Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies

Offered face-to-face on the Parkville campus, in the Kansas City area as an accelerated program, and online.

The Interdisciplinary Studies major allows the student to develop a major by combining two different disciplines. For the purpose of declaring a program of study, different disciplines are defined as the combination of offerings from two different major schools or departments. This affords students the flexibility to design their own degree while making an efficient use of courses they have accumulated. It requires the combination of two minor degrees of study: one that is listed in the catalog and another one either listed in the catalog or a Personal Minor constructed by the student out of a set of courses that represent a body of knowledge. For maximum flexibility, students can pursue this major as part of our online undergraduate programs, study interdisciplinary courses at the Parkville, MO campus in a traditional format, or earn an interdisciplinary degree in Kansas City at one of our metro area campus centers. This degree requires a minimum of 120 total credit hours to graduate.

REQUIREMENTS 42-45 hours, 2.0 Cumulative GPA

Program Competencies

The student with integrative and interdisciplinary thinking will possess the ability to make connections across courses and connect coursework to his/her academic, professional, and civic lives. The student will be able to consider problems from several different perspectives and develop and test his/her holistic understanding of an issue, evaluate how various disciplines would conceive of solutions, and relate his/her learning to issues outside of academia.

• Demonstrate an understanding of disciplinary content in its own context and in relationship to the issues, questions, and positions of at least one other discipline.
• Compare and contract points of view and scholarly materials coming from different disciplines, in formulating a new thesis or position.
• Synthesize diverse perspectives derived from coursework and other professional experience to achieve an interdisciplinary understanding of an issue or problem.
• Explain and evaluate methodological approaches and theoretical foundations of at least two disciplines, as they pertain to dealing with real-world problems or issues.
• Use professional experiences and academic coursework to attain professional employment.