Departments allow flexibility in degrees

While structure and rigorous study are two common elements exemplified by college students, the University of South Dakota is offering several majors that allow students to get a little loose — with the freedom of selecting their own coursework to receive a degree.

At just a year old, the sustainability program is one such major. Meghann Jarchow, assistant professor of biology and head of the sustainability program, said the advantage of the program is the flexibility.

“It lets students tailor their major to what interests them the most,” Jarchow said.

The sustainability program was created because of student interest, Jarchow said, and allows them to choose the majority of classes they take. Once students declare sustainability as their major, they have the option to specialize in either natural or social sciences. After choosing a specialization, students can take a variety of classes that fit their interests and specialization.

The advantage of a program that allows for this kind of self-selecting coursework, Jarchow said, is it increases credited research and internship opportunities, and allows working with other students in the program to solve issues in sustainability.

“Some majors with strict requirements can be problematic for indecisive students, but having a sustainability major allows students to study what they enjoy the most,” she said.

Steve Ward, director of the Academic and Career Planning Center, said biology majors are also allowed some freedom, with two different pathways of study: ecology and human biology. Other programs at USD, Ward said, offer different pathways and specializations, such as English, communication studies, contemporary media and journalism and history.

Ward also said the freedom to mix and match classes is not enough for a broad education.

“I want students to hear that the classes they take are not enough, and to be marketable, they must get experience outside of the classroom,” he said.

One of the 15 current sustainability majors at USD is sophomore Emily Roberson. Roberson is a double major in anthropology and sustainability and said she chose this path because she wants to help people on a large scale, rather than on a small scale.

“I see problems now that prevent sustainability, and I want fix those problems,” she said.

Roberson chose the social sciences path in the program and said there are a lot of discussion classes where everyone gets to give their opinions and you get to hear many different perspectives.

Roberson is also in favor of modeling other programs like the sustainability program.

“In some programs that are more strict, students have no chance to figure out what interests them,” she said.

Senior criminal justice major Austin Welker also encouraged the idea of a broader education encouraged by allowing students more freedom from the usual general education courses to graduate.

“The more options for students, the better,” he said.