At the time that the peace studies major applies for official acceptance into the department, ordinarily at the beginning of the second semester of his/her sophomore year, the student will prepare a focus statement, which will contain two basic elements:

1. What has drawn the student towards a peace studies major;
2. The particular area of interest which the student would like to choose as the organizing theme of her/his course work in peace studies.

As is obvious, a successful major in peace studies must have a tightly focused concentration in order to insure her/his preparation for graduate school or the work world. The major in peace studies requires a great deal of contact between the peace studies student and the peace studies advisor in order to insure a focused program of studies.