The Committee Interdisciplinary Major is an option for self-directed and highly motivated students whose academic interests go beyond the existing major programs at UWM.
Students interested in this major must have in mind a topic that connects ideas from more than one major and that cannot be addressed within an existing major. They should discuss this topic with a faculty member who has related research and/or teaching interests to determine whether the topic is truly interdisciplinary.
If the faculty member agrees to advise the student on their topic, the student and the faculty member will work together to identify two more faculty members to serve on the student’s interdisciplinary committee. The student will also work with their faculty advisor to develop the major proposal and declare this major.
To access the Committee Interdisciplinary Major proposal form, the student should ask their L&S advisor or look on the Letters & Science academics page.
Past CIM topics have included Community Development, Ethical Issues and the Law, Pharmaceutical Sales and Promotion, Re-emergence of Eastern Europe, and Science and Health Communication.
Students completing the Committee Interdisciplinary Major must also complete all UWM General Education Requirements. They must also decide whether they will complete a BA or BS degree and fulfill all the requirements of the BA or BS in the College of Letters & Science.
Committee Interdisciplinary Major Requirements
The Committee Interdisciplinary Major requires a minimum of 30 credits, of which at least 15 must be in upper-division (numbered 300 or above) Letters and Science courses taken in residence at UWM. The CIM must include coursework in at least two L&S academic units. All committee interdisciplinary majors must be approved by the major academic units involved. Most academic units outside the College may also be selected as part of the major. However, at least 18 credits in the major must be earned in Letters and Science courses. Non-L&S courses selected as part of a CIM will not count toward the 90 L&S credits required for the degree, but they will satisfy part of the 30 elective credits available to L&S students.
The College of Letters and Science requires that students attain at least a 2.0 GPA in all credits in the major attempted at UWM. In addition, students must attain a 2.0 GPA on all major credits attempted, including any transfer work.
To propose a CIM, students should first identify a topic that cannot be studied in depth in any existing major, and a faculty member ("faculty advisor") to advise them on this interdisciplinary topic. The student should write a proposed description of the major with its goals. Then the student will work with the faculty advisor to:
- Identify a title for the major
- Finalize the description of the major
- Select the courses that will be required for the major, and
- Identify two additional faculty from two or more academic units willing to serve on the student's major committee
The student and faculty member will complete the online declaration of Committee Interdisciplinary Major form at any time between the 15th and 75th credit. The form must be signed by the student and the three committee members before going to the L&S Associate Dean of the division most relevant to the topic for approval.
Should the proposal be denied, the student and the committee chair will receive a written explanation of the denial. The proposal may be reworked and resubmitted. Students may appeal a denial to the L&S Academic Policies and Curriculum Committee.
Eligibility to serve on student's major committee
The committee must be composed of three individuals from two or more academic units who are willing to function as the major oversight committee. At least two committee members must be from L&S. A member of the L&S faculty serves as committee chair and major advisor ("faculty advisor"). One committee member may be instructional academic staff, but at least two must be tenure-track faculty members. All committees must be approved by the L&S Associate Dean in the division most relevant to the major topic.