Students who wish to pursue in depth a particular topic or area of study not available in an established major may choose the Multidisciplinary Studies (MDS) major. MDS allows students to combine course work in two or more departments, which could be housed in different Colleges, to create their own major, in consultation with a faculty advisor and the Director of Multidisciplinary Studies. Considerable latitude is allowed in the design of the program of study, and course work, studios and laboratories from any of the colleges may be included. Examples of topics or themes chosen by MDS majors are:
Multidisciplinary Studies is intended as an option for students who have some familiarity with college-level study. Thus it is available only to students who have completed at least one semester of college work, and not to entering freshmen. Transfer applicants with a minimum of 15 transferable credits may receive admission, if otherwise qualified, upon the recommendation of the MDS Director. The earlier a program of study is designed, the greater the flexibility in scheduling the required courses. As with most other changes of major, requests from seniors can rarely be accommodated. Students may not use MDS as one program within a double major.
Interested students should contact the Director of Multidisciplinary Studies, Robert Darst.
Requirements
The Multidisciplinary Studies major is built around a thematic program of study that encompasses coursework from more than one department (and, if applicable, those departments can be housed in different colleges). The program will consist of a minimum of 36 credits in the selected disciplines, 21 of which must be at the 300 level or above and constitute the core courses of the major.
To become a Multidisciplinary Studies major, a student must:
- Identify a faculty member who will act as academic advisor and who, along with the Director, will assist in the design of the program.
- In consultation with the faculty advisor, write a one-page description of the proposed program of study and complete a change of major form with the Director. The description should include program learning outcomes and a rationale for how each of the Core courses align with stated outcomes.
- Develop, with the Director and faculty advisor, a Contract containing the description and a list of the courses that will comprise the program. Substitution for courses in the Contract is allowed only with prior written approval by the faculty advisor and the Director.
Multidisciplinary Studies Major
BA degree
MDS majors based in the College of Arts and Sciences must satisfy all College of Arts and Sciences requirements for the BA degree, along with the program of courses listed in the Contract.
All Colleges require students to complete common or foundational coursework in addition to University Studies and the requirements of specific major departments. Students whose MDS contract combines coursework from two colleges must fulfill one set of these college requirements in their entirety. MDS majors whose proposed coursework is predominately in a college or colleges other than CAS may request to fulfill another college’s requirements instead of the requirements of the College of Arts & Sciences. This request must be approved by the Director of Multidisciplinary Studies and the Deans of both colleges.
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