Individual Student Program

A student whose main interests are not met by one of the standard departmental majors may design an individual program of concentration, comparable in depth of study and number of courses to departmental majors. In designing and carrying out such a program, the student will work closely with the Committee on Interdisciplinary Studies, which oversees this part of the curriculum.

Individual Student Programs have been developed in a wide variety of areas. Some, for example, focus on fields in which Hartwick offers programs of study but not majors, as suggested by the following recent titles: “Photojournalism,” “Biomedical Informatics,” and “Management and Production for the Performing Arts.” Sometimes programs are combinations of a major interest in one discipline with a complementary secondary specialization, or an interest that cuts across many disciplines, such as “Scientific Writing and Illustration,” “Graphic Design and Communications,” and “International Economics.”

Some programs center on areas of concentration that lead toward specific career objectives, such as “Human Resources Management,” “Political Journalism,” “Horticulture,” and “Marketing Communications.” Occasionally programs emphasize a particular field within a discipline, such as “Analytical Technology” and “Cognitive Science.”

The program of study is developed by the student in consultation with faculty members of the student’s choice along with the coordinator for Individual Student Programs. The program must meet all requirements of the Promise Core Curriculum. The student then meets with the Committee for its consideration of the proposed program, working through whatever modifications seem appropriate to the Committee. When the program is approved, the student pursues it with guidance from a program advisor selected from among the faculty by the student. Any changes in the approved program must be accepted in advance by the Committee.

Students interested in developing an ISP should contact the coordinator for Individual Student Programs as early as possible. At the latest, a preliminary proposal for an Individual Student Program should be submitted to the committee during the spring term of the student’s sophomore year, and a full proposal must be completed and approved by the committee before the beginning of the Fall Term of the student’s junior year, unless the student receives financial aid from New York State (TAP, Regents or nursing scholarships). Recipients of such financial aid should be aware that they cannot be certified for payment after the end of the sophomore year without a declared major or an approved ISP. These students must submit ISP proposals no later than the beginning of the Spring Term of the sophomore year.

Students who have an approved Individual Student Program are listed as “ISP” majors, and the Committee on Interdisciplinary Studies becomes their home “department.” They also may elect to pursue a minor in addition to the ISP major by fulfilling the requirements of any regular department.

Please see Individual Student Program, Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science for more information.