Villages FAQs

More About Villages

Want to know more about the Villages Initiative? Here are some answers to a number of questions you may have. You can also explore the student-facing Villages website at deanza.edu/villages.

What are the meta-majors? How were they determined?

The six meta-majors are Artistic Expression, Business and Finance, Health and Life Sciences, Language and Communication, Physical Sciences and Technology, and Social Sciences and Humanities. (You'll find a complete list of majors within these meta-majors on the student-facing Villages website.) These were developed as part of the Guided Pathways project with extensive collegewide input, and reviewed and approved through the shared governance process, with each department and program able to choose which meta-major to join.
How will students choose a meta-major? What about undeclared students? Can students change their minds?

Students who have declared a major – most De Anza students – will be assigned to the meta-major that contains that constituent major. Students who are undeclared will choose a meta-major based on their general academic interests. Of course, students may change their meta-major (just as they can change their major).
Why Villages? What is the goal of the Villages? What will Villages provide?

At De Anza, we've had great success with student retention and achievement through cohort programs and learning communities. Villages, then, are “scaled-up” learning communities organized around each meta-major. The goal of the Villages is to provide academic support, student services, and social interaction with a community of classified professionals, faculty, and students who share an academic interest. The goal of the Villages is to create a sense of community for students in each village through shared activities and events. In addition to these activities, Villages integrate student clubs and organizations, as well as Village-specific physical spaces on campus. As the initiative progresses in future years, student services and career resources will be integrated into each Village.
Who belongs to each Village?

Each Village is composed of the students who have chosen that meta-major (or declared a major within it), the faculty members and classified professionals in the departments that comprise that meta-major, as well as additional classified professionals from other campus offices or programs who are interested in working with students in that particular Village.
What will Villages be doing? Who is determining the programming?

Each Village organizes multiple activities each quarter. Some of these activities will be Village-specific, whereas some will be campus-wide (and connected with the other Villages). The activities will be planned by the Village Team, in consultation with the Guided Pathways Core Team and other administrative offices.
What is the Welcome Day schedule?
What is the goal of Welcome Day for the Villages?

The goal for Villages on Welcome Day is to introduce each student to their Village and to make them feel like they are part of a community in that Village. Key words are Introduction, Welcome, and Community Building.
What types of activities are the Villages programming for Welcome Day?
If students are in Villages for Welcome Day, how will they learn about other programs or services?

Other college programs and services will be holding activities and information sessions on Welcome Day. These activities will be promoted by the Office of Communications and will be linked on the Welcome Day webpage.
How will students learn about Welcome Day and the Villages?
What are the majors within each Village?