An individualized major is a self-designed, interdisciplinary major that allows you to create a program of study to fit your interests if they cross disciplinary boundaries and are not met by an existing major at UConn.
Hartford Themes
At UConn Hartford, the following individualized major themes can be pursued:
Criminal Behavior
Students on the Hartford campus should be able to find the interdisciplinary course offerings necessary to complete a major in Criminal Behavior. Please read each section below carefully.
Prerequisites
Check the course catalog for the specific prerequisites for the courses in your plan of study. The following courses are almost always useful:
- PSYC 1100 General Psychology I and PSYC 1101 General Psychology II or PSYC 1103 General Psychology II (Enhanced) are required for upper-level Psychology courses.
- SOCI 1001 Introduction to Sociology or SOCI 1251 Social Problems, while not formal prerequisites, provide a good foundation in social issues related to crime.
Recommended Courses
The following courses are an excellent place to start as you build your 36-credit major plan of study. Please note that you may find other relevant courses in the catalog. Please check Student Admin and consult with your faculty advisors to be sure that the courses you would like to include in your major will be taught in the upcoming semesters.
HDFS
HDFS 2001 Diversity Issues in Human Development and Family Sciences
HDFS 2004W (RM) Research Methods in Human Development and Family Sciences
HDFS 2300 Family Interaction Processes
MCB
MCB 2400 Human Genetics
PSYC
PSYC 2100WQ (RM) Principles of Research in Psychology
PSYC 2200 Physiological Psychology
PSYC 2300 Psychological Disorders
PSYC 2400 Developmental Psychology
PSYC 2501 Cognitive Psychology
PSYC 2700 Social Psychology
PSYC 3101 Psychological Testing
PSYC 3880 Field Experience
PSYC 3889 Undergraduate Research
SOCI
SOCI 2280/2280W Sociology of Mental Illness
SOCI 2301 Criminology (Storrs - Online/Asynchronous)
SOCI 2310 Intro to Criminal Justice (Storrs - Online/Asynchronous)
SOCI 3201 (RM) Methods of Social Research
URBN
URBN 2000 Introduction to Urban and Community Studies
Plan of Study
The plan of study requires:
- 36 credits of coursework at the 2000 level or above.
- At least 18 of those credits must come from the degree-granting college (CLAS or CAHNR).
- The following courses:
- Capstone course
- Research methods course
- Second writing-intensive (W) course in addition to the capstone
Access to Courses
In some cases, individualized majors rely on access to courses that are typically limited to students majoring in that discipline. Access may be granted at the discretion of faculty and their departments.
All other enrollment requirements (prerequisites, semester standing, etc.) are enforced as usual.
Get Started
Interested in applying for an individualized major? Meet with a program advisor (Ken Cormier or Martha Goldstein) as early as possible. This meeting will help you learn more about the program and assess whether your interests are best met through an individualized major. Also, review our information on how to apply. You must work with at least two faculty advisors when creating a plan of study and preparing your application.