Interdisciplinary Studies: B.S.I.S.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Interdisciplinary Studies major is to provide a unique academic program that offers highly motivated and intellectually curious students the opportunity to develop an individualized, innovative and integrated program of study. As an alternative to a traditional major, self-directed students are engaged and mentored by faculty and advisers to build a program of study, drawing from multiple disciplines, around a unifying theme.

Program Description

Admissions procedures and guidelines for the Interdisciplinary Studies major may be obtained from the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, which is housed in the Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts.

All applications for admission will be reviewed and approved by the chair of the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies. Consideration is given to previous coursework and suitability of the proposed curriculum. The student must demonstrate that an individualized course of study will be an educationally sound alternative to traditional degree programs currently being offered at Coastal Carolina University.

Students applying to the Interdisciplinary Studies major, under the guidance of consulting faculty and professional advisors, develop a program of study listing the courses proposed to complete an interdisciplinary program. Admission is not complete until the program of study has been approved by the chair of the department. All students must complete their approved program of study to be eligible for graduation. Any subsequent change of major requirements in the program of study will require the prior written approval of the student’s adviser and the chair of the department.

Students must receive a grade of ‘C’ or better in IDS 310 and all Major Requirements. Students double majoring, earning a second degree, earning minor(s) or certificate(s) may share up to nine credit hours from the Interdisciplinary Studies Major Requirements per program. The Interdisciplinary Studies major requires its graduates to earn 120 credit hours with a minimum 2.0 GPA. At least 12 credit hours in Major Requirements and 30 total credit hours must be completed at Coastal Carolina University.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students who complete the requirements for a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies will be able to:

Demonstrate a sound understanding of interdisciplinary inquiry and research.
Identify and critically analyze a complex issue or thesem from multiple disciplinary perspectives.
Research and develop new interdisciplinary insight into a complex issue related to their focus of study.
Communicate their research findings through a capstone project.

Degree Requirements (120 Credits)

Core Curriculum Requirements

Core Curriculum (36-40 Total Credit Hours)

Graduation Requirements

Graduation Requirements (3-6+ Credits) *

Foundation Requirements (11-21 Credits) *

Disciplinary Exploration (0-9 Credits)

Students can take up to nine (9) credits of 100 or 200 level courses related to their interdisciplinary program of study, including IDS 190 and IDS 191 .

Science Foundations (7-8 Credits)

Complete the following courses:

Choose at least three credits from the following:

Interdisciplinary Introductory Sequence (4 Credits)

Complete the following courses:

Note:

IDS 311 is a co-requisite with IDS 310. Before enrolling in IDS 311, you must have already taken or be signed up to take IDS 310.

Major Requirements (45 Credits)

Interdisciplinary Development (3 Credits)

Choose any 300-level or 400-level IDS course.

Interdisciplinary Research (6 Credits)

Complete the following courses:

Interdisciplinary Program of Study (36 Credits)

Students should work with their IDS adviser to develop their program of study. Programs of study must be approved by the chair of the interdisciplinary studies department and meet the following criteria:

30 credit hours in the program of study must be at the 300 level or above
At least 15 credit hours must be from the Gupta College of Science or the Conway Medical Center College of Health and Human Performance
No more than 15 credit hours from any one discipline may be used to satisfy the program
A maximum of six credit hours for Independent or Directed Study and six credit hours for Internship may be used to satisfy the program

Note: Students may not use more than 15 credit hours combined from the following areas: EDUC, EDEC, EDEL, EDIT, EDLL, EDML, EDPE, EDSC, EDSP.

Electives (8-23 Credits)

Total Credits Required: 120

* Course credit hours only count once toward the total university graduation credit hour requirements. Click on Credit Sharing for more information.