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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.
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.
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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