3030.30 Interdisciplinary Studies

Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies

The Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree provides educational opportunities not readily available through traditional departmental degree programs. Students have flexibility in developing a course of study appropriate to their goals by selecting courses from several departments and institutes in the College of Arts and Sciences. Students may also include courses from other colleges of this university in their interdisciplinary program.

It is not the function of the interdisciplinary program to combine an assortment of course work as a lastminute effort to facilitate a student’s graduation.

Enrollment in College-Planned Programs

Students may enroll in a B.I.S. concentration on admission to Georgia State University. Students who wish to change their major to this degree program may also select a concentration with their academic advisor. Enrollment into a concentration can occur only when a student has a cumulative grade-point average of 2.0. Students who enroll in a concentration will be required to submit a course plan checklist to demonstrate their understanding of the degree requirements. It is highly recommended that students develop a course of study with their specific faculty coordinator before taking coursework in the degree program to avoid taking courses that will not count towards graduation.

Program Degree Requirements

There are two options in the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies program, the college-planned option and the student-planned option.

Students must complete coursework in at least three disciplines (defined by course prefixes) in Area G and in at least two disciplines in Area H. Areas G and H should be constructed so that students take courses in distinct disciplines in each area (with some overlap expected); that is, the same prefix should not predominate in both Area G and H.

Courses in the area of concentration (Area G) and allied field (Area H) must be at the 3000-4000 level. Also, a grade of C or higher is required in all courses in the area of concentration (Area G) and allied field (Area H). Electives are used to build the hours in Areas G-J to have 39 hours at Georgia State University taken at the 3000-4000 level for residency, and complete 120 hours required for graduation.

Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies College-Planned Programs

Students may choose a program designed by the college as follows: Asian Studies; Environmental Science; Game Design and Development; Gerontology; Global Studies, Law and Society; Media Entrepreneurship; Middle East Studies; and Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. For information about the college-planned programs, see the alphabetical list of programs later in this chapter of the catalog.

Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies Student-Planned Program

Students may choose the option to propose their own program of study for approval by the college B.I.S. coordinator. Students may select their proposed courses from any college in the university, as long as at least 50 percent of the hours in the program are chosen from courses in the College of Arts and Sciences. Students should have their proposed student-planned programs reviewed by the B.I.S. coordinator by the time they have earned 42 hours.

To gain approval into the program, students must articulate a reasonable and educationally justifiable course of study. Proposed interdisciplinary degree programs cannot resemble current programs offered at the university. Students interested in initiating the application process must first schedule an appointment with an academic advisor in the Office of Academic Assistance, 404-413-5000 (see section 3040). Students must also select an appropriate faculty coordinator to provide guidance in developing the interdisciplinary program.

Course of Study Outline for Student-Planned Programs:

Areas A-E: Core Curriculum (42)

All undergraduate students satisfy a common core curriculum. These requirements are printed in the 1300 University Academic Regulations section.

Area F: Courses Appropriate to the Major Field (18)

Courses in this area should be included in the program proposal. The courses selected for this area must be at the lower-division level and judged to be programmatically appropriate to the intent of the proposed program. A world language at the 1002 level must be included in Area F of all student-planned programs.

Area G: Area of Concentration (similar to a traditional major area, except interdisciplinary in content).

Area H: Allied Field (similar to a minor, except interdisciplinary in content).

Area J: Electives

When developing a student-planned program, the student may choose one of the following structures:

Program Plan Structure One: An area of concentration (27-33 semester hours) with an allied field (15-21 semester hours) and electives (6-18 semester hours).
Program Plan Structure Two: An area of concentration (27-33 semester hours) with two allied fields (15-21 semester hours each).
Program Plan Structure Three: Two areas of concentration (27-33 semester hours each).

The Interdisciplinary Minor

The interdisciplinary minor provides educational opportunities not otherwise available and allows students the flexibility to select courses for the minor from several departments/schools/colleges at the university. Students can choose to pursue either a college-planned or a student-planned interdisciplinary minor.

College-planned interdisciplinary minors are available in the following emphasis areas: Advanced Leadership and Management, Asian Studies, Chinese Studies, Communication Sciences, Entertainment Media Management, Game Design and Development, Human Rights and Democracy, Latin American Studies, and Middle East Studies are also available. For information about the college-planned interdisciplinary minors, see the alphabetical list of programs later in this chapter of this catalog.

Students pursuing a student-planned interdisciplinary minor must propose their 15-18 hours for approval by the college BIS coordinator. A proposal must identify the way in which the minor fits into the context of the student’s entire degree program. To gain approval, students must articulate a reasonable and educationally justifiable course of study and must keep in mind that this course of study may not duplicate what is currently available.

The following requirements apply to the interdisciplinary minor:

The student must have a Georgia State University cumulative grade-point average of 2.0;
A minor must contain 15 to 18 semester hours of coursework with at least 9 hours of upper-division coursework (3000 to 4999).
No more than six hours from a single discipline/prefix.
Courses counted toward the interdisciplinary minor cannot also count toward the major;
A grade of C or better is required in all minor courses; and
For student-planned programs, at least 50 percent of the minor must be completed after the semester in which college BIS coordinator approves the minor program plan.

Students should contact the Office of Academic Assistance at 404-413-5000 for information on the application procedure.

The program of emphasis for the interdisciplinary minor is not listed on the official Georgia State University transcript. The program is designated as Interdisciplinary Minor on the transcript.