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Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Degree Program

An undergraduate cumulative grade-point average of 3.00 is required. Prospective students should refer to the general admission requirements under the section "Graduate Admission to the University" for other admission requirements.

The objective of the interdisciplinary studies degree is to provide students with the opportunity to design specific programs of study of an interdisciplinary nature when the student's needs or desires do not fall within a currently prescribed graduate program. Individual study plans draw from courses offered in two or more graduate programs.

The interdisciplinary program has both a thesis option and a non-thesis option. A student choosing the thesis option may use up to six credits of Intr 500 toward the degree.

There is no typical study plan for an interdisciplinary studies degree program. Each student seeking such a degree must, with the counsel of a major professor, develop a study plan and identify a program committee, subject to the following constraints: the program committee must have at least four members; the program committee must have at least one member from each of the principal departments or disciplines involved in the student's program and one member appointed by the dean of the College of Graduate Studies; at least one-half of the program committee must be members of the Graduate Faculty.

The proposed study plan must be unanimously approved by the student's program committee and the dean of graduate studies.

The program is administered by the department of which the student's major professor is a member. For both the thesis and non-thesis options, there must be a comprehensive examination that evaluates the student's ability to integrate all disciplines included in the program and to respond logically to related questions of a general nature. The general university credit requirements for the M.A. and M.S. degrees apply to the interdisciplinary studies degree as well; see the College of Graduate Studies section for the requirements applicable to all M.A. and M.S. degrees.

Procedural details for developing, receiving approval for, and carrying out an interdisciplinary degree program are available from the Graduate College.