But, she says, the wide-ranging concentration requirements mean that students are spread thing and have little chance to delve deeply into any one subject.

Rest says one improvement he would like to see in the future is the creation of more classes which are designed specifically for the ESPP discipline to unite its many parts.

"They definitely need more classes like my junior tutorial," Rest says. "It doesn't have to be a tutorial, but it should be a small class where you can put everything together and synthesize things."

Kanter also says concentration advising has been hurt by the fact that the concentration draws its faculty from other departments.

"One thing I felt was discouraging was that the ESPP concentration didn't help enough with thesis preparation," Kanter said. "There's nothing unified for the department in terms of advising, particularly for the thesis. They could learn from the Social Studies Department who puts together a seminar on how to prepare for a thesis. I don't entirely blame the ESPP committee though because they are borrowing faculty from other departments."

McCarthy acknowledged the problems that arise for interdisciplinary degree programs with no faculty of their own--like History and Literature, Religion, and Afro-American Studies--but says drawing together faculty from many different departments also benefits students.

"Unlike a department, our Board of Tutors is scattered all about the campus and beyond," McCarthy says. "Students have to spend more time and cover more miles to consult with their advisers. On the other hand, there is no other concentration where an undergraduate student is assured access to such a broad cross section of faculty in many schools beyond the FAS."

Future changes, McCarthy says, include a partially revamped curriculum that will response to the review and student concerns.