Undergraduates can create personalized majors to merge multiple interests into one degree through the Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration program.

Each year, students in the UMass Amherst Bachelor's Degree with Individual Concentration (BDIC) program design new, individualized paths of study. They combine their interests, passions, and career goals to create personalized curricula that meet their unique needs—whether it’s to pursue a familiar major that isn’t officially offered or to study something entirely new.  

Since its inception in 1970, the BDIC program has supported 180 to 200 students each year, offering highly motivated and self-directed undergraduates an alternative to traditional majors.  

Led by Director Jacqueline Castledine and Associate Director and Chief Academic Advisor Rebecca Schwartz, BDIC provides students with the academic freedom to study what they love and explore courses, resources, and facilities at the university.  

For Annaliese Henneberg ’25, BDIC offered a way to combine her love of science with her passion for healthcare and women’s health.  

Using courses in biology, public health, psychology, anthropology, sociology, and statistics, Henneberg created a major called foundations of healthcare. The major will prepare her for the next stage in her academic career and, ultimately, set her path toward becoming a holistic healthcare provider.

“After undergrad, my plan is to study to become a physician's assistant,” she explains. “Knowing that, I want to leave my undergrad studies the most well rounded I could and understand the different aspects of healthcare.”

The flexibility of the program has allowed Henneberg to pursue both a minor in biology and a certificate in medical humanities.

“BDIC changed the trajectory of my college career in the best way possible,” says Henneberg. “The skills I’ve gained advocating for myself—even from just having to explain my field of study and justify why I wanted to take certain classes and focus on different areas of healthcare—have been so helpful.”  

Those advocacy skills were especially important for Michaela Kirby ’26. During one of her conservation classes, she approached her professor to ask if there were any opportunities available for student researchers.  

The result? A summer internship at the UMass Gloucester Marine Station, where Kirby assisted with a study on black sea bass and warming temperatures in the Gulf of Maine.

“It was such a well-rounded internship. I got field work experience; I got respirometry experience; and I got a hands-on experience of the entire research process,” she says. “I feel so lucky that I had the guts to ask for an opportunity.”

The internship was a perfect complement to her conservation genetics major, which offers a foundation in both the theories of wildlife conservation and genetics. The curriculum will provide Kirby with a deepened understanding of current wildlife issues; the skills to identify problems and solutions and collect field data; and knowledge about using population genomics to investigate the entirety of a species.

“Finding BDIC made me feel like I had control over what I wanted to study,” Kirby explains. “It added so much depth to my college experience and let me study what I was really passionate about.”

That’s part of what drew Milo Manugian ’26 to UMass Amherst. A transfer student, Manugian studied mycology at another college and knew he wanted to continue down that academic path.  

“I came to UMass almost entirely because of the BDIC program, so I could continue studying what I already knew I was enjoying,” he says.

Manugian created a major in mycology with a focus on bioremediation, which will allow him to study how mushrooms and fungi can be used to break down environmental pollutants. It pulls from classes in the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, the School of Earth & Sustainability, the College of Natural Sciences, and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Manugian credits the weekly BDIC Proposal Writing class, which each student takes to build their curriculum, with helping him clarify his goals.  

“To have that time every week meeting with other BDIC majors reminded me this is what I’m passionate about and actively working toward,” he explains. “That, and meeting with BDIC peer advisors, has helped me feel more secure in how I’m going to finish out my education.”

One such peer advisor is Keaton Miller ’26, who created her own communication design major using classes in marketing, communication, art, and graphic design.

“BDIC has had a really strong impact on me, especially as a peer advisor. I love helping other students build their curriculums and reading through their proposals,” Miller says. “I’ve really enjoyed becoming a big part of the program and leaving my mark where I can.”

Miller has supported fellow students; helped promote the program using her marketing skills; and even worked with BDIC Director Jacqueline Castledine to create a class for design students.

Her hands-on experiences have even helped her secure a coveted marketing internship with one of the world's largest sparkling mineral water brands, Topo Chico.

“I always love to try to be different and stand out from the crowd and BDIC has helped with that,” she says. “I came to UMass because I knew I wanted to build my own major... I’m forever grateful for BDIC, the people I’ve met, and all the opportunities I've been given through this program.”

Help UMass Amherst students turn their passions into a profession. Make your gift to the Bachelor’s Degree with Independent Concentration program today!