2009-10 Undergraduate Catalog
CLAS Majors
A major consists of a concentration of course work in a specific department or program. The number of credit hours required for a major will vary from department to department, but in no case may the number of hours be fewer than 24 hours nor more than 40 hours.
A student must have a C or better in all courses required for the major. Major requirements cannot be taken S-U. Work in the major taken in the freshman or sophomore years or transferred to the university from another institution is included when evaluating the student’s record. However, all transfer credit in the major must be approved by the department.
Interdisciplinary Studies Majors
- American Indian and Indigenous Studies
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Biological Illustration
- Film and Media Studies
- International Studies
- Latin American Studies
- Medieval and Early Modern Studies
- Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
- Modern European Studies
- Neurobiological Sciences
Honors students who declare IDS as a major in terms 1-3 should contact the Honors Program Office, Tigert Hall, Room 140, 352-392-1519.
An interdisciplinary major may be designed and initiated by a student whose academic or professional goals are not met by a department major. The IDS major is a restricted-admission program and requires a 3.0 GPA. At least two faculty members from different departments must help plan the program, and they also must agree to supervise the program to completion. At least one of these faculty members must be in this college.
Each interdisciplinary program must be approved by the college Committee on Interdisciplinary Studies and include at least 20 credit hours of 3000/4000-level course work taken in two or more departments. All other college degree requirements (e.g., foreign language, basic distribution, electives, etc.) must be met. The student must also take at least seven credit hours of IDS 4906 (or equivalent courses) under the direction of one or both of the supervisory faculty members and produce a senior thesis.
Interdisciplinary majors can also graduate with honors recognition. Requirements are the same as for department majors, with the additional provision that magna cum laude or summa cum laude recognition must be recommended by two members of the student’s supervisory committee (including the principal supervisor), who will affirm that the student conducted an individual project in IDS 4906 (or equivalent).
Students should begin planning an interdisciplinary program early. They should stay in their current major and apply to IDS as early as semester 4 or at the latest by semester 5. Transfer students must complete their first semester with a UF GPA of 3.0 before they can apply to this program. Late application may result in denial of admission to the program. Students interested in pursuing an interdisciplinary major should contact the college office in Turlington Hall, Room 2014, 352-392-6800, or view the college's IDS information.
Students may design their own major or follow one of the tracks below or in the majors chart at the beginning of the college section. More information about biochemistry and film studies appears later in the course descriptions section.
Students in science tracks who are enrolled in IDS 4905 work 3-4 hours per week in the laboratory for each credit hour earned.