Custom-Designed Major BS

Degree Awarded: BS-Bachelor of Science (BS)
Minimum Required Credits: 123.0
Co-op Option: Three Co-op, Two Co-op, One Co-op, No Co-op
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 24.0101
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 11-9199

About the Program

The Custom-Designed Major (CSDN) cultivates innovators who are both boundary-breakers and problem solvers. Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in CSDN develop rigorous, individualized academic plans that draw on existing disciplines to create a major customized to their academic and career goals. Drexel’s experiential learning opportunities coupled with CSDN academic portfolios provide scaffolding for alumni to build nonprofits or start-ups, thrive in industry, and pursue more education through graduate and medical school programs.

Before applying to the major, students meet with an advisor to discuss their academic interests, goals, and potential course of study. If students’ goals meet Drexel’s threshold for interdisciplinarity, students will work with our advisor on their application, including a potential plan of study and vision statement, which will be reviewed by CSDN staff and Drexel faculty who are experts from each discipline. Once approved, students pursue their customized plan-of-study, created in collaboration with and supported by CSDN staff throughout their studies. While each CSDN student has an individualized path, they all must meet criteria for academic breadth and depth. CSDN students achieve academic breadth by studying three concentration areas, which range from disciplines to concepts.

Students will be anchored in interdisciplinary research, with a core that trains students how to analyze and conduct interdisciplinary work, as well as communicate their work to audiences across disciplines. Academic depth is achieved through upper division coursework that demonstrates a level of expertise within each concentration area. In their senior year, CSDN students develop a capstone project and deliverable that synthesize their academics and experiential learning.

Previous students have developed majors like translational biomedical research, academic counseling & advising, neuro-medical studies and global healthcare, entrepreneurial game direction and development, glocalized independent production, health advocacy, and social perspectives of epidemiology. Given the range of CSDN majors, they have been employed in a variety of co-op roles including positions at Nintendo of America, Comcast, Hearst Magazine, JP Morgan Chase & Co., Lockheed Martin, Marchesa, NBC Universal, Facebook, RCA Records, and TerraCycle. For CSDN students aiming for careers in research, they secured experiential learning opportunities in labs, government agencies, universities, and non-profits like Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Merck, Veteran’s Affairs, and Janelia Research Campus at the Howard Hugh’s Medical Institute. Whether the opportunities were based in research, industry, or the arts, CSDN students’ agile problem-solving and creative approach to education were cited as desired qualities.

Additional Information

For more information about this program, please contact the Pennoni Honors College

Admission Requirements

Students may apply to the Custom-Designed Major as incoming Drexel students through First-Year Exploratory Studies or as current students looking for interdisciplinary breadth and depth through a change of major. From application through graduation, students work closely with Custom-Designed Major advisors to create a plan of study that is rooted in their academic and professional goals.

Degree Requirements

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A complete list of eligible Introductory Core Competency courses can be found here.

Program Learning Outcomes