I am a Film Studies major, a contract major at Bethany College. According to the Bethany College Academic Catalog, contract majors are described:
When enrolled students have definite goals that can best be attained by a combination of work on and off campus which cannot be covered by independent study within a regular major, they may draw up a contract in which they and the College agree that this program will constitute their major at Bethany.Students interested in pursuing a contract major should explore thoroughly the possibilities offered by the regular majors and other programs such as Experience-Based Education before applying for a contract major. For that reason, a student would normally not file an application for a contract major until after one and one-half years of course work have been completed. Once a contract major has been approved, any changes in the contract must be agreed upon by each person who signed the contract (the student, the contract major advisor, the department chair for the major field, and the Provost and Dean of the College). In order to allow enough time to complete a contract major, the application should be filed before the student has completed two and one-half years of course work.Application forms for the contract major are available in the Enrollment Services Office. For more information, the student should consult with his or her academic advisor, the coordinators for the majors in which the student is interested, the Director of Career Services, or the Provost and Dean of the College.