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Major Study
To provide depth
in their education, students must, before
completion of 56 semester hours, elect a department
or program in which to do major study. Those who
have not declared a major after 56 hours will be
allowed to enroll only with the permission of the
Associate Dean of Student Academic Affairs. A
student may subsequently elect a different major
and drop the previously declared major with the
consent of the heads of the departments or programs
involved. Students may elect to do major work in
more than one department.
Each department
or program determines the detailed requirements for
completion of the major or majors in that
department or program. The requirements that
apply to a student are those published in the most
recent edition of this Catalog at the time a
student completes the second semester of his or her
sophomore year. These requirements may be
altered as necessary in individual cases by the
departments or programs. All majors consist of no
fewer than 24 hours.
Individual
Major Program. Students wishing to pursue an
Individual Major design their own program of study
focusing on a particular topic of interest which
cannot be studied through a single department. Such
proposals are normally submitted at the end of the
sophomore year, together with the approval of two
or more advisors, each from a different department.
The program must consist of at least 30 hours with
no more than 12 hours at the introductory level,
must include courses from more than one department,
and usually must not have more than two-thirds of
the total hours in any one department. Furthermore,
the proposal must include at least 12 hours of work
not yet begun at the time of the submission of the
proposal; and if there is an off-campus component
to the major, including courses taken while
"Enrolled-Not-in-Residence," the number of hours
involved in this component shall not exceed
one-third of the total hours of the major. If a
student has a second major in addition to the
Individual Major, no more than 15 hours may be
double-counted between the two majors. The student
is advised to keep in mind the general education
guidelines and Oberlin College's institutional
requirements when designing an Individual Major.
Each proposal is evaluated and either approved or
disapproved by a joint faculty-student committee
established for that purpose. Further requirements
and guidelines are contained in the Revised
Individual Major Handbook available in the
Office of Student Academic Affairs.
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Honors
Program. Through the Honors Program, students
of proven ability and independence may extend their
competence in their major field of study or in
related fields. Honors projects are designed with
the student by departments, by programs with
majors, or (for students having individual majors)
by the Individual Major Committee. Departments and
programs may, if they desire, open their honors
programs to students other than their own majors.
An honors candidate whose project demonstrates the
requisite degree of excellence is awarded the
Bachelor of Arts degree with Honors, High Honors,
or Highest Honors.
Honors projects
vary but always involve independent work. This may
be done in seminars or private readings, in
research, in the preparation of a thesis,
exhibition, or performance, always under the
supervision of appropriate faculty advisors.
Students in the program are eligible for certain
academic privileges such as release from tests and
examinations and access to special library and
laboratory facilities. At the end of the senior
year, honors candidates may be excused from final
examinations in the department in which they are
doing honors work and, at the discretion of the
instructor, in courses in closely related subjects.
Every candidate for honors must pass a special
examination at the end of the senior year (written
or oral or both). Outside examiners may be invited
to conduct the final examination of
candidates.
Recommendations
for the award of honors are made to the Committee
on Honors at Graduation by departments, by programs
with majors, or by the Individual Major Committee.
A department or program may recommend any student
for Honors if that department's criteria are met,
regardless of the student's specific major. The
Individual Major Committee may make such
recommendations only for students whose honors work
is in the field of their individual majors. The
Committee on Honors at Graduation makes the final
decisions on all recommendations for honors,
maintaining reasonably uniform standards for the
award of honors at graduation.
Students wishing
to enter the Honors Program should consult the
chairperson of their major department by the
beginning of the second semester of the junior year
or earlier.
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Senior
Scholars. Exceptional students who wish to
pursue independent study and research during their
senior year may apply to the Committee on Honors at
Graduation for Senior Scholar status. Successful
candidates must have an outstanding record during
their first three years and an unusual capacity for
independent work, including a 3.5 minimum GPA, and
a strong endorsement from at least one faculty
member familiar with their work. Senior Scholars
must have completed all requirements for a major
unless waived by the relevant department or program
or by the Individual Major Committee. Senior
Scholars are subject to the normal graduation
requirements, and must have completed the following
requirements prior to their senior year: 9-9-9
distribution, writing proficiency, quantitative
proficiency, and cultural diversity. Candidates are
selected in the spring of their junior year on the
basis of applications submitted to the Committee.
The designation
"Senior Scholar" on the diploma shall be granted by
the Committee on Honors at Graduation when the
quality of work merits graduation with
distinction.
Students wishing
to be considered for Senior Scholar status should
consult with the chair of the Committee on Honors
at Graduation by the beginning of the second
semester of the junior year or earlier.
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Many departments
offer a minor that consists of at least four
courses totaling at least 15 hours of work in that
department, and including at least two components
of work at the non-introductory level. Students
pursuing minors declare the minor with the
Registrar prior to graduation. The completion of a
minor is noted on the transcript.
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Students may
choose to pursue a concentration in addition to a
major. A concentration is an integrated,
interdisciplinary program of study. Fields which
suit the concentration model do not have a single
methodological or content base in a traditional
discipline; thus they are not housed in existing
departments or programs as are majors and minors.
There are concentrations in Cognitive Sciences and
International Studies.
A concentration
may complement or strengthen a traditional major by
extending some of its content or methodology across
other disciplines. Students may, on the other hand,
choose a concentration unrelated to their major.
Students graduating from Oberlin must fulfill the
requirements of a major; if they choose, they may
also complete a concentration, but it does not
substitute for a major. The completion of a
concentration is noted on the
transcript.
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