Bachelor of Arts [B.A] [Individual Plans of Study] From University of Illinois

At the same time, it is not possible to anticipate or specify all possible undergraduate fields of study. So, in order to encourage the growth of new academic disciplines, the college sponsors the experimental major-the Individual Plans of Study program. IPS allows the student to create an original major more appropriate for the individual's educational needs and characterized by a unique pattern of upper-level courses with a new academic direction. Recent IPS students have successfully pursued such innovative majors as Cinematography, Entomology, Neuroscience, Meteorology, and Middle Eastern Studies.

The development of an IPS program begins with the student's perception that a more appropriate field of study could exist beyond the present majors. Consultation with the secretary of the IPS advisory committee and with faculty members in related fields will soon establish whether an original major is appropriate. Then, with the cooperation of one or more faculty members who consent to serve as advisers for this IPS program, an IPS major is planned and justified as carefully as if this were a departmental major.

Once an IPS program is formulated, the student and adviser make formal application to the IPS advisory committee, which evaluates and decides whether a proposed IPS program is appropriate for the aims of both the student and the college. The IPS Advisory Committee and the college will determine whether BA or BS is appropriate for the proposed program of study. Students interested in IPS are encouraged to inquire as early as possible in the sophomore year. In all cases, IPS programs must be initiated and approved before the end of the student's junior year.