Special Majors Approval Guidelines

Students who feel that their best interests cannot be served by the majors listed may petition for a special major (B.A. or B.G.S.), if they follow the guidelines below. Such majors are supervised by special committees of three faculty members recruited by the student. Interested students should consult College Student Academic Services, preferably before the end of the sophomore year. The following guidelines apply to special majors:

1. An official endorsement by one or more of the CLAS departments or degree programs involved must accompany a petition for a special major. The petition must be submitted to the committee on undergraduate studies and advising (CUSA).
2. At least 12 credit hours numbered 300 or above counted toward the special major must be taken after approval of the special major.
3. At least two committee members must be from the CLAS faculty.
4. At least two-thirds of the credit hours to be counted toward the special major must be CLAS courses.
5. Special majors must not overlap significantly with existing KU major programs and should not have the same titles as existing majors.
6. A student seeking a special major must fulfill the general education degree requirements necessary for the B.A. or B.G.S degree.

Note: Students considering classes to include in a special major should be guided by the fact that most CLAS majors require about 30 hours.