Individualized Degree Program

As a large, urban institution of higher education, Metropolitan State University of Denver is committed to responding to the specific educational goals of a diverse student population. The Individualized Degree Program enables MSU Denver to meet that commitment in three ways:

• It offers students the opportunity to collaborate with faculty to design an individualized major, extended major, or minor to meet their own specific educational goals when other majors or minors listed in the catalog do not.
• The IDP serves as an incubator for faculty to develop new academic programs to meet emerging needs in the community and workplace. The IDP-as-incubator provides faculty with the opportunity to track demand and to experiment with the relevant curriculum prior to submitting the new program for review through the established curriculum approval process.
• A specific IDP concentration may be offered when a need exists for an interdisciplinary major or minor that does not fall within the purview of existing academic departments. An interdisciplinary core (not to exceed 50% of the minimum credit hours required) provides the foundation upon which the student and faculty mentor build an IDP program to meet the student’s educational goals.

Each student works with an advisor in the Center for Individualized Learning and with a faculty mentor to develop a proposal for their degree program. A practicing professional in the student’s field of study may also be invited to serve as a community consultant to assist the student and the faculty mentor in the development of the program of study. Because careful and thoughtful planning is essential to designing a coherent and congruent program of study, students are encouraged to begin their proposals early in their enrollment at MSU Denver. IDP proposals must be submitted no later than the semester prior to the semester the student intends to graduate.

Either a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science degree in an Individualized Degree Program may be sought.

Interested students should contact the Center for Individualized Learning, by calling 303-615-0525 or visiting our website for assistance and for complete information regarding the policies and procedures for the development and approval of an Individualized Degree major or minor.

Each Individualized Degree major or minor is approved by the faculty mentor, department chair of the academic department from which the majority of credit is drawn, the appropriate dean, and the director of the Center for Individualized Learning.

Basic Rules of the Individualized Degree Program

• All requirements that apply to any bachelor’s degree apply to an Individualized Degree.
• A grade of “C-” or above must be earned in each course included in the student’s major or minor, and students must have a GPA of 2.5 before an Individualized Degree program may be approved. In some circumstances on approval by the chair, waivers to this rule may be available.
• On the student’s diploma, the title of the IDP will be “Individualized Degree in…” followed by the approved title. Titles of minors do not appear on a diploma, but both major and minor titles will appear on the final official transcript.
• Students with a large number of College of Business credits (over 25%) may need to take additional courses outside of the College of Business or receive special permission from the College of Business to use additional credits towards their IDP degree. For more information, talk to an IDP advisor.
• Each IDP student must submit their finalized IDP proposal (degree plan and essay) for approval by the deadlines posted on the CIL website. Signed approval is required by the 1) faculty advisor, 2) chair of the department where the student is earning the most credit in the IDP, 3) the appropriate dean, and 4) the Center director. Students who submit a proposal after the IDP deadline require a waiver signed by the department chair and dean, which may result in delayed graduation. For all students, graduation is contingent on the proposal being submitted in a timely manner.

Individualized Degree Program Options

Students may submit proposals for:

• An Individualized Degree standard MAJOR, which requires a minimum of 40 credit hours, including 21 hours of upper-division credit. A minor chosen from the Catalog is required.
• An Individualized Degree MINOR, which requires a minimum of 20 credit hours, including 6 hours of upper-division credit. A major chosen from the Catalog is required.
• An Individualized Degree EXTENDED MAJOR may be proposed when the student’s field of study requires more in-depth study or courses from multiple disciplines that cannot be accommodated in an IDP major. An extended major requires a minimum of 60 credit hours, including 30 hours of upper-division credit. No minor is required.