Prior to Admission

Students wishing to pursue an individualized major must seek the advice and support of three faculty members who have expertise in the areas the student wishes to study. Faculty are expert guides to the fields that individualized majors include in their plans of study. Faculty can help students choose the most appropriate courses and serve as mentors as students explore options for graduate school and their future professional lives. More than 160 faculty currently advise individualized major students.

Note that:

• A student’s primary advisor must be from the college (CLAS or CAHNR) from which the student plans to graduate.
• A student’s primary advisor must be tenured, tenure-track or in residence faculty.
• Second and third advisors may be from other schools and colleges and may be adjunct faculty (provided their department permits) if they will be at UConn as long as the student.

Admissions decisions are made by the Individualized Major Advisory and Admissions Committee. Once the Committee has made a decision, the IISP office informs the student’s advisors of that decision via e-mail. The e-mail includes a copy of the student’s application.

After Admission

We encourage students to stay in touch with as many of their advisors as possible. As with any advising relationship, some IMJR students build stronger ties with their advisors than others. Most students will rely largely on their primary advisor.

• Students wishing to make changes to their plan of study after admission must consult with their primary advisor and with their second or third advisor if the changes are in that advisor’s field. (More on making changes)
• The primary advisor also reviews and approves the student’s final plan of study. This is done through the Student Administration system. Note that because the Student Admin system does not keep track of the courses in each student’s plan, students are expected to attach a final plan of study in Student Admin that lists all their major courses. Clicking on that attachment will allow the advisor to view the final plan. See the directions we provide to students on preparing to graduate.

The Individualized Major Program office tracks the progress of each IMJR student. If you would like further details on one of your advisees, please don’t hesitate to contact the office.

For more detailed information on the faculty’s role in the Individualized Major Program, see the Faculty Guide and the Guide for Thesis Supervisors.