Independent Concentrations
Even though Brown offers approximately 100 undergraduate concentrations, students still have the option of creating and designing their own. Independent concentrations—usually focusing on a broad problem, theme, or question, rather than a discipline— must be sponsored by at least one faculty member and reviewed and approved by the College Curriculum Council.
Students interested in pursuing an independent concentration are encouraged to develop a proposal no later than the end of their fourth semester at Brown. Students must submit their final proposals before the end of their sixth semester. To do so, they must work closely with a faculty advisor to ensure that their ideas are developed properly. Preparing, revising, and approving an independent concentration is a process that requires several months.
Concentration proposals should include the following information:
- a title for the proposed concentration that is not the same as a standard departmental or interdepartmental concentration and that accurately reflects the nature of the proposed concentration
- a statement prepared by the student describing the objectives of the proposed concentration program and an annotated bibliography of ten books or articles central to the theme of the concentration
- a complete listing, by semester, of all courses, seminars, independent studies, etc., to be included in the program (a minimum of ten courses is expected in an concentration program, but independent concentrations often include more than ten courses because they are interdisciplinary)
- plans for a capstone project to be completed in the last year of the concentration. This independent project should function as a synthesis of the proposed concentration
- a signed statement by a member of the University faculty above the level of instructor supporting the proposal and indicating a willingness to act as the student’s concentration sponsor.
For more information, contact Deans Karen Krahulik or Christina Furtado.