Interdisciplinary Studies, BA

36 credit hours

A degree in Interdisciplinary Studies prepares you for multiple career opportunities. As a student in this program, you will expand your knowledge of human cultures as well as the physical and natural world, enhance your ability to communicate effectively in written, spoken, and digital forms, and develop essential habits of mind for solving problems strategically and collaboratively by crossing disciplinary boundaries. All this involves skills in teamwork, project management, computer and multimedia competency, and effective time management. Many government, business, and non-profit organizations, as well as other employers, are looking for graduates with these cross-disciplinary skills. A Bachelor of Arts in interdisciplinary studies may be earned traditionally or online.

In addition to the general education (GE) courses required of all undergraduate students (42 credit hours), the degree in Interdisciplinary Studies also requires a minimum grade of C in the following concentrations and courses:

Requirements

Major Coursework

27 credit hours of coursework from Concentration I, II, and III

Concentration I: Nine credit hours from any subject prefix (same course prefix); concentrations cannot be duplicated; at least one course must be at 30000-40000-level; courses may not be used to satisfy GE requirement.

Concentration II: Nine credit hours from any subject prefix (same course prefix); concentrations cannot be duplicated; at least one course must be at 30000-40000-level; courses may not be used to satisfy GE requirement.

Concentration III: Nine credit hours from any subject prefix (same course prefix); concentrations cannot be duplicated; at least one course must be at 30000-40000-level; courses may not be used to satisfy GE requirement.

Examples of possible concentration combinations include:

Community Engagement: completing concentrations in Political Science (PS), and English (ENGL) or Philosophy & Religion (PHRL).

Cultural Studies: completing concentrations in three of the following- English (ENGL), Philosophy & Religion (PHRL), Sociology (SOC), or Spanish (SPA).

Global Leadership: completing concentrations in Management (MGMT), International Business (INTL) or Political Science (PS), and English (ENGL).

Interpersonal Communication: completing concentrations in English (ENGL), Communications (COM), and Psychology (PSY).

Political Media: completing concentrations in English (ENGL), Political Science (PS), and Digital Content Strategies (DCS).

Urban Studies: completing concentrations in Geography (GEO), Criminology and Criminal Justice (CCJ), and Public Health (PHS).

It is recommended that at least one concentration be from one of the following programs in the College of Arts & Humanities: English (ENGL), Geography (GEO), History (HIST), Philosophy & Religion (PHRL), Political Science (PS), and Spanish (SPA).

Practical Application Coursework

3 credit hours of coursework from the following options:

IS 40100 - Interdisciplinary Research 3 Credit Hour(s)

Elective Coursework

6 credit hours of IS (Interdisciplinary Studies) 30000-40000-level coursework.

At their advisor’s discretion, students may take a fourth course at the 30000-level or above in one of their concentrations and thereby satisfy three of these six required IS credit hours.

No duplication of coursework is permitted within the program.