The following items are required in order to submit a complete IDS Application. You can find all of these on the Current Students Web site. 

• Contract: A (formatted) list of the specific courses you’ll be taking. 
• Planning Guide: A plan for how to will complete the courses you have left to finish your degree. 
• Essay: An explanation of your custom major. 

• Program Statements from former IDS Intro students. (Right/Left arrows will move you through this section of the book!)

On the way to creating your final IDS Application, we’ll be completing individual assignments that help to break the entire process down: 

1. Explore a Major: Using the PSU catalog, choose one major related to the program you hope to design in IDS and research its design.
2. Brainstorm YOUR Major: Use brainstorming and research skills to develop a focus and scope for your major.
3. Introduce Your Major: Based on your thinking right now about the major you want to build, write an introduction to your major.
4. Solicit Expert Feedback: Attend an expert advice workshop in the CoLab to connect with faculty members related to your developing major. Get advice from them about courses you should take, pre-requisites you might need, and how your major might be perceived once you graduate.
5. Develop Your Contract: Using the IDS Contract Template, edit your list of courses you developed in Assignment 2.
6. Explain Your Courses: Write a 2-3 sentence explanation for each course in your major describing how it is related to your custom major.
7. Develop Your Planning Guide:  Fill out the IDS planning guide to make sure you can complete your major in the time you have left at PSU.
8. Write Your Essay:  Put together the writing you have done so far to build your essay: Introduction, Course Explanations, Expert Advice Summary. Add a conclusion. 
9. Complete Final Application Review: When you feel like you’re at a finishing point with all your application components (contract, planning guide, and essay), drop IDS to get them reviewed.