Degrees
Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS)
Program Description
This degree consists of an individualized academic program that crosses diverse fields of study. The Bachelor’s of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) degree allows students to develop, with directed faculty assistance and appropriate administrative approval, an individually tailored composite major which is interdisciplinary and which is not currently an approved major at SUU. The BIS major emphasizes creativity, interdisciplinarity, and new approaches to traditional subjects. Once admitted to the program, students work with the BIS Program Director to plan and organize the student’s proposed composite major which will constitute the Interdisciplinary Studies Degree. The proposed outline should be submitted as early as possible in the student’s undergraduate career and must include all courses which are to constitute BIS major, in accordance with both BIS and SUU requirements.
For more information or an application to the Program, students may contact BIS@suu.edu
Major Requirements
The BIS major requires students to integrate two or more specific disciplines into a customized program of study, which is then linked together by a common core of classes designed to help students synthesize and communicate the relevance of the integration. BIS majors must complete a minimum of 51 credits in the program, 9 of which comprise the common core and capstone courses. Course substitution is not allowed within the common core. The other 42 credits will be drawn from various SUU courses, depending on the student’s needs and in consultation with the Program Director. The BIS degree is housed in University College.
Graduates from this degree program cannot be approved for state certification as a teacher.
A Message from the Director, Dr. David Lunt
Interdisciplinarity has been called the “View from Everywhere,” with an eye to creating bridges between academic disciplines as wellas between the University and the Community. SUU’s Bachelor’s of Interdisciplinary Studies program offers flexibility, encourages creativity, and allows students to pursue their own goals in both breadth and depth.
While pursuing my PhD at Penn State University in Ancient History (emphasis in Classics & Ancient Mediterranean Studies), I came to appreciate the usefulness of an interdisciplinary approach. I learned that blending the disciplines (in my case, History, Archaeology, Kinesiology, and Classics) provided a better understanding of ancient Greek athletic culture, and I continue to employ interdisciplinary approaches in my current research. I have met SUU students with their own versions of interdisciplinary interests as they navigate and integrate their chosen fields of study.
Interdisciplinarity is not just about studying multiple topics. Rather, it focuses on integrating the disciplines to uncover new information, or to interpret data in innovative ways. To return to the opening metaphor, as we continue to shift our perspectives and to adjust our lenses to view the world through the various disciplines, interdiscipinarity allows us to better approach that “View from Everywhere,” whether at SUU or in the world beyond.
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