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.
Waterbury Themes
At UConn Waterbury, the following individualized major themes can be pursued:
Criminal Behavior
Students on the Waterbury 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
HDFS 3420 Abuse and Violence in Families
PSYC
PSYC 2100WQ (RM) Principles of Research in Psychology
PSYC 2200 Physiological Psychology
PSYC 2201 Drugs and Behavior
PSYC 2300 Psychological Disorders
PSYC 2301 The Study of Personality
PSYC 2501 Cognitive Psychology
PSYC 2700 Social Psychology
PSYC 3880 Field Experience
PSYC 3889 Undergraduate Research
SOCI
SOCI 2301 Criminology (Storrs - Online/Asynchronous)
SOCI 2310 Intro to Criminal Justice (Storrs - Online/Asynchronous)
SOCI 2320W Drugs and Society
SOCI 2800 Human Rights in the United States
URBN
URBN 2000 Introduction to Urban and Community Studies
URBN 2901 Urban Sociology
Human Health and Development
Students on the Waterbury campus should be able to find the interdisciplinary course offerings necessary to complete a major in Human Health and Development. Please read each section below carefully.
Prerequisites
Always be sure to check the course catalog for the specific prerequisites for the courses you are including 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.
- BIOL 1107 Principles of Biology I is a useful course for any health-themed major and is a prerequisite for AH 3025 and other courses.
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.
AH
AH 3025 Human Physiology of Health and Disease
AH 3203 Aging: Implications for Health Professionals
AH 4239/4240W (RM) Research Methods/Writing in Allied Health
AH 4243 Current Issues in Health
AH 4530 Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health
CHEM
CHEM 2443 Organic Chemistry
EEB
EEB 2202 Evolution and Human Diversity
HDFS
HDFS 2004W (RM) Research Methods in Human Development and Family Sciences
HDFS 2100 Human Development: Infancy Through Adolescence
HDFS 2200 Human Development: Adulthood and Aging
HDFS 3101 Infant and Toddler Development
HDFS 3102 Early and Middle Childhood Development
HDFS 3103 Adolescent Development
MCB
MCB 2210 Cell Biology
MCB 2610 Fundamentals of Microbiology
NUSC
NUSC 2200 Nutrition and Human Development
PNB
PNB 2264 Human Physiology and Anatomy
PNB 2265 Human Physiology and Anatomy
PSYC
PSYC 2100WQ (RM) Principles of Research in Psychology
PSYC 2200 Physiological Psychology
PSYC 2700 Social Psychology
PSYC 3105 Health Psychology
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.