Major in Sciences and Letters Curriuculum
E-mail: ips@uiuc.edu
Degree title: Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences
Minimum required major and supporting course work normally equates
to 51-70 hours.
General education: The LAS General Education requirements are set
up so students automatically complete the Campus
General Education requirements.
Minimum hours required for graduation: 120 hours
Departmental distinction: To graduate with distinction, a student
must (1) have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.25
and (2) successfully complete a project that has been approved by
the IPS advisory committee. Further information on requirements
for graduation with distinction may be obtained from the secretary
of the IPS advisory committee.
Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences may choose
any of the undergraduate degree programs offered within the college.
These majors and specialized curricula, each with its own pattern
of requirements and electives, are continuously reviewed by the
sponsoring departments and the college and revised as needed. At
the same time, it is not possible to anticipate or specify all possible
undergraduate fields of study. So, in order to encourage the growth
of new academic disciplines, the college sponsors the experimental
major-the Individual Plans of Study program. IPS allows the student
to create an original major more appropriate for the individual's
educational needs and characterized by a unique pattern of upper-level
courses with a new academic direction. Recent IPS students have
successfully pursued such innovative majors as Women's Studies,
Cinematography, Neuroscience, Afro-American Studies, Meteorology,
and Middle Eastern Studies.
The development of an IPS program begins with the student's perception
that a more appropriate field of study could exist beyond the present
majors. Consultation with the secretary of the IPS advisory committee
and with faculty members in related fields will soon establish whether
an original major is appropriate. Then, with the cooperation of
one or more faculty members who consent to serve as advisers for
this IPS program, an IPS major is planned and justified as carefully
as if this were a departmental major.
Once an IPS program is formulated, the student and adviser make
formal application to the IPS advisory committee, which evaluates
and decides whether a proposed IPS program is appropriate for the
aims of both the student and the college. Students interested in
IPS are encouraged to inquire as early as possible in the sophomore
year. In all cases, IPS programs must be initiated and approved
before the end of the student's junior year. If program innovation
sounds challenging and attractive, additional information is available
at the LAS Student Academic Affairs Office, 270 Lincoln Hall.
Twelve hours of 300- and 400-level courses in the major must be
taken on this campus.
All foreign language requirements must be satisfied.
A Major Plan of Study Form must be completed and submitted to the
LAS Student Academic Affairs Office before the end of the fifth
semester (60-75 hours). Please see your adviser.
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