Proposal Guidelines

Liberal Arts Proposal

All Liberal Arts students must complete a proposal for their program.  Students considering the Liberal Arts major should meet with the Director of Liberal Arts in the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences (716) 286-8060.  The Liberal Arts Adviser will will assist the student in identifying disciplines of study, faculty advisers in the relevant disciplines, and offer guidance on the proposal process.  The proposal doesn't have a required length (most are about 2 pages), but needs to adequately discuss the following five concerns.

• Part One will describe the general question, problem, or theme the student has chosen to examine
• Part Two will be a list of potential courses in two or three disciplines that best address the question, problem, or theme (these maybe courses the student has taken or intends to take)
• Part Three will suggest possible topics for the senior seminar.
• Part Four will be a list of careers and advanced degree options that might be pursued after completing the proposed course of study
• Part Five will be an explanation of why the College's existing majors do not meet their needs and how the proposed program of study will do so.

Students pursing a model liberal arts major (Applied Fine Arts, Art History, Gerontology, Multicultural Studies, Romance Languages, or Writing Studies) should answer all parts of the above by indicating how they will tailor the model major to their specific interests and career goals. 

The Liberal Arts proposal should be completed within the student's first semester in the program.  Upper level students may need to complete the proposal before officially switching into the program.  The proposal must be submitted to the Director of Liberal Arts in the Office of the Dean of Arts & Sciences, who must approve it.