The Best Integrative Studies Programs

Simpson College offers an Interdisciplinary Studies degree which includes courses from several majors, including biochemistry, forensic science, neuroscience, international relations, sustainability, Latin American studies and art history.

In addition to existing programs, students showing exceptional promise may be allowed to create their own independent interdisciplinary major (IIM), which outlines a degree program built to suit individual interests and aspirations. No matter which path students select, they participate in a variety of experiential learning opportunities, including cross-cultural learning initiatives and internships.

Toward the end of their time at SC, students participate in a capstone experience; many students conduct a summer or campus research project, culminating in an extensive written project and presentation.

All undergraduate students at Hampshire College undertake a learning program quite different from the traditional college experience. Rather than progressing through their studies in the traditional manner (i.e. freshman, sophomore, junior, senior), students complete three levels or divisions of study. The university believes students should have the opportunity to explore a variety of disciplines through a wide lens, allowing them to become independent thinkers and problem solvers.

Division I provides a liberal arts foundation and develops four skills that the following two divisions build upon. Division II is comprised of two years of study, with a focus on students exploring their chosen concentrations via class work, independent study, internships and field work. Students are also required to complete a community service component and show thoughtful engagement with multiple cultures and perspectives.

Division III allows students to focus on a major independent project, which can be focused on answering a question, exploring an idea or developing research on a specific topic. Students take their findings and incorporate them into the academic community at large by participating in upper level coursework, internships or positions as teaching assistants. The program is typically comprised of 128 credit hours.

Mount Union utilizes the Integrative Core for all undergraduate students, offered as 32 credits of coursework spread throughout all four years of learning. Paired with a major, these foundational classes provide an underpinning for students to understand multiple ideas from various perspectives. Learning outcomes for this program include the development of exceptional communication and critical thinking skills.

The eight required courses include a first year seminar; foundational courses in humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and arts; two theme courses; and a capstone course during the final year. The first year seminar sets the stage for the unique style of learning and focuses on a single topic as viewed through multiple disciplines.

The capstone project takes a real-world issue and groups students together in a semester-long project to solve the problem. Students also compile a written and oral communications portfolio, which allows them to present their accomplishments and receive constructive feedback on how to continue developing their skills.

The Interdisciplinary Studies major provides undergraduate students with a broad liberal arts education that combines courses from two or more discipline areas. Once enrolled in the program, students undertake 44 credits from areas of arts and fine arts, English and modern languages, social and behavioral sciences and philosophy and theology. The interdisciplinary studies major requires earning 45 credits.

Typically, students combine two or more areas of concentration, with each concentration requiring a minimum of 21 credits. A senior project adds three to five credits and usually involves a significant research project, creative arts portfolio or other project as developed by the student and their advisor. Electives total 38-39 credits, creating an overall program of 128 credits. During their studies, students take part in a variety of experiential and cross-cultural learning opportunities.

North Greenville University offers a bachelor of science in Interdisciplinary Studies, allowing students to combine studies from two separate discipline areas. These personalized degrees encourage students to explore complex issues and develop solutions to modern problems. Students can use the liberal amount of electives available to add a third discipline area to their degree plan.

To fill the general education requirement, students must earn 44-46 credits, and the Interdisciplinary major requires a total of 46; elective coursework comprises 36-38 credits. To graduate, students need a total of 126-130 credits.

The university offers a variety of pre-existing concentrations, including accounting, biology, business administration, computer science, economics, marketing, mathematics, psychology and sport management.

Radford's College of Humanities & Behavioral Sciences offers an Interdisciplinary Studies in Liberal Arts program for undergraduate students seeking to engage in a personalized, interdisciplinary course of study. The program allows students to combine two disciplines of study into a customized program, after presenting an evidence-based educational plan that details why their goals will be best achieved through creating a unique major.

Core curriculum courses are comprised of 43-45 credits, while the major itself adds another 49 credits. All IDSL majors are required to complete 13 credits of coursework specific to the program, including classes in written and oral communication, research methods, an immersion experience entailing independent study and a senior seminar. An additional 6-12 credits are required if students are pursuing a bachelor of arts or science degree. All students are also required to complete an integrated learning experience, which often takes the form of an internship.

At PSU, the Interdisciplinary Studies is offered as a BA or a BS and combines coursework from two or more disciplines. PSU does not have any pre-existing interdisciplinary degrees, meaning students can design a program that is unique to them. Examples of recent individualized degrees include expressive arts, dance management, international adventure tourism and women and political change.

A snapshot of the required coursework for the program shows the breadth and depth of work students undertake, ranging from food issues and applied ethics to personal mythology and the ice age. The program is well regarded among practitioners; it's one of fewer than 50 programs nationwide that is a supporting member of the Association for Interdisciplinary Studies.

In addition to this major, students can take advantage of numerous IS minors, including peace and justice studies, neuroscience or Latin American studies.

At Winthrop, undergraduate students enrolled in the bachelor of arts in Individualized Studies receive an immersive and holistic education that addresses their goals and interests. The program's mission is founded on the exploration of topics unable to be defined by a singular discipline. Students are encouraged to participate in experiential learning, such as internships, service learning and study abroad trips.

Throughout the course of the program, skills learned include advanced written and oral communication, the ability to synthesize knowledge, analytical and critical thinking and collaborative work. A strong awareness of cross cultural learning is also woven throughout courses. The degree requires at least 124 credit hours to qualify for graduation, 36 of which must be directly related to the student's major. Students also complete an individualized studies project and a senior capstone.

Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, offered through the College of Arts & Sciences at USF, is designed to provide a broad educational experience to students. Within this program, students select two social science concentrations to form their major, with the option to incorporate a third area as their minor. Recent concentrations available include anthropology, criminology, environmental science, gerontology, history, international studies, political science, psychology, religious studies, social work and sociology.

To complete the major, students are required to take a minimum of 39 credit hours. Dual concentrations need at least 12-13 credits in each concentration to be completed; the degree core classes add 15 more credits. Toward the end of their undergraduate educations, students take a senior capstone class and create an original, independent study project.

The degree allows for more electives than a traditional program, and students are encouraged to pursue a minor with these extra courses. Minors available to ISS students include anthropology, business, criminology, English literature, business and technical writing, history or leadership studies, among others.

The Liberal Studies department at GVSU allows students to create individualized curriculums of classes pulled from departments across the university. Students begin their time in the program by completing a core set of required classes. These classes lay the foundation for critical thinking and communication skills while providing cross-cultural viewpoints. Students then design their own major with the help of a faculty member; generally, these majors are developed with a specific interest, issue or theme in mind.

The degree is divided into 18 credits of core requirements and 18 credits from the area of focus. These are taken in conjunction with electives and five or more credits in application and synthesis. These can be thought of as capstone classes, providing supervised work experience and the ability to present research in a public setting. Popular forms of this exercise include an internship, case study, field placement or attendance at a conference.

The College of Liberal Studies at UO administers the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies program, offering students wide-ranging exposure to ideas, theories and frameworks to utilize throughout their lives. Students are familiarized with the humanities, natural sciences and social sciences, creating a classical liberal arts education.

All courses are delivered in an accelerated format; each course is eight weeks long. Additionally, it is one of the few programs that can be undertaken entirely online, in a hybrid format or as a traditional classroom-based degree. While the degree requires 126 credit hours for graduation, the fast-paced nature of the program means it can be completed in as few as 18 months. Of these required credit hours, at least 40 must be considered upper level coursework.

The curriculum offered at Evergreen State College is unlike most others. With the slogan "Beyond formal majors," students select an area of emphasis from more than 60 subjects, and they create their own plans of study totaling 180 credits. Without the requirement to take specific prerequisites, students are able to design personalized majors that fit their future goals. Faculty members and advisors lead students through the entire process, ensuring they graduate with a degree that will propel them forward.

Rather than offering courses in single disciplines, the classes at Evergreen are all interdisciplinary in nature, combining multiple subjects to present a holistic learning experience. The university also doesn't assign letter grades; instead they provide narrative evaluations to help students see what they've learned and how they've progressed.

In addition to their classroom-based courses, students participate in research projects, internships and focused courses allowing for independent study.

Daemen College recognizes that modern life often requires a multidisciplinary approach. This understanding led the college to create the Interdisciplinary Program, a 120 credit degree encompassing studies in cooperative education, environmental studies, forensic studies, individualized studies, international studies and military science.

Outside of classroom learning, students regularly take part in experiential and cross-cultural opportunities, such as fieldwork, study abroad trips, internships and independent study. A quick glance at the core curriculum shows the breadth of knowledge students will gain through a range of classes including, among others, Polish culture and alternative and renewable energy sources.

Students complete a senior project to showcase how their blended studies have culminated to answer a significant question, address a theme or explore an idea.

Coastal Carolina University offers a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies for students who seek an untraditional learning experience. The individualized nature of the program allows students to build a degree suited to their learning objectives and professional goals. Accepted students must demonstrate how their proposed program of study stands outside existing majors.

The degree is 120 credit hours comprised of foundational courses in technical and professional writing and an introduction to interdisciplinary studies, alongside a major concentration and six hours of research project credits. The major credit hours are earned in the core of their individualized concentration area. Recent student-created concentrations include talent management, photojournalism, nonprofit activism and organization and scientific illustration.

Students also take part in one or more internships during their time at CCU and can engage in other experiential learning opportunities like field placements and study abroad trips.

The Self-Designed specialization offered by FDU is a 30 credit hour program that allows students to explore a variety of topics or disciplines. Students enrolled in this program work with a faculty mentor to design a specialization that uses multidisciplinary and independent study components. While not a full major, students can use the specialization as a springboard to learn about contributing areas of thought that will be helpful to their future endeavors.

A recent example from the university explains that students who want to become specialized journalists should consider creating a specialization combining literature and creative writing with focused topics such as science or mathematics.

The Interdisciplinary Studies major at WSSU has two main functions: to provide a general degree completion for adult students, or to provide motivated traditional students with an outlet for creating their own degree. Nontraditional students often follow this path when they already have two years of general education coursework from prior education and seek to complete an undergraduate degree.

Meanwhile, traditional undergraduates who feel their area of interest is not covered in an existing degree program can tailor their own course of study. Regardless of their background, students take part in 30 hours of "depth study" courses in areas of integrative studies, sociology, psychology, history, art, music, math, biology, mass communications, chemistry or physical education.

The Hutchins School of Liberal Arts at SSU offers a Liberal Studies major that allows students to create an individualized plan for learning. Curriculum is presented through seminars, workshops, independent study projects, internships and study abroad trips. In addition to major-specific coursework, all students undertake classes in introduction to liberal studies; the practice of culture; and a variety of courses around directed study, core seminars and a senior synthesis. While in the synthesis course, students work alongside one another as they complete independent culminating projects.

Major specific requirements include 40 credit hours of study across disciplines such as artistic and creative endeavors, scholarship investigations, community projects and community action opportunities.

The Honors Program at Saint Leo is divided into a sequence of six interdisciplinary courses, which are taught during students' first three years of study. The final year culminates with a significant capstone project that demonstrates the knowledge students have gained and propels them into the view of potential employers or graduate schools.

The program is composed of 150 students who share a commitment to academic excellence and intellectual pursuits. Those within the program are recognized as gifted and highly engaged individuals, within the classroom, the campus and the surrounding community. Given the small size of the program, students work closely with each other, faculty and advisors.

In addition to university standards, the department has several criteria for eligibility that must be met before admission is granted.

At Ferris State University, the Bachelor of Integrative Studies (BIS) is an attractive option for students who seek an integrative, multidisciplinary learning experience. Many students in the program have multiple areas of interest, and this degree allows them to combine them into a cohesive curriculum.

Degree requirements include the completion of 120 credit hours; at least 40 credits must be at a 300 level or above. Before beginning their individualized program, students must first prove that they would not be better served by an existing bachelor's degree offered by the university.

While enrolled, students are strongly advised to complete an internship as a means of broadening their experience.

The Interdisciplinary Studies department at NSU is focused on building five core skills: critical thinking; strong language and communication skills; excellent research and writing abilities; an awareness of and sensitivity to social, cultural and global issues; and cognizance of major ideas influencing the world.

The general education curriculum must be completed before students can undertake the eight foundational interdisciplinary courses. Students select two concentration areas to develop an interdisciplinary major specific to their interests. There are also 23 credit hours of electives at their disposal to complete the 120 credits required for graduation.

The university is committed to making learning both interesting and flexible; all of the foundational INT courses are offered online and via traditional methods. Classes are also offered during the day and in the evening to suit students' needs.

SFSU offers a bachelor of arts in Liberal Studies for students who are looking for something other than a traditional degree program. In addition to general education core requirements and electives, the 120-credit degree is comprised of 46 credits of interdisciplinary coursework in liberal arts topics. This diversified education prepares students to be competitive in myriad fields and is especially popular for those who aspire to become teachers.

Students within the program must select an emphasis pattern to guide their studies, with a minimum of 12 hours of their major selected from this area. Emphasis patterns include communication, language and literature; life science, physical science and mathematics; behavioral and social sciences; creative arts and humanities; and integrated studies.

Recognized as a university-wide degree program, the Bachelor of Integrative Studies at Oakland University allows students to pull coursework from numerous disciplines to create a plan of study tailored to their individual needs. The cross-departmental nature of the degree gives students the opportunity to interact with their peers and the faculty of varied backgrounds.

The degree requires a minimum of 124 completed credit hours and is an attractive option for first-time undergraduates and students who have completed previous coursework at another institution. At least 32 credits must be at 300-level or above, and at least 32 credits must be completed at Oakland.

Students round out their time in the program by undertaking a major capstone and writing intensive course at the 400 level.

At Indiana State University, motivated students can enroll in the Multidisciplinary Studies major, a bachelor of arts or science program comprised of 120 semester hours. Admission to the major is granted unconditionally to all incoming freshmen.

Students must submit a concentration proposal by the end of their first semester after being admitted. This document outlines the individualized study plan they have created in concert with their advisor and must include a minimum of 42 credit hours. Of these required hours, no more than 24 may come from a single discipline, and no more than 24 can be selected outside the College of Arts & Sciences.

Courses specific to the degree include an introductory class on learning liberal arts and sciences, an individual study component and a required field study or internship.

The Bachelor of Liberal Arts at UAS is designed for students who seek something different from a traditional learning experience. The core curriculum blends humanities, math, natural sciences and social sciences to create a multidisciplinary learning experience. The degree is comprised of 120 credit hours, including 35 in general education, 60 in liberal arts credits and 25 reserved as electives or for a minor.

Students enrolled in this program select an emphasis which allows them to focus their studies around a particular area. They may choose to continue on an interdisciplinary path, follow a designated path or create a focus of their own. No matter the emphasis, no less than 24 credits must be upper level, at least 18 must be completed at UAS and students must enroll in a senior capstone course.

Governors State University offers a bachelor of arts in Interdisciplinary Studies for students seeking flexibility and innovation in their learning experience. More than other programs, GSU's degree caters heavily to the nontraditional learner who has completed some coursework previously or is looking for a flexible educational environment. Courses are offered at convenient times, and students can sometimes translate previous life experience into college credits. Proficiency exams, military service and a prior learning experience portfolio may be used as evidence to support college credit.

The 120-credit degree is composed of general education requirements, electives and major-specific coursework. Students select courses from existing programs to meet their needs. Currently, students can select from 27 minors and seven certificate programs.