Ever scrolled through a list of college majors and thought, “Cool … but what if I want to mix science, art and psychology?”
At Transylvania University, you can.
Here, you don’t just pick a major — you can design your own. Whether you’re into environmental storytelling, digital ethics or the neuroscience of creativity, Transy lets you build a program that fits your curiosity, your goals and your future.
What is a self-designed major?
A self-designed major is your chance to create a personalized, interdisciplinary degree that crosses boundaries between traditional subjects.
Instead of sticking to one department, you’ll build a major that pulls from at least two — think biology and computer science, or political science and theater.
You’ll work closely with professors who love saying “yes, let’s explore that.” They’ll guide you through course selection, help you focus your ideas and make sure your plan stays academically strong.
“The liberal arts give you the freedom to explore,” said Tiffany Wheeler, interim executive vice president for academic affairs and dean of the university. “Designing your own major takes that curiosity a step further — it challenges you to make intellectual connections across fields and see how they shape the world.”
Learn more about liberal arts education at Transylvania.
How to design your own major at Transy
By your sophomore year, you’ll begin sketching out a proposal that explains what you want to study, why it matters and how your classes fit together. A faculty committee will mentor you through the process, helping you design something ambitious, creative and academically sound.
Your plan has to tell a story — not just a list of courses, but a vision for how your fields connect. By senior year, you’ll complete a capstone project that brings it all together and shows the world what you’ve built.
When you graduate, your degree won’t just show what you studied. It will reflect who you are and how you think.
Examples of self-designed majors at Transylvania University
Students at Transy have designed interdisciplinary majors like:
- Culture of food — sustainability, sociology and entrepreneurship.
- Storytelling studies — creative writing, media and performance.
- Bioinformatics — biology, computer science and data analysis.
- Gender and social change — political science, history and ethics.
Each one began with curiosity and became a powerful, one-of-a-kind degree that could only happen here.
Explore more on Transy’s self-designed majors page.
Why designing your own major matters
Designing your own major teaches you to think across disciplines, connect ideas and see patterns others might miss. You’ll learn how to lead projects, work independently and turn abstract ideas into something tangible.
That same spirit of creativity fuels innovation all across campus — including at Transy’s Center for Entrepreneurship, where students collaborate on business plans, social ventures and community projects that turn big ideas into action. The mindset you’ll develop through a self-designed major — curiosity, initiative and problem-solving — mirrors the entrepreneurial thinking that defines Transy graduates.
These are the kinds of skills that employers and graduate schools value: adaptability, creativity and initiative. In a world where new jobs emerge every year, that kind of mindset is your biggest advantage.
Learn more about career preparation at Transylvania.
Start designing your future
If you’re the kind of student who’s curious about everything, Transy is your kind of place.
Here, you don’t have to squeeze into a predefined major. You can create a degree that fits you — not the other way around. Learn more about self-designed majors at Transylvania.