Current Students

Pathways to Liberal Education

Which Miami Plan do I follow?
Students admitted to Miami University prior to the Fall 2010 may continue to follow the Miami Plan for Liberal Education or may opt to change to the Global Miami Plan. Students admitted to Miami University Fall 2010 and after must follow the Global Miami Plan. Students may also apply to the Honors Program to follow the Honors Framework for Liberal Education.

How do I modify Miami Plan requirements?
In some cases, students may take a course or courses that incorporate the Miami Plan principles but have not been approved as Miami Plan Foundation, Thematic Sequence, or Senior Capstone courses. These may be courses transferred from another institution, study abroad experiences, or courses taken at Miami that have not received Miami Plan Foundation, Thematic Sequence, or Senior Capstone designation.

Students may submit a petition to the Office of Liberal Education in 313 Laws Hall in order to receive Miami Plan Foundation, Thematic Sequence, or Senior Capstone credit for such courses. Petitions are reviewed by the University Director of Liberal Education. Please refer to the Petition to Modify the Miami Plan to view and print the petition cover sheet and instructions. All components of the petition must be turned in before it will be reviewed. Miami Plan Foundation category descriptions and review of the Miami Plan Principles may also be helpful in determining whether or not the course(s) you are petitioning fit the spirit of the Miami Plan.

NOTE: Beginning March 1, 2012 the Office of Liberal Education will no longer send letters for approved petitions. Letters will continue to be sent for denied petitions, self-designed Thematic Sequences, and self-designed Senior Capstones. Please refer to the guidelines in the Petition to Modify the Miami Plan document for more information.

Petition to Modify the Miami Plan.pdf
Petition to Modify the Miami Plan.docx

How do I design my own Thematic Sequence or Senior Capstone?
The purpose of the self-designed Thematic Sequence or Senior Capstone is to provide students with the opportunity to design a specialized Thematic Sequence or Senior Capstone beyond those that are currently offered. Providing this opportunity, the university invites students to create a course of study reflective of requirements and goals represented by the Global Miami Plan and relevant to students' specific academic, professional, social, and political concerns.

Students may submit  self-designed Thematic Sequence and self-designed Senior Capstone proposals to the Office of Liberal Education in 313 Laws Hall. Proposals are reviewed by the University Director of Liberal Education. Please refer to the Self-Designed Thematic Sequence proposal form or the Self-Designed Senior Capstone proposal form to view and print the proposal cover sheet and instructions. All components of the proposal must be turned in before it will be reviewed. 

Self-Designed Thematic Sequence Proposal.pdf
Self-Designed Thematic Sequence Proposal.doc 

Self-Designed Senior Capstone.pdf
Self Designed Senior Capstone.docx

Global Miami Plan Foundation III for International Students
International (non-immigrant visa-carrying) students may complete the Global Miami Plan’s Foundation III through 6 hours of Global Miami Plan course work. This exception acknowledges that international students at Miami are, at the very least, matching intercultural and transnational experiences of U.S. students who meet Foundation III through study abroad.  In addition, this exception is designed to allow international students some flexibility in the choice of courses while still ensuring that these courses include liberal education experiences.

Specifically, this exception allows international students to satisfy Foundation III by counting any 6-credits from any course taken at Miami University in the Global Miami Plan that is not being applied to any of the other liberal education requirements. The courses selected to meet Foundation III, in other words, can be approved Foundation courses, courses from a Thematic Sequence, or a Capstone, so long as those courses are not being used to complete other Foundation, Thematic Sequence, or Capstone requirements.  Courses used to meet this requirement must be Miami University courses approved as liberal education courses.  For a full list of approved Global Miami Plan courses, see Global Miami Plan requirements.

Submit the designation form after you have declared your Thematic Sequence (or after you have declared a minor outside your department of major or a second major in another department, if you are planning to complete the Thematic Sequence in these ways).  Also, we advise you submit this form after the courses you list have begun and appear on your DAR as completed or in progress.  Following this process helps us assure that there is no overlap between requirements and helps to reduce need to make substitutions at a later date. 

International Student Foundation III Designation Form.pdf
International Student Foundation III Designation Form.docx