ICP general brochure - College of Continuing Education - University ...

Inter-College
Program
Self-designed Degree

Are you a motivated learner
An inquisitive idea-seeker
A curious mind looking for an innovative and
comprehensive undergraduate degree that
is as unique as you are
Biology and creative writing. Health studies and communication.
Journalism, business, and psychology. If you are interested in
a cross-collegiate course of study, the Inter-College Program
(ICP) can help you tailor a degree path that fits your diverse
interests and career aspirations.
Offered through the College of Continuing Education, the ICP
provides students a way to access courses from the University’s
more than 100 disciplines and through many of the U’s colleges,
including liberal arts, biological sciences, education and human
development, Carlson School of Management, among others.
Your degree program will be designed by you and your advisers
to match your academic interests and career goals. If you are
interested in a degree that will help you prepare for future
success, the University of Minnesota’s Inter-College Program
can help you get there.

ICP Degree Structure
The ICP degree is composed of:
• The University of Minnesota’s liberal education core, theme, and writing
requirements
• Oral communication
• Preparatory course work specific to the student’s areas of concentration
• Upper-division course work taken in multiple areas of concentration of the
student’s choosing
• Upper-division supporting course work as appropriate
Students earn either a B.A. or a B.S. degree. B.A. students have a secondlanguage
requirement.
Program at a Glance
Degree: Bachelor of Science or
Bachelor of Arts degree
Admission is based on an individual
review of the student’s application for
program match. The review includes
key factors such as grade point average,
grade trends, performance in course
work relevant to the proposed areas of
study, and the student’s demonstrated
ability to meet both the curricular and
developmental expectations of
individualized undergraduate
education.
Preferred Admission Benchmarks:
50 credits completed at an accredited
college or university; 2.5 GPA
Financial Aid: Scholarships, grants,
and other financial aid resources are
available for admitted students and
students preparing for admission.
Get started: Attend an information
session:
Inter-College Program Information
Sessions
Dates, times, and locations available at:
www.cce.umn.edu/icpinfo.
College of Continuing Education
Information Sessions
Dates, times, and locations available at:
www.cce.umn.edu/icpinfo.

Student Voice: Jacqueline Stevens
Degree Concentrations: Fashion Studies,
Carlson School of Management
When Jacqueline Stevens started at the U in 2002, she was considering
a major in business or retail management. “I’ve been involved in retail since
I was a teenager, so that area came very naturally to me and I wanted to
focus on the management and sales operations portion of business.”
Jacqueline Stevens
However, after her second
year, life intervened, and
she ended up taking some
time off from school. “I
came back after six years,
and taking that first step
was hard. But then, I got in
to the ICP, and eased back
into my courses, and it was
like riding a bike—
being a student comes
back quickly. And my adviser
was super helpful. The U
can be overwhelming,
and [some people] may
think designing your own
degree and writing the
proposal is so, as well, but
she provided a great sense
of direction and kept me
appraised of all my options.”
“I was able to customize these broad spectrums of knowledge into a degree
just for me—it’s like a fingerprint, and very unique. I think it will also serve
me well in the job market. It definitely sets me apart as someone who knows
what they want and who has put time into considering each and every
course. My degree fits me better than any other degree because I know
why each class was selected and how it will benefit me in the future.”

Alumni Voice: Tomas Gutierrez
Degree Concentrations: Carlson School
of Management, Computer Science
Tomas Gutierrez
After spending three years
as a computer engineering
major, Tomas Gutierrez
decided to look for a major
that better encompassed
his goals and passions.
Ever since he was a small
child, Gutierrez was
interested in technology
and computers— however,
he was also a small
business owner, having
started a tech support firm
during his sophomore year
of college.
“By my junior year,”
Gutierrez says, “it would
have been too late for me
to switch majors and still
graduate on time. But I
knew I needed to better
match my degree to my
future goals.”
A conversation with a friend led him to the ICP, where he created a
major combining his course work in engineering with classes from the
Carlson School of Management. “By designing a degree through the ICP,
I was able to create a major that encompassed the areas I cared about
and allowed me to graduate in an acceptable time frame. My degree is in
something I not only enjoy, but also is marketable. Since joining the
workforce [Gutierrez currently works for Accenture], I’ve found the
combination of technology and business to be highly valued and
coveted by companies.”

Alumni Voice: Zer Xiong
Degree Concentrations: Family Social Science,
Public Health, Sociology
For the first two years of her college career, Zer Xiong couldn’t decide on a major.
“I was passionate about the social sciences,” she says, “but the health sciences field
also appealed to me.”
Zer Xiong
Xiong knew she wanted
an interdisciplinary major,
because she had an
interdisciplinary career
path ahead of her. Says
Xiong, “Many ethnic
and minority groups
are underrepresented
when it comes to health
awareness, care, and
education. I want to work
toward helping these
people live healthier lives
through culturally
sensitive advocacy and
education.”
Xiong chose to combine sociology, family social science, and public health for her
ICP degree. “My goal is to help people improve their lives… combining these three
areas will put me on the path to the education that I will need to accomplish that goal.”
Xiong plans to do advocacy and field work within the community, focusing on
health improvement and education programs. She also plans to attend graduate
school to pursue a master’s degree in public health, or a dual master’s in public
health and social work.

Student Voice: Anthony Osifuye
Degree Concentration: Health and
Wellness Thematic
After working in a grocery store in high school, Anthony Osifuye knew he wanted a
health and nutrition focus to his college studies and eventual career. “I saw customers
who would come through with mostly processed convenience food items, as
opposed to some of the healthier items. I noticed a pattern over time of individuals
who were on food stamps and aid making these choices.
Anthony Osifuye
It spurred an interest in
health disparities across
socioeconomic groups.
For Osifuye, the Health and
Wellness thematic option
of the ICP was perfect,
“This way, I could look at
the health and nutrition
idea from different angles,
from all across the U. From
social science to physical
and biological sciences…it
allowed me to develop
a very comprehensive
picture.
“My career goal is to go into the medical field, ideally working in an underserved
population with a diverse community. My ICP degree gives me broader background
that will help me do that kind of community work and be a stakeholder in the
community.
His unique degree path will also be an advantage when the time comes to apply to
med school, Osifuye belives. “Graduate schools look at what you choose to do, and
they see a lot of the biology and other hard sciences. I think an individualized
degree, with a variety of courses, it makes me stand out a bit. It isn’t a typical program.”

Student Voice: Jennifer Hall
Degree Concentrations: American Indian
Studies, Whole Systems Healing
After a long search throughout the major offerings at the U, Jennifer Hall found the
ICP—and was immediately drawn to it because of its tailored nature.
“I am very passionate about two different areas, and the ICP allowed me to focus
on both of them. Ojibwe is a beautiful language—but endangered. Whole Systems
Healing has a lot to teach us about solving systemic problems instead of reacting to
the symptoms of a broken society.”
Hall, who has a natural affinity for
languages—and Ojibwe ancestry,
decided she could use her degree
to be a part of a group of people
working to revitalize and reclaim
the language. She used principles
of whole systems healing to “learn
to evaluate the myriad factors that
have contributed to loss of Ojibwe
language and respond to them in a
way that would hopefully have a
lot of leverage in support of
revitalization.”
It’s a unique combination, but
Jennifer Hall
one she feels will be immediately
applicable to her career goals. “I hope to work in the language revitalization field,
perhaps developing materials for immersion programs, teaching, or helping adult
students learn their heritage languages. I see my degree preparing me by giving me
a foundation in Ojibwe…and for providing me the tools to think critically and work
within a wider frame of reference when dealing with the issues facing language
learners.”

Student Voice: Eric Sannerud
Degree concentrations: Sustainability Studies, Applied
Business, Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs
Although at first he didn’t know what he wanted to study at the U, Eric
Sannerud quickly honed in on sustainability—particularly food sustainability.
Choosing a major that would allow him to develop his focus, however, wasn’t
as immediate. “My initial major was environmental science and policy
management,” he says. “But it was a fairly narrow, prescribed path, and there
really wasn’t room for the electives I wanted to take. I wanted a degree where
I could explore each
of the three legs of
the ‘sustainability
triangle’: economic,
social, and
environmental
elements.”
He found that in the
ICP, which would
allow him to combine
his interests to make
a degree with realworld
applications.
“I think food systems
Eric Sannerud
and sustainability is
going to be a huge issue as we go forward, but I couldn’t find another college
here that offered a major in it. In the ICP, I’m able to take control of my degree
plan and make good use of my credits and select courses and directed study
that will apply to my future goals.”
He continues, “If you know what you want, and want to create your own path;
if you are driven or have a passion you want to pursue, this program is the
place to go.”

Just the FAQs
Can I pick any courses or areas of
concentration I want
The ICP degree is very flexible. You
are free to combine courses and
concentrations from across the
University’s colleges and departments,
provided they meet the following
criteria:
• You select upper-division courses
(3000- to 5000-level)
• You have faculty and departmental
adviser approval
• You follow departmental guidelines
and complete course prerequisites
as appropriate
Will my diploma look different from
other U of M diplomas
No. Diplomas conferred through the
ICP contain information standard for
any University of Minnesota graduate,
including the University’s name, the degree
awarded, and any formal honors you’ve
earned.
What about my transcript
Your transcript will list your degree,
date conferred, the College of
Continuing Education, the Inter-College
Program, your areas of concentration or
thematic title, graduation GPA, and any
formal honors you’ve earned.
How do employers react to this degree
Most are impressed with the initiative
and creativity it takes to create a
personalized degree. Students with
individualized majors often interview
well because the proposal development
process helps them understand the
reasons behind their course work
choices, and employers recognize this
ability as valuable.
Ready to Get Started
If you’d like more information on how the College of Continuing Education
can help you earn a degree that is suited to your unique goals and career
aspirations, call 612-624-4000 to register for an ICP information session,
or visit www.cce.umn.edu/icpinfo.
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ICPB
DCP-0485-02/10.12