<p>Can you design your own major? How easy is it? Anyone done this? How is it working out for you? Thanks in advance! :)</p>
1 Like
<p>As in, combine two preexisting majors into one ad hoc program of study, or come up with something completely new that’s not on the curriculum, like gender studies/paleontology/geology?</p>
1 Like
<p>Come up with something completly new like a Cognitive Science major.</p>
1 Like
<p>I think the administration would try to steer you toward psych instead, as that is what people major in if they want to study cog sci here. Cognitive science is not a separate major, but there are many psych majors whose research is in fact about cog sci.</p>
1 Like
<p>^That sounds about right. Cog Sci is kind of specific, I think, for a major. This is especially true given there’s already a major that deals with cognitive science. You would probably end up writing your thesis on it. That way you still get the focus, you just wouldn’t have a degree in it.</p>
1 Like
<p>Have you looked at what majors Reed offers? [Reed</a> College | Catalog](<a href=“http://www.reed.edu/catalog/edu_program.html]Reed”>The Educational Program - Catalog - Reed College)
Reed’s majors are not very specific (like Anatomy and Creative Writing), and they are never “applied” (i.e. Criminal Justice, Journalism).</p>
<p>Reed also has 12 established interdisciplinary majors that are a combination of 2 departments. You can petition to create a new “ad hoc” interdisciplinary major that combines two existing majors into one (i.e. Biology-Psychology) but you can’t make up something that doesn’t already exist (Cognitive Science). Reed also doesn’t offer minors but you are expected and required to take several classes outside your major/department. So you could major in psychology but take a lot of classes in biology as well. (The group requirements are listed on the same page as the link I posted above)</p>
<p>Also, the senior thesis allows you to pursue further study in a topic related to your major, so there is some flexibility there to tailor your education to your interests. But overall, Reed takes a very conservative approach to liberal arts education and will probably never jump on the “design-your-own-major” boat that a lot of other LACs have embraced.</p>
1 Like