Individualized study
Independent majors. Wheaton students interested in creating interdisciplinary or cross-disciplinary majors may design their own independent major. Students will develop their own rationale for their proposed major in consultation with advisors from two or more departments and will select an appropriate program of courses from two or more areas of study in the established curriculum. Proposals must be approved by the faculty who will advise the program, by the dean for advising and by the provost. There is no minimum grade point average requirement. Guidelines and proposal forms are available in the Advising Center. Independent majors who are approved for honors in that field of concentration will be designated Wheaton Scholars.
Individual research. Individual research courses are typically undertaken as yearlong courses in the senior year and involve the production of a senior thesis or other advanced work to qualify the student for departmental honors. These courses are numbered 500.
Independent study. These courses are arranged individually between faculty and students, and provide the means by which students interested in pursuing a topic not covered in an existing course may do so with appropriate scholarly guidance. These courses are numbered 099, 199, 299, 399 or 499, depending on the level of the work involved, and are normally undertaken only after the first year.
Fieldwork. A number of departments offer opportunities to integrate fieldwork into a student’s academic program. Students may complete up to four credits of fieldwork courses (but no more than two credits within the major). Some fieldwork courses are a part of a department’s normal offerings, but other fieldwork opportunities are arranged as independent study courses.
Internships. Students completing internships through the Career Services of the Filene Center may wish to develop these experiences into a fieldwork or independent study course yielding academic credit. Students interested in this possibility should speak with the dean of academic advising, or appropriate faculty before undertaking the internship to determine the best way to prepare for such a course. Normally the student can expect to complete additional research and reading and a paper or project to be evaluated by a faculty member. Fieldwork may consist of work in museums, with government or social service agencies, or in business or public service offices, but it must be primarily an educational rather than a career-oriented experience if it is to become the basis for academic credit.
Global study and intercultural learning. Over the past decade, the number of American students studying abroad has more than doubled, and at Wheaton international study has become an ever more popular feature of the undergraduate experience. Increasingly, Wheaton students understand that study abroad enriches their academic experience and better prepares them for life after college.
Wheaton offers an exciting range of study abroad options and activities through the Center for Global Education and opportunities for intercultural learning through the Marshall Center for Intercultural Learning to encourage students to broaden their cultural boundaries and knowledge of the world.
The Wheaton Curriculum emphasizes the infusion of global and intercultural perspectives, and the college has set a priority on preparing every graduate to be globally and interculturally competent. To support these goals, Wheaton now offers 33 study abroad programs in 19 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Scotland, South Africa and Spain. Students select from a wide range of academic disciplines, become immersed in the culture of their host country, and gain unique insights into themselves and their world. Students may also pursue intercultural learning opportunities within the United States and the Americas.
To be eligible for study abroad, students must be in good academic and social standing and must maintain an overall grade point average of 2.85. Most students elect to study abroad in their junior year, but applications from sophomores (second semester) and seniors (first semester) are considered in relation to the plan of study and preparation. Each fall, the Center for Global Education sponsors a Study Abroad Fair featuring information about Wheaton overseas partner schools and programs. Students may also take advantage of general, country-specific and major-specific information meetings, the resource library at the center, and peer advisors who, as study abroad returnees, share their knowledge with prospective study abroad students. Students submit study abroad applications to the Center for Global Education and receive advice regarding the program most appropriate to meet their academic objectives. Prior to departure, a mandatory orientation program is offered, as well as a reception to honor those selected to participate in studying abroad.
In most cases, students who participate in Wheaton study abroad programs pay regular Wheaton comprehensive fees that cover most overseas fees and educational expenses. Details are outlined in specific program literature available at the Center for Global Education and on the center Web site at www.wheatoncollege.edu/global. Students participating in a Wheaton study abroad program may utilize their federal, state, merit and need-based aid while abroad.
Students whose academic needs cannot be met through Wheaton programs may petition to participate in an approved non-Wheaton program. Such petitions must receive strong support from the faculty advisor. Staff at the Center for Global Education will guide students through the process of identifying an appropriate non-Wheaton program.
In addition to the traditional semester and yearlong options, students may participate in short-term, faculty-led study abroad programs. In past years, these opportunities have included field research in tropical biology in Belize and Costa Rica, sociology in Cambodia and Vietnam and elementary education/English literature in England.