Departments & Programs
Interdisciplinary Studies
Bachelor of Science Degree Requirements
For details on school specific policies, see the School of Science requirements under ‘‘Undergraduate Programs” in this bulletin. Please note that at least 32 credit hours of course work must be at the 300 level or higher.
First-Year Experience Course Beginning freshmen and transfer students with fewer than 18 credit hours are required to take SCI I120 Windows on Science (1 cr.), or an equivalent first-year experience course.
Area I English Composition and Communication Skills (9 cr.)
English Composition (6 cr.)- ENG-W131 Elementary Composition I
- Second Composition Course that has ENG-W131 as a prerequisite
- COMM-R110 Fundamentals of Speech Communication
Area II Foreign Language
No foreign language proficiency is required for the Bachelor of Science degree. However, if knowledge of a foreign language is pertinent to the interdisciplinary major, a student may choose to pursue one.
Area IIIA Humanities, Social Sciences, and Comparative World Cultures (12 cr.)
The information about the IIIA requirements in the School of Science part of this bulletin lists courses that may be used to satisfy the requirements below. Students should consult the program advisor before registering for these courses.
- HIST-H114 Western Civilization II
- List H course: Choose one course (3 cr.) from this list. The list of course choices is located under the School of Science requirements “Undergraduate Programs” in this bulletin.
- List S course: Choose one course (3 cr.) from this list. The list of course choices is located under the School of Science requirements “Undergraduate Programs” in this bulletin.
- List C course: Choose one course (3 cr.) from this list. The list of course choices is located under the School of Science requirements “Undergraduate Programs” in this bulletin.
Area IIIB Junior/Senior Integrator (3 cr.)
No junior/senior integrator course is required.
Area IIIC Physical and Biological Sciences
See the School of Science requirements under “Undergraduate Programs” in this bulletin. Four courses outside the major from the physical/biological sciences, one of which must include a corresponding laboratory. Laboratory courses without a lecture component may be taken for credit, but do not count toward the four-course requirement. No grade below C- will be accepted in any of these courses. Consult the program advisor concerning the acceptability of courses.
Area IIID Mathematical Sciences (9 cr.)
- Two courses beyond algebra and trigonometry. (6 cr.)
- One course in computer science. (3 cr.)
No grade below C- will be accepted in any of these courses.
Note: Computer Science CSCI-N100 level courses and CIT 10600 do not count for credit toward any degree in the School of Science. Also, CSCI-N241 and CSCI-N299 do not count in Area IIID but may count as a general elective.
Area IV Interdisciplinary Major Concentration (40 cr.)
Minimum requirements include 40 credit hours of core interdisciplinary major courses.
All courses applicable to the major must have a minimum grade of C.
Other Requirements
- SCI-I200 Tutorial in Interdisciplinary Studies (1 cr.) is a tutorial under the supervision of a faculty mentor to guide a student in the development of a proposal to pursue a specially focused, science-based, interdisciplinary major. The student-generated proposal must include justification for selecting the interdisciplinary major, a comprehensive plan of study that lists courses comprising the major and a timetable for completing the plan, rationale for coherence of the plan, and a description of future prospects in terms of graduate/professional study and/or career opportunities. The student will be required to consult faculty in the fields that encompass the interdisciplinary major. The proposal must be submitted for approval to the School of Science Educational Policies Committee, which has faculty representation from all departments in the school. Upon approval, the student will begin the program and maintain a journal detailing progress on the plan of study. The plan may be modified only in consultation with the faculty mentor and with approval of the Educational Policies Committee. The faculty mentor will determine the grade for the tutorial.
- Interdisciplinary Major (36 credits)
- The Senior Capstone Experience will be accomplished through either SCI-I494 Internship in Science-Based Fields (3-6 cr.) or SCI-I495 Readings and Research in Science (3-6 cr.). For a student choosing the internship experience, there must be a direct match to the interdisciplinary major in an industrial, business, government, or other suitable setting. The student’s faculty mentor must approve the internship. A comprehensive written report of the internship experience is required. Alternatively, a student may be engaged in a research project under faculty oversight that links directly to the student’s interdisciplinary major. The faculty mentor must approve the research project. The student is required to submit a detailed research report at the conclusion of the project.