University Undergraduate StudiesInterdisciplinary optionsInterdisciplinary options within the university undergraduate studies major provide an opportunity for students to organize their interests within a broad area of study rather than within the narrower focus required by a major in a single discipline. Students who want to create their own fields of emphasis and students who are eager to pursue multidisciplinary solutions to complex problems often choose an interdisciplinary major. Other students choose interdisciplinary study as a second major, adding it to a departmental major in order to gain expertise in complementary areas.
Open option: Advising for undeclared students
The university undergraduate studies major offers the open option and four interdisciplinary options:
Degree option Degree(s) Credit hours
The requirements for each of the interdiscipliary options are sufficiently flexible to allow students, in consultation with their advisors, to devise degree programs designed to meet their particular needs, interests, and career goals.
Humanities
A student seeking admission to the program must submit a plan of study to an interdisciplinary humanities advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences dean's office for approval. This proposal must include a rationale or thematic design for the interdisciplinary degree and a tentative listing of courses. The student must confer with other humanities faculty members who have special expertise in the areas of the student's interest. This procedure should be accomplished before or during the semester in which the student completes 60 credit hours toward the degree. The student's proposal must be approved by the Humanities Advisory Committee.
The humanities major consists of 36 credit hours.
Fifteen credits must be completed in each of two humanities disciplines; these should be selected from among courses normally counted toward a major in the field. However, courses applied toward another major may not also be applied toward the humanities interdisciplinary major.
At least 15 credit hours must be completed in humanities disciplines at the 500-699 level, including at least two courses in each of the two humanities concentration areas. (Students interested in music are encouraged to seek special advising in the music department.)
No more than 9 credit hours may be counted toward both the general requirements and the major.
A student with a well-defined theme that exceeds the scope of these requirements may petition the Humanities Advisory Committee for an appropriate waiver.
A 2.0 GPA in the major is required for graduation.
Life sciences
The life science degree is not available to students who will earn a degree in biochemistry, biology, microbiology, pre-dentistry, and pre-medicine.
Physical science
Students majoring in physical science must earn grades of C or better in all courses (including transfer work) prescribed for this curriculum, including electives, as outlined below.
DAS 499. Physical Sciences Senior Report. (1) I, II. Individual exploration of an area of physical sciences culminating in a final formal written report. Capstone course required of physical sciences interdisciplinary major. Pr.: Permission of physical sciences advisor.
Social science
A student seeking admission to the program must submit a plan of study to an interdisciplinary social science advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences for approval. This proposal must include a rationale or thematic design for the interdisciplinary degree and a tentative listing of courses. The theme or rationale should run through a minimum of 12 hours of courses in the major. One course outside the stipulated social science disciplines may be used to count toward the major if the course fits the student's theme. No more than one course may be used unless more seem to be necessary to fulfill a student's theme.
The student's social sciences advisor may encourage him or her to confer with other social science faculty members who have special expertise in the area of the student's interest. This procedure should be accomplished before or during the semester in which the student completes 60 hours of university credit.
A total of 36 credit hours must be completed with at least 3 credits being completed in each of four different social science disciplines.
At least 9 credit hours must be completed in one social science discipline, including at least one course at the 500-699 level.
At least 15 credit hours must be completed in social science disciplines at the 500- 699 level.
No more than 9 credit hours may be counted toward both the general requirements and the major.
A 2.0 GPA in the major is required for graduation.
The social science major is not available to students who will earn a degree in anthropology, economics, geography, history, mass communications, political science, psychology, or sociology.
Students must complete at least one course in social science research methods or data analysis. This course may be any statistics course that a student is qualified to take or may be selected from: GEOG 700 Quantitative Analysis in Geography; HIST 586 Junior Seminar in History; POLSC 400 Political Inquiry and Analysis; POLSC 700 Research Methods in Political Science; PSYCH 350 Experimental Methods in Psychology; SOCIO 520 Methods of Social Research; STAT 330 Elementary Statistics for the Social Sciences.
The research/data course cannot be used to fulfill any other requirement in the major. It can, however, be used to fulfill a general requirement.
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