Pursuing an IDM is a significant commitment, which is reflected in the application process. The average time between initial IDM meeting and submitted application is 3 blocks. Successful applications undergo several drafts after receiving feedback from the IDM Director, faculty advisors, and the Curriculum Executive Committee. Because of the intensity of the application process, it is recommended that students begin the IDM process in their first year or the Fall semester of their second year at CC.

The final deadline for students on a traditional plan of study to submit an application is four semesters after beginning their studies at CC (e.g., block 7 of the second year for Fall Starts). Transfer students have some flexibility in this timeline. Please contact the IDM Director for questions about your specific situation.

This page describes steps in the application process and the criteria for evaluation of IDM applications. For more information on how to build a successful IDM proposal, please see the "How to Craft a Successful Proposal" page.

IDM Application

The IDM application consists of four parts: (a) an appliction cover sheet; (b) a rationale for the major; (c) a plan of study with a justification supporting each course; (d) letters of affiliation from two faculty advisors. Instructions for each of these parts for the ID Major can be viewed and downloaded here. For the ID Minor, please use this form.

All four parts of the application (including faculty letters) are due to the IDM Director no later than 5pm on the dates listed in the following section. 

Dates & Deadlines

The Curriculum Executive Committee reviews IDM applications two times per year. Application review dates are:

• First Monday of Block 4 (by 12pm MST)
• First Monday of Block 7 (by 12pm MST)

Application process

Although the process is unique to each student, a typical application progresses through the following steps:

Step 1: Attend an IDM Information Session

For 2024-2025, information sessions will be held at the following dates and times:

• Block 1, second Tuesday (September 3), 3-4:00pm, Tutt Library 238
• Block 2, second Tuesday (October 1), 3-4:00pm, Tutt Library 238
• Block 3, second Tuesday (October 29), 3-4:00pm, Tutt Library 105
• Block 5, second Tuesday (January 28), 3-4:00pm, Tutt Library 238
• Block 6, second Tuesday (February 25), 3-4:00pm, Tutt Library 238 [First-Year Students Only]

Step 2: First draft of application

Next, students typically develop a rough draft of their IDM rationale and course grid, as well as identify potential faculty advisors. This typically happens via a face-to-face meeting with the IDM Director, but can be handled via email as well.

Step 3: Meetings with faculty advisors and second draft of application

The third phase of the process is to identify two faculty advisors and complete a more comprehensive draft of the IDM application consultation with them and the Director.

Step 4: Full application submitted for review

When the IDM application packet is complete it is submitted via email to the IDM Director, who will send it forward to the IDM subcommittee of the Curriculum Executive Committee (CEC) for review. The CEC subcommittee will evaluate the application based on the criteria below to determine whether the plan is accepted (with or without minor revisions), must be resubmitted with revisions, or will be rejected. The OAP Director will communicate the committee's decision to all applicants.

• Students whose proposal is accepted with minor revisions must make all necessary changes within one block of receiving a notification from the CEC subcommittee.
• Students who are asked to revise and resubmit their proposal must do so before the next available review deadline set by the CEC subcommittee. Students may only revise a proposal one time.
• Students whose proposal is rejected will not be allowed to move forward in the process.

Step 5: Acceptance into the IDM

• Students who are accepted into the program will immediately begin coursework toward the major and meet regularly with both faculty advisors and the IDM Director to ensure successful progress toward their degree.

Criteria for Evaluation

In order for an IDM application to be approved by the CEC, the following criteria must be met:

1. Students must demonstrate a clear vision for the major. Although all applicants are in their first or second year of study, it is reasonable to expect them to write clearly, to provide a description of their intended field of study, to articulate questions they wish to pursue, and to place their project into a wider intellectual, social, and historical context. 
   
2. Students must demonstrate that the major (typically, through the thesis) will integrate two or more disciplines at CC. 
   
3. The plan of study must strike a balance between depth and breadth, and between lower-division and  upper-division coursework. In particular, the plan of study must show meaningful engagement with the two cognate disciplines in the major.
   
4. The proposal must demonstrate that student’s coursework will prepare them to carry out a research or creative project in the proposed field. The faculty advisors' areas of expertise must show a clear connection to the proposed major. 
   
5. Students must demonstrate that their intellectual goals cannot be accomplished within a traditional plan of study (i.e., a combination of existing majors and minors at CC). 
   
6. Faculty letters of support must demonstrate a commitment to supporting the student throughout the major (including serving as a thesis advisor), and that the faculty have been involved in helping the student craft the proposal.
   
7. Proposed majors must follow the major requirements for the IDM and must not be extrapolated from current or former IDM projects.

How to Craft a Proposal/Sample Proposals

Appeal process

Students whose application is rejected may appeal the decision. Students should initiate the appeal process within 14 calendar days of receiving the committee's decision by email. The appeal procedure is as follows:

1. To initiate an appeal process, the student should email the IDM Director requesting a second review of the IDM application. In this request for appeal, the student also has the option of submitting a 1-2 page attached response to the CEC subcommittee's decision in this request. The response should address why they believe CEC subcommittee's evaluation was incorrect based on the criteria for evaluation of IDM applications.
2. The IDM Director will submit the request, the student's response to the decision, and the student's original IDM application to the Dean of the College.
3. The Dean will then review the materials and either override the initial decision (and accept the student's application) or re-assert the original decision.