Departments & Programs
Interdisciplinary Studies
Admissions
All students admitted to the Interdisciplinary Studies Program must have a minimum GPA of 2.50 and meet existing admission requirements of the School of Science. A student may apply for admission to the Interdisciplinary Studies Program by enrolling in a 1-credit hour tutorial (SCI-I200) and preparing an in-depth proposal for an interdisciplinary studies major under the guidance of a faculty mentor who will function as the main program advisor for the student. The student is accepted for admission to the Interdisciplinary Studies Program when the faculty mentor and the Educational Policies Committee of the School of Science approve the student’s proposal.
Before admission to the Interdisciplinary Studies Program, students must have completed a minimum of 15 credit hours of course work, but no more than 60 credit hours. The course work must include ENG-W131, a science course with lab, and an appropriate mathematics course. All science and mathematics courses on record must have minimum grades of C. Courses included in a specific interdisciplinary studies major may have prerequisites specified by the departments that offer them.
Curriculum
The curriculum for each interdisciplinary studies student will vary so as to meet the particular academic objective of the student. The interdisciplinary studies major areas of study will consist of a coherent set of courses that define a clearly recognizable focus of study for which faculty can provide oversight and ensure intellectual integrity and rigor. A faculty committee will approve all interdisciplinary study major areas, and each student in the program will work closely with a faculty mentor.
The interdisciplinary major will comprise 40 credit hours of regular courses from at least two disciplines, a 1-hour tutorial, and culminate with a 3- to 6-hour senior capstone project or internship. The tutorial will include the development of an in-depth proposal for the major and the regular submission of a journal on the progress in the major.
- A minimum of 124 credit hours distributed as follows
- General education (47 credits)
- Interdisciplinary major with courses from at least two disciplines (40 credits)
- Electives (37 credits)
- The 40 credit hours within the interdisciplinary major has the following framework:
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- SCI-I200 Tutorial in Interdisciplinary Studies (1 credit) includes the development of an in-depth proposal for the major and the submission of a journal on progress in the major
- SCI-I494 (3-6 credits) Internship in Science-Based Fields or SCI-I495 (3-6 credits) Readings and Research in Science to address the senior capstone experience
- 36 credit hours of courses from at least two disciplines defining the major area