Design Your Own Interdisciplinary Major

The UMass Amherst undergraduate program, Bachelor's Degree with Individual Concentration (BDIC), offers highly motivated and self-directed students the opportunity to design their own major. As an alternative to traditional majors, the BDIC Program allows students to pursue their educational goals in areas not available within existing departmental curricula.

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Is BDIC Right for You?

Are you a self-directed student with interests that don't quite fit a traditional major? Learn about requirements for the BDIC major, explore some of the unique academic paths available, and connect with peer advisors to find out if the program is a good fit for your educational and career goals.

1970

BDIC program was founded based on an idea from students

100+

Majors graduating in the program each year

Unlimited

Unique concentrations students can design

Featured Concentrations

These are just a few of the thousands of unique academic paths carved out by University of Massachusetts Amherst students who’ve looked to the Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration (BDIC) program to design their own majors.

Brooke Jones: Social Change in Sports

Brooke Jones: Social Change in Sports

Antonio De Leon: Film Studies

Antonio De Leon: Film Studies

Katherine Widrow: Behavioral Economics

Katherine Widrow: Behavioral Economics

Sophie Schweik: Creation, Marketing, and Documentation

Sophie Schweik: Creation, Marketing, and Documentation

Anna Tempestoso: Sustainable Business Practices in Fashion

Anna Tempestoso: Sustainable Business Practices in Fashion

Ronan Fitzgerald: Photojournalism

Dedicated Career Advising

88% of the BDIC class of 2021 found a job or entered grad school after graduation.

As motivated students designing your interdisciplinary degree and brand, BDIC Careers is committed to offering personalized supports and career advising. We believe the power of interdisciplinary studies, combined with experiential learning and skills-based coursework, will rocket you towards your goals. Not sure what you want to do yet? No problem! BDIC offers programming and advising to bring clarity to the career development process.

Visit the BDIC Career Development Site Visit the BDIC Career Development Site

Student Spotlight

"Outside of school, I’m a freelancer and I work for brands doing social media strategy. I wanted to push that career forward while also continuing to explore my creative interests."

Sophie Schweik

2024

BDIC Major with a Concentration in Creation, Marketing, and Documentation

Take the Next Step

We encourage prospective students to meet with a Peer Advisor to help you decide whether the program is right for you.

BDIC Peer Advisors are current BDIC majors who can answer questions about the program and help you figure out whether BDIC is the right choice for you.

Get in touch with us!

Meet the Peer Advisors Meet the Peer Advisors Attend Peer Advisor Office Hours Attend Peer Advisor Office Hours Submit a Peer Advisor Inquiry Form Submit a Peer Advisor Inquiry Form Visit the BDIC Office Visit the BDIC Office