IDMEN-BS - Individually Designed Major in Engineering (BS)

The Individually Designed Major in Engineering (IDMEN) provides another option for undergraduate students interested in a specific study area not covered by one of the numerous engineering programs offered as departmental majors or Engineering subplan majors. Each IDMEN curriculum is designed by the student in consultation with at least two faculty advisors. The primary academic advisor must be in the School of Engineering and a member of the Stanford Academic Council.

The IDMEN committee reviews proposals three times a year (autumn, winter, and spring).

The latest a student may propose a major program is winter quarter of their junior year: Four quarters and at least 58 units of undergraduate work must remain after the quarter a proposal is approved. More details, proposal deadlines, and the pros and cons of this major can be found on the IDMEN Major page of the UG Engineering Handbook website.

In engineering, you need to strike a balance between taking advantage of Stanford’s freedom to explore and ensuring you are getting a reasonable start on an engineering curriculum. Technical courses tend to be cumulative; more advanced courses draw heavily on the material presented in the introductory courses that precede them. For first-year students thinking about getting started in engineering or other STEM majors, the School of Engineering has a simple online tool called the Roadmap which suggests which courses might be appropriate to take in the first year. In addition, the one-unit autumn course, course Want to Be an Engineer, offers broad exposure to STEM majors within and outside the School of Engineering. Faculty present an overview of their program and where the study of that topic might take you. Other courses that might be of interest are the IntroSems and Engineering Fundamentals.