Custom-Designed Major

The Bachelor of Science in the Custom-Designed Major (CSDN) empowers students to pursue individualized courses of study at Drexel University, not readily available through an existing major, or a combination of existing majors and minors. CSDN is designed for highly motivated students whose interdisciplinary curiosity and career ambitions cannot be satisfied by a traditional major.

Although their academic interests are incredibly diverse, CSDN students share several common traits. They are fiercely independent, creative innovators, able to negotiate big picture ideas alongside the small details necessary to accomplish a large-scale project. They have demonstrated academic and extracurricular achievements that place them among the top tier of their peers.

For additional information about applying to this program, contact Associate Director Dr. Katie Barak.

Examples of current Custom-Designed Majors:

Sustainable Design
Incorporates: Architecture, Economics, Product Design, Environmental Science

Humanistic Health
Incorporates: Public Health, Criminology, Psychology, Biology

Cryptology and Intelligence Analysis
Incorporates: Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Cryptology

Neurobiology
Incorporates: Biology, Psychology, Science Technology, Sociology

Creative Narrative and New Media
Incorporates: Graphic Design, Photography, Design & Merchandising, Communication

THE CUSTOM-DESIGNED MAJOR OFFERS STUDENTS…

Individualized curriculum
Access to courses across the university
Priority registration
Undergraduate research opportunities
Intentionally integrated experiential learning (including research, cooperative education, study abroad)
Tailored academic advising
The support and faculty mentorship to complete an original, interdisciplinary senior project
Cohort of likeminded innovators
Diverse co-op opportunities

Learning interconnectedness

"The Custom-Designed Major has allowed me to make the most of my undergraduate experience by allowing me to fully explore all of my academic interests. By taking courses across various disciplines each term, I get to utilize different parts of my brain and draw parallels between my seemingly different classes. This interdisciplinary approach prepares me to engage with the professional world by teaching me how to approach every problem with a well-rounded solution. An added bonus of being in CSDN is being surrounded by classmates with their own unique majors and learning with and from them. Overall, CSDN has provided a way for me to study topics I'm passionate about and learn the interconnectedness of not only my education and my future career but the world." —Maddie Larkin, Custom-Designed Major: Humanistic Health