The goal of this degree is to provide students with a rigorous intellectual exploration through an interdisciplinary platform that fosters the leadership, research, innovation, service, and academic competencies needed to face the challenges of the 21st century. The Bachelor of Science Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (BSIS) is designed to offer highly motivated and self-directed students the opportunity to design their own major. As an alternative to traditional majors, the BSIS Program allows students to pursue their educational goals in areas not available within existing departmental curricula. With the help of a faculty sponsor, students select courses on the basis of a unifying issue, topic, theme, culture, period, or question which is considered the thematic study. Approved thematic courses must be interdisciplinary in nature, pull from at least two fields or disciplines, and may not duplicate an existing major. Courses may be chosen from any of the departments within the University. Experiential learning is required. The Department of Nontraditional Studies requires that its Interdisciplinary Studies majors take IDS 2023 , IDS 3023 , and select 6 hours of experiential learning electives in fields approved by their academic advisor to meet the experiential learning requirement. Each student’s program of study is developed with the advice and approval of both the student’s chosen faculty sponsor and a BSIS advisor. Students seeking a minor must use classes independently of those used in the thematic study. Students seeking a double major concurrently with their Interdisciplinary Studies degree or students who have completed a degree and are returning to complete a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies may only apply their general education courses toward additional second program of study.

Admission into the program requires a minimum of a 2.75 GPA, 30 earned credit hours, a completed application, and acceptance by the Associate Vice Chancellor for University College and Program Director of Nontraditional Studies.

The requirements for the BSIS major are as follows:

1. A formal proposal written during the student’s enrollment in the Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS 2013 ), a three credit class.
2. Completion of at least 36 related upper-level courses (numbered 3000 or above) in student’s thematic study, totaling a minimum of 36 credits over a period of at least four semesters. Thematic study coursework and 18 hours of Interdisciplinary Studies courses must be completed with a grade of “C” or higher.
3. Maintain a minimum overall GPA of 2.75

A complete 8-semester degree plan is available at https://www.astate.edu/info/academics/degrees/