Degree Offered
- Bachelor of Arts
Nature of the Program
The Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary studies (IDS) comprises a core of courses and three related minors. The program does not limit students to courses of study in a particular college or school, but rather stresses the importance of breadth of knowledge and cross-disciplinary communication. The IDS degree emphasizes flexibility and problem solving. Students will learn to use specialized knowledge from individual disciplines to analyze problems from divergent perspectives. Students will also apply multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary techniques to communicate the strengths of their self-chosen course of study.
IDS students choose three minor areas and must demonstrate how these fields of study work together toward his/her educational and/or career goals. For example, a student may choose the areas of business administration, sport and exercise psychology, and professional writing and editing, with the goal of a career in sports and special events or marketing/coordinating. IDS students participate in a capstone during their final semester, incorporating their three disciplines into a senior project, presentation, and paper.
The breadth of study available to Interdisciplinary students empowers them to be successful in any field they choose. IDS degree holders are flourishing in business, teaching, entrepreneurial endeavors, health professions, and public and health administration. They are earning advanced degrees in social work, business administration, and law. The flexibility of the degree ensures that students are prepared for success in today's rapidly changing workforce.
Students who earn a degree in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences must complete the University requirements, the College requirements for their specific degree program, and their major requirements.
Minors
All students have the possibility of earning one or more minors; view a list of all available minors and their requirements here. Please note that students may not earn a minor in their major field. IDS students may add a fourth minor to complement their three core minors.
Faculty
Associate professor
- Renee K. Nicholson - M.F.A. (West Virginia University) Certificate of Professional Achievement in Narrative Medicine (Columbia University)
Creative Writing and Narrative Medicine
Instructor
- Andrea Soccorsi - M.A. (West Virginia University)
English Language and Literature
Admissions
- First Time Freshmen with a 3.0 high school GPA are admitted directly into the major.
- Students transferring from another major need to have a minimum institutional GPA of 3.0.
- Students transferring from another institution need to have a minimum GPA of 3.0
Due to Covid-19 – Admission requirements may differ from what is listed on this page. Please review the most up-to-date program admission requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies major.
Admission Requirements 2024-2025
The Admission Requirements above will be the same for the 2024-2025 Academic Year.
Major Code: 14B9
Click here to view the Suggested Plan of Study
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
General Education Foundations | ||
F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
Total Hours | 31-37 |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Degree Requirements
Students must complete the WVU General Education Foundations requirements, College B.A. requirements, programmatic requirements, and electives to total a minimum of 120 hours. For complete details on these requirements, visit the B.A. Degrees tab on the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences page.
- Capstone Requirement: The university requires the successful completion of a Capstone course. Students in the MDS program must complete MDS 489 with a grade of C- or better during their final year.
- Writing and Communication Skills Requirement: The Interdisciplinary Studies Program is a SpeakWrite Affiliated Program, committed to fostering and assessing students’ written, verbal, visual, and mediated communication skills. The Interdisciplinary Studies major requires its Bachelor of Arts program graduates to complete ENGL 101 and ENGL 102 (or ENGL 103), and a minimum of four additional SpeakWrite Certified Courses TM as a part of their programs of study. All Interdisciplinary Studies majors are required to take MDS 199, MDS 289, MDS 389, and MDS 489. These are each SpeakWrite Certified courses.
- Calculation of the GPA in the Major: Students must obtain a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0, with grade of C- or better in all courses counted toward the minors.
- Course Requirements: Minor courses may not be used to satisfy the General Education Foundations requirements. Each minor must consist of at least fifteen unique credits. Students must complete at least sixty credit hours of coursework at the 200 level or above. Students are required to complete MDS 199, MDS 289, MDS 389, and MDS 489 with a minimum grade of C-. At the latest, MDS 199 must be completed the semester before taking MDS 489.
- Benchmark Expectations: For details, go to the Multidisciplinary Studies Degree Progess tab.
Curriculum Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
University Requirements | 52 | |
ECAS B.A. Requirements | 12 | |
Interdisciplinary Studies Major Requirements | 56 | |
Total Hours | 120 |
University Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits) | ||
Outstanding GEF Requirements 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 | 36 | |
MDS 191 | First-Year Seminar | 1 |
General Electives | 15 | |
Total Hours | 52 |
ECAS B.A. Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Foreign Language | 12 | |
Fine Arts Requirement | ||
Global Studies & Diversity Requirement | ||
Total Hours | 12 |
Interdisciplinary Studies Major Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
MDS Requirements | 11 | |
Orientation to MDS | ||
Foundations of Interdisciplinary Studies | ||
Interdisciplinary Research Methods | ||
Minor One | 15 | |
Minor Two | 15 | |
Minor Three | 15 | |
Capstone Requirement | ||
Capstone | ||
Total Hours | 56 |
Suggested Plan of Study
First Year | |||
---|---|---|---|
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
MDS 191 | 1 | ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 |
GEF 2 | 3 | GEF 2 | 3 |
GEF 3 | 3 | GEF 5 | 3 |
GEF 4 | 3 | GEF 6 (ECAS Fine Arts Requirement) | 3 |
Foreign Language 101 | 3 | Foreign Language 102 | 3 |
MDS 199 | 2 | ||
15 | 15 | ||
Second Year | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 | GEF 8* | 3 |
Foreign Language 203 | 3 | GEF 8 | 3 |
MDS 289 | 3 | Foreign Language 204 | 3 |
Minor I-1 | 3 | Minor II-1 | 3 |
General Elective | 3 | Minor III-1 | 3 |
15 | 15 | ||
Third Year | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
GEF 8* | 3 | Minor I-3 | 3 |
ECAS Global Studies & Diversity Requirement (GEF 7) | 3 | Minor II-3 | 3 |
Minor I-2 | 3 | Minor III-2 | 3 |
Minor II-2 | 3 | Minor III-3 | 3 |
MDS 389 | 3 | General Elective @ 200-level | 3 |
15 | 15 | ||
Fourth Year | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
Minor I-4 | 3 | MDS 489 | 3 |
Minor I-5 | 3 | Minor II-5 | 3 |
Minor II-4 | 3 | Minor III-5 | 3 |
Minor III-4 | 3 | General Elective @ 200-level | 3 |
General Elective @ 200-level | 3 | General Elective @ 200-level | 3 |
15 | 15 | ||
Total credit hours: 120 |
- *
Students earning a fourth minor, a second major or a dual degree already fulfill F 8.
Degree Progress
- Students in the IDS program must maintain a 2.0 GPA.
- MDS 199 must be completed by the 2nd semester in the program.
- Students should make progress toward their plan of study, reviewed each semester.
- All majors must meet with an IDS program adviser each semester.
Students who do not meet these benchmarks may be removed from their major.
Major Learning Outcomes
Interdisciplinary Studies
- Integrate disciplinary perspectives and apply interdisciplinary research methods to contemporary political, social, scientific, and humanitarian questions.
- Apply core theories of the three primary component disciplines of their degree to construct informed analyses and frame creative propositions.
- Analyze sources from an interdisciplinary perspective.
- Use critical thinking skills to formulate and defend positions by developing, supporting and presenting information clearly in written, verbal, visual, and mediated forms.
- Communicate clearly in written and oral form the value of an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving as an alternative or supplement to discipline-based academic research.
- Successfully apply for graduate school or post baccalaureate degree job placement.