Majors, Minors, and Options
Majors and interdisciplinary minors are described at the college and department locations in this catalog.
Student-Designed Majors
Under special circumstances, students may design their own majors. This option is offered for highly motivated and self-disciplined students who seek a course of study that is not available through existing programs at the University. It allows students, with the close supervision of faculty members, to cross department and college lines and to create educational experiences on and off campus as part of individual programs of study.
Student-designed majors are administered by a committee of elected faculty that operates through the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Students who want to design their own majors are required to give the committee evidence of careful thought and planning in a proposal.
Fall submissions are due by October 15 of the student's junior year. Proposals are only reviewed once a semester. Spring submissions are due by February 25. The committee will convene soon after the deadline to review the proposals. Under no circumstances will the committee consider a senior year proposal.
Proposal guidelines are available in the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and on the Academic Affairs website, https://www.unh.edu/provost/student-designed-majors-sdm.
Second Majors
Bachelor's degree students may choose to fulfill the requirements of two dissimilar major programs, provided they obtain the approval of the second major department and the dean of the college in which the second major is offered, and comply as follows:
If the two majors are offered in different schools or colleges within the University, the admissions requirements of each must be satisfied.
If the two majors have two distinct degrees; e.g., B.A., B.S., or some other designated degree, students must choose which of the two degrees is to be awarded and fulfill all requirements for that degree.
No more than 8 credits used to satisfy requirements for one major may be used as requirements for the other major.
Minors
Bachelor's degree students may earn a minor in any undergraduate discipline designated by the University. A list of minors is available from the advising coordinator in each college or school (or see the program descriptions for each college or school in this catalog). Students must consult with their major adviser and also the minor supervisor. A minor typically consists of 20 credits with C- or better and a 2.0 grade-point average in courses that the minor department approves. Courses taken on a pass/fail basis may not be used for a minor. No more than 8 credits used to satisfy major requirements may be used for the minor. During the student's final term, an application should be made to the dean to have the minor shown on the academic record.
Options
Some degree programs offer a selection of options (e.g., Arts: Art History or Arts: Studio Art through the Department of Art and Art History). These options allow students to specialize within a discipline. The choice of option is recorded on the student's transcript.