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Imagine Creating Your Own Major!

Individual Studies (IVSP) students enjoy broad academic freedom and flexibility to pursue their degrees in ways that best suit their intellectual interests and passions.

Under the guidance of a faculty mentor and the IVSP staff, students create their own unique, interdisciplinary majors that approach important issues, questions, and problems from a range of disciplines and Topher in New Zealandperspectives. Investigating and then integrating these perspectives allows students to develop a deeper and more complete understanding of complex subjects.

Individual Studies students also benefit by taking advantage of the limitless opportunities of a large research institution (labs, independent studies with faculty, service projects, leadership in student organizations, internships, study abroad programs, and more) and our proximity to Washington, D.C., the home preeminent government, cultural, research, and international business institutions. The opportunities for self-directed learning both in and out of the classroom abound.

Through IVSP, students are empowered to build a curriculum that pulls together exceptional courses and opportunities from all across the university that are relevant to their interests. This process not only helps students build a unique set of interdisciplinary insights, but also demonstrates clear independence and maturity, while preparing them to pursue their personal and professional goals with confidence, credentials, advanced knowledge, and tested skills.


Sample of Previous IVSP Majors

  1. International Relations and Human Security
  2. Transmedia Storytelling
  3. New Media and Global Civics
  4. Global Health and Advocacy
  5. Immigration and Ethnic Studies
  6. Sports and Society
  7. Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
  8. Epidemiology and Bioethics
  9. Urban Policy Studies

Check out more previous IVSP majors here.