Members of the IMP Faculty Committee enjoy the satisfaction that comes from helping students adapt their educations to their particular interests and goals. Another benefit of IMP service for many faculty is the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with faculty across the spectrum of IU departments and schools. The faculty committee serves the vital function of ensuring the academic integrity of the majors approved and certified by the IMP.

Members of the committee are asked to be available for admission interviews and final project reviews, generally during the last few weeks of each regular semester. (Mid-program assessments, shorter meetings attended only by the designated chair of each student's admission committee, may be held throughout the semester.) Recommendations made by IMP faculty members during the admission interview — for possible courses, faculty contacts, reading materials, and internships — play a central role in shaping IMP majors. Each major proposal is evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Distinctiveness: The committee must be satisfied that the purpose of the major the student proposes cannot be fulfilled in a single school or department.
• Coherence: The major must make good academic sense; in the case of majors of a vocational nature, the committee might ask whether the courses and experiences included are appropriate for the student’s career goals. Majors are often judged according to the standards of breadth and depth that are applied to conventional majors.
• Student qualifications: The committee must be satisfied that the student is likely to succeed in his or her major and that the fit between them is a good one.

Please contact the IMP office for more information about how to become involved with the IMP Faculty Committee.