Some students find that their interests are better accommodated by pursuing a joint concentration that combines two fields. The two fields combined in a joint concentration must each be an undergraduate concentration offered in its own right. A joint venture is meant to be a joint venture by those two concentrations in which the student pursues a program that integrates the two fields into a coherent plan of study. Joint concentrations ordinarily culminate in an interdisciplinary thesis written while enrolled in the thesis tutorial of one concentration only.
For students who do not wish to integrate the work of two separate fields into one coherent program, a secondary field option may be more appropriate.
Students who wish to combine two fields in a joint concentration must file with the Registrar a Plan of Study that designates the two fields and has been approved by both concentrations. One of the concentrations is designated the primary concentration. To grant approval, both the participating concentrations must be satisfied with the coherence and merit of the student's plan and be prepared to supervise the program in detail. Nevertheless, students who undertake joint concentrations often find that they themselves must take some initiative in ensuring communication between the advisers of the two fields and in keeping these advisers apprised of their progress and their needs. Any student combining fields who wishes to change or eliminate one of the fields must file a Change of Field of Concentration form with the Registrar by the degree application deadline in a student's final term at the College.