What is an IC?

An Independent Concentration (IC) is a concentration of a student's own design that covers an area of study not currently offered through a standard concentration at Brown but which can be supported by existing course offerings. An IC requires students to think carefully about the trajectory of their education, considering both how their courses will build on each other over time and the scholarly methods they will use to approach their work.

Take a look at our IC Database of past proposals to see what has been done before. You can request to view past proposals by emailing independentconcentrations@brown.edu with the title of the IC, the name of the ICer, and the year.

ICs can be either A.B. or Sc.B. degrees. There are different course requirements between these two programs, with ~13 courses for A.B. and ~20 courses for Sc.B. (Please see this page for more info about the difference between A.B. and Sc.B. ICs.)

You are allowed to use as many independent study courses (GISPs, ISPs, DISPs, AIs, research) for your IC as makes sense for concentration credit, pending approval from your advisor(s). You can also double-concentrate with an IC and a standard concentration, just as with two standard concentrations, including through the 5 year combined A.B./Sc.B. program if applicable.

Check out a recording of an IC information session, watch our IC panel during Spring 2020 Virtual ADOCH, and come visit a coordinator during Open Hours at the CRC!

The IC database

You can request to view full proposals by emailing independentconcentrations@brown.edu. Please include the following in your email:

Title of the IC
Name of the ICer

Remember, there is no "right" IC. When reading past proposals, take note of the faculty sponsor, the classes included, and how the proposal defines the IC’s field and learning goals. It is also helpful to focus on the course organization, which is often the most challenging part of writing an IC.

Keep in mind that even if you want to declare an IC that has already been approved, you must write your own original proposal. The IC application and approval process has also evolved; more recent proposals will give you a better sense of what the committee expects. Twenty years of paper copies of ICs are also available at the CRC.

Why do an IC?

ICs are a wonderful way to take full advantage of the open curriculum, think deeply about your learning goals, and explore classes that interest you within a field you are passionate about. Developing an idea, writing and revising the proposal, and actively crafting your education all translate into skills that are applicable to life after Brown.

Good reasons to pursue an IC:

Your idea is interdisciplinary, rather than just a subset of an existing field.
Brown doesn’t currently offer what you want to do, but it has the capacity to fill the scope and depth of your interests through existing courses and faculty.
You want to spark a conversation between fields rather than just study the fields as they are (for example, majoring in philosophy and biology won’t give you the same experience as a bioethics concentration). Instead of doing two distinct fields you have interests in, the IC should combine both interests into one coherent field of study.

Rethink your IC idea if...