The College of Arts and Sciences offers 59 different undergraduate degree programs, from Biology and Chemistry, to Studio Art and Slavic Languages and Literature. Despite this wide range of options, many students find themselves falling through the cracks. Luckily, those who do not find their needs met by the University’s traditional programs have the option to create their own major through the Interdisciplinary Major Program (IMP).
“The interdisciplinary major is for people who don’t feel their academic needs are being fulfilled by a traditional major,” fourth-year College and IMP student Stephanie Lebolt said.
Lebolt is studying Arts Administration. Classes relevant to this discipline were first offered in 2006, and in 2009, Lindsey Hepler became the first Arts Administration IMP student to graduate from the College.
Hepler explained that Arts Administration is a path for students who may not see themselves as artists, but still want to be involved in the arts world.
“[The program is] based in the arts, but brings in business practices and larger societal issues, and looks at how the arts intersects with those things,” Hepler said.
The IMP program allows students to draw from three different departments to form their own unique curriculums. Lebolt noted the flexibility and freedom the program offers allows students to create a major based solely on their specific interests. Students are required to outline a specific program of study that including thirty hours of coursework — normally courses at the 3000-level and above — and recruit faculty members from each department to serve as mentors, according to the IMP website.
There are currently 13 students pursuing an undergraduate interdisciplinary major in Arts Administration, and the program has graduated 19 students. Students interested in pursuing a major in the IMP program must apply in their third or fourth semester. Because the program is a Distinguished Majors Program, a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.4 is required and all students are required to write a thesis in their fourth year.
One of Hepler’s favorite parts of the program was her ability to take “arts in context” courses, which she believes were key in shaping the way she thinks about interdisciplinary connections and makes sense of material that did not always seem related. “Arts in context” courses include “Arts and Public Policy” and “Arts and Education.”
“It’s a way of looking more philosophically at the arts in human society from a lot of different vantage points, using a different lens and drawing on other departments at the University,” Hepler said.
Meanwhile, Third-year College and IMP student Emily Anne Self has rolled French, Arts Administration and Art History into a cohesive program highlighting her passions. Self came to the University fully intending to study Commerce, but ultimately turned to the Interdisciplinary Majors Program.
“I took a step back, and decided I really wanted to take advantage of the liberal arts courses at U.Va.,” Self said. “After meeting with different professors and people in the art world, I felt like these three fields really did mesh very well. The freedom you have within the College to take whatever you want really interested me, and now that I’m in it, it [has] 100 percent [been] the right thing for me.”
Self plans to study abroad in Paris next semester and wants to extend her stay into the summer to study Jill Steenhuis, an artist from Memphis, Tenn. currently living in France. Self is arranging to write a business case study for her fourth-year thesis project on Steenhuis, who produces and sells all her own work and runs a summer program for adults to study painting in France.
Professor George Sampson, founder of the Arts Administration Program, highlights this senior thesis project, along with the community the program provides, as unique aspects of the IMP. He also noted the importance of a broad education in contributing to the traits, experiences and enthusiasm students can bring to future careers.
“People understand there are very difficult problems out there that require a very different mindset to overcome,” Sampson said.
Lebolt’s thesis project hopes to echo this sentiment. Lebolt, like Self, came to the University planning to double major in Drama and Commerce, but found neither to be an exact fit for what she was looking for.
“[Arts administration classes] are a crossroads between arts and business or arts and the community,” Lebolt said. “I feel like I’ve been able to find my own path, and explore more of my interests in arts [that are] non-profit related.”
For her fourth-year thesis project, Lebolt is studying devised theater in a high school setting. In devised theater, there are no specific roles; rather, it is a collaborative effort in which everyone is director, designer and actor. Lebolt plans to work with students at the Renaissance School, a Charlottesville performing arts high school, where she will make a documentary based on the process these students undergo to produce a show. She also hopes to address the social and political issues that affect their lives.
Though extremely enthusiastic about her project, Lebolt explains the program, with the immense amount of personal initiative it requires, is not for everyone. Still, she believes the program reaps benefits for those willing to put in the effort.
“It has allowed me to explore my interests,” Lebolt said. “I don’t think a conventional major would have allowed me to do this. I [now have] a ton of experience as a director, producer, artist and collaborator that a [Bachelor in Fine Arts] program would not have given me.”
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