is not merely a way to avoid requirements in another major or program.
What are examples of successful Individualized Program proposals?
Students have designed programs in Grass-Roots Advocacy, Medical Illustration, The Creative Arts, International Relations, Music Technology, and Historic Preservation and Community Planning. You may contact the Director of Individualized Program to see examples of past approved proposals.
Is Individualized Program a good choice for you?
If you are a highly motivated and academically talented student who has clear goals for your undergraduate education but cannot reach those goals within the traditional structure of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Individualized Program and you wish to work closely with a faculty mentor, the College Scholars Program may be a better option for you. For more information about this program, click here.
Who do I contact for more information?
You may email Brian Russell, Director of Individualized Program, at brianrussell@utk.edu, or call (865) 974-4481 to make an appointment. You may also stop by Arts and Sciences Advising Services in 1 Alumni Memorial Building.