The Custom-Designed Major enables students to pursue an individualized, interdisciplinary course of study at Drexel University not readily available through an existing major, or a combination of existing majors and/or minors. The program is designed for highly motivated students whose academic curiosity and career ambitions cannot be satisfied by a traditional major. Students typically interested in pursuing a Custom-Designed Major are motivated by a particular theme, topic, issue, or problem that can be more holistically addressed by combining multiple disciplines and fields of knowledge.
The major offers students the opportunity for an early intensive research experience, incorporates cooperative education as part of its degree requirements (either four years with one co-op, or five years with three co-ops), and culminates in an original, interdisciplinary senior year project.
Each student accepted into the program will be advised by the program staff and closely mentored during their senior year by one or more Drexel faculty members with expertise in at least one of the disciplines composing the student's proposed course of study. Students may be admitted by internal or external transfer. Incoming first-year students interested in Custom-Designed Major should apply to the First Year Exploratory Studies (FYES) program; for the students entering FYES with Custom-Designed already in mind as their major, part of their time in FYES will be spent formulating their formal application to the major. Current Drexel students seeking a change of major to Custom-Designed must have final applications submitted by Week One of the summer term preceding their junior year, so that they have a minimum of 5 academic terms in the major prior to graduation. Students do not need to be members of the Honors Program to be eligible to apply to the program.