FAQs for Faculty

(Updated September 5, 2007)

Please see the FAQs for students for general information about secondary fields.

1. What are the guidelines for proposing a secondary field?
   • Proposals should be sent electronically to Stephanie Kenen (kenen@fas.harvard.edu).
   • All proposals should include the following (contact the Office of Academic Programs at oap@fas.harvard.edu for complete details):
     • A cover letter from the department or program chair describing the secondary field and the rationale for its structure. This letter should also include a statement about the use of faculty, advising, and administrative resources. Secondary fields must be undertaken using existing resources. The cover letter should also describe the process by which the proposal was developed, including subcommittees and dates of faculty meeting discussions and votes.
     • A short paragraph with a description of the secondary field program and its structure. This paragraph should be aimed at undergraduates who might be interested in the program.
     • A list of course requirements, including the number of courses, and of what type. Please list any courses or set of courses that are required of all students.
     • Other relevant information. Please note in the proposal whether courses from study abroad (which count for Harvard College credit), Harvard Summer School, or other Harvard schools would count for the secondary field; whether there is a grade minimum for courses to count for the secondary field, etc. This section should also include a statement about whether or not students pursuing a secondary field will receive preferential access to limited-enrollment courses.
     • Advising resources and expectations. Please provide information as to when and how a student should contact the program for advising information and identify who will serve as the main secondary field adviser and a contact person for additional information if different from the adviser.
2. Is there a schedule and deadline for accepting proposals for secondary fields?
   • The Educational Policy Committee will accept proposals for review and approval on a rolling basis during the spring term.
3. Whom do I contact if my department or committee wants to offer a secondary field?
   • Please contact Stephanie Kenen, Assistant Dean of Harvard College (kenen@fas.harvard.edu; 617-496-0221) for more information.
4. What responsibility does a secondary field program have for approving or reviewing student records?
   • Students will track their own requirements using an on-line tool. If they have officially notified the program or filed for a secondary field using the secondary field on-line web tool, the secondary field adviser will have access to the student record through the new Advising Network Portal (ANP). The ANP will also include a secondary field report listing all the courses that the student intends to count for the secondary field.

     Once students have finished their requirements, they submit the information to the Office of the Registrar electronically, and are required to print a form listing the courses they have taken. This form must be reviewed, approved, and signed by the secondary field adviser before being submitted to the Registrar. This signature is the official validation that the student has successfully completed the requirements as set out by the secondary field and as published on this website and in the Handbook for Students, including any restrictions on acceptable minimum grades, cross-registration, study abroad, etc. While occasional exceptions and substitutions are always allowed, it is the responsibility of the secondary field program to certify that the student has indeed completed the requirements. Secondary field advisers should keep a copy of this signed form for their own records.

5. What responsibility does a concentration have for allowing their own students to fulfill a secondary field in another area?
   • Concentrations are not required to accommodate students' requests to change what they count for concentration credit in order for the students to fulfill secondary field requirements. However, the policies and procedures in this regard should be made explicit to students. More courses than necessary are frequently marked as “conc” on the student record, indicating that they count for concentration and may not double-count for a secondary field (students may only double-count one course). The Registrar flags most of the concentration courses automatically, but concentrations are expected to update and correct the information on a yearly basis. Any additional changes must be made in writing to the Registrar.
6. How do secondary field advisers approve courses taken for Study Abroad for secondary field credit?
   • The Office of International Programs has established procedures for students who want to count courses from Study Abroad for concentration or secondary field credit. This requires the provisional approval from the adviser before the courses are undertaken, and a confirmation from the adviser after the course is complete. For more information, see http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~oip/students/credit_in_a_nutshell_st05.html .