Requirements

You must complete two semesters of college-level work before you are eligible for planned studies. First-year students may develop plans, but they cannot officially become planned studies majors until their sophomore year. Transfer students who have finished two semesters on other campuses are immediately eligible for planned studies; however, transfer students cannot begin the process of developing planned majors prior to enrolling at Ithaca College. The latest a student may be admitted into the planned studies program is the second semester of the junior year, in time to register for and complete two regular semesters of study in the self-designed major. Since the planned studies program is housed in the School of Humanities and Sciences, you will officially become a Humanities and Sciences student once your plan has been approved. Students must be in good academic standing to be eligible for planned studies; students on academic warning or suspension may not submit a plan for approval.

A planned studies major must be interdisciplinary and cannot approximate any combination of existing majors and minors available at Ithaca College. A proposed planned studies major must be reviewed and approved by the department chairs and dean who are responsible for the academic areas in which the student intends to take courses, and no approvals are guaranteed. To win approval, your proposed degree must be grounded in coursework that is regularly available at Ithaca College and must exhibit the depth and breadth of study that is characteristic of other Ithaca College degree programs. All regular departmental course prerequisites apply to planned studies students. A student may not apply for planned studies to gain access to courses in a major to which she or he would be not admitted. Typically, planned studies students must meet the eligibility requirements for admittance to any department in which they intend to take substantial coursework.

Once a planned studies application is signed by the student and the dean, the student must complete all the required courses listed in the plan in order to obtain a degree. Any changes to the plan must be approved by the planned studies coordinator and the assistant dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences (students should request such changes using the Changes to Plan form). In addition, the student must satisfy all standard degree requirements for the School of Humanities and Sciences as described in the College Catalog. These requirements include, but are not limited to, completing the Humanities and Sciences General Education Requirement, accumulating at least 120 credit hours, and obtaining no more than two grades below a C- in courses required for the major.