An Overview of Scope and Purpose

For most students, an existing major or a combination of majors and minors will provide the structure and depth needed to reach their academic and professional goals. But occasionally, a student has a vision that doesn’t fit neatly into any existing program. For those students, the college offers the Dean’s Approved Major.

What is the Dean’s Approved Major?

The Dean’s Approved Major allows students to design their own major program from the ground up. That means identifying what you want to learn, articulating why it matters, selecting courses that build intentionally toward your goals and demonstrating, through a culminating capstone project, that you have achieved what you set out to learn.

This level of intellectual ownership is both a privilege and a responsibility. The college extends this opportunity only to students who can make a compelling, well-reasoned case that their educational goals cannot be met through existing programs. Students who pursue a Dean’s Approved Major are expected to think carefully and critically, not just about what they want to study, but about why that course of study is coherent and meaningful.

For detailed proposal requirements download the Dean’s Approved Major Proposal Guide.

Eligibility and Proposal Timeline

1. The student submits a complete Dean’s Approved Major proposal to (casdamajor@case.edu) no later than the last day of classes in their 5th term of enrollment.
   1. Both of the selected faculty advisors (primary and secondary) must submit the Faculty Advisor Agreement Form for a proposal to be complete.
2. The proposal is docketed for the next Committee on Educational Programs (CEP) meeting, which typically occurs on the third Friday of each month during the academic year (September–May). Proposals are not reviewed during the summer.
3. Within one week of the CEP meeting, the College of Arts and Sciences Office of the Dean will contact the student with the committee’s decision.
4. If the proposal is approved, a representative from the College of Arts and Sciences Office of the Dean, in consultation with the student, completes the major declaration form.
5. The College of Arts and Sciences Office of the Dean submits the completed declaration form and a copy of the approved proposal to the Undergraduate Advising Support Office.
6. Once the declaration form is processed (typically up to five business days during busy periods), the student’s two faculty advisors are added in SIS and Stellic.
7. Enjoy your journey!