Individualized Degree Program

As a large, urban, undergraduate institution of higher education, Metropolitan State College of Denver has a commitment to respond to specific educational goals of a diverse student population. The Individualized Degree Program enables the College 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 use 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 where there is a need for an interdisciplinary major or minor which 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 students educational goals.

Each student works with an advisor in the Center for Individualized Learning and with a faculty mentor to develop a proposal for his/her 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 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 Metro State. 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 Individualized Studies may be sought.

Interested students should contact the Center for Individualized Learning, 303-556-8342, for assistance and for complete information regarding the policies and procedures for the development and approval of an Individualized Studies major or minor. Information sessions are the first step in the process, and are held throughout the year.

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

• All requirements that apply to any bachelor’s degree apply to Individualized Studies.
• A grade of “C” 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 Studies program may be approved.
• The title for each student’s program will be Individualized Studies with an emphasis in ____.
• Majors may not include courses in Level II General Studies and may not include courses with the same prefix as the department from which the majority of credit is drawn for their major, or courses cross listed with that discipline.
• No more than 30 hours of credit from the School of Business may be included in the student’s degree plan. In some cases this limit may be exceeded with the approval of the appropriate department chair and dean of the School of Business.
• Each Individualized Studies major or minor must include courses that have not yet been completed at the time the proposal is approved. See each IDP option below for the specific number of credits that must be completed after the proposal is approved by the department chair.

Proposals may be submitted for:

• An Individualized Studies standard MAJOR, which requires a minimum of 40 credit hours, including 21 hours of upper-division credit. Fifteen (15) hours must be completed after the proposal is approved by the department chair. A minor chosen from the Catalog is required.
• An Individualized Studies MINOR, which requires a minimum of 20 credit hours, including 6 hours of upper-division credit. Six (6) hours must be completed after the proposal is approved by the department chair. A major chosen from the Catalog is required.
• An Individualized Studies 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 27 hours of upper-division credit Twenty-one (21) hours must be completed after the proposal is approved by the department chair. No minor is required.