BA/BS Major in Interdisciplinary Studies with Area of Emphasis
Requirements for BA/BS Major in Interdisciplinary Studies with Area of Emphasis
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Component | ||
| Area I (Written Composition) | 6 | |
| Area II (Humanities and Fine Arts) 1 | 12 | |
| Area III (Natural Sciences and Mathematics) | 11 | |
| Area IV (History, Social and Behavioral Sciences) | 12 | |
| Area V (Computer Literacy) | 3 | |
| Computer Skills for Problem-Solving | ||
or CIS 125 | Business Applications of Microcomputer Software | |
| Major Core Requirements in Interdisciplinary Studies | 9 | |
| Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies 2 | ||
| Interdisciplinary Research: Process and Practice | ||
| Capstone Project | ||
| Area of Emphasis: | 42 | |
| Choose one or two of the following areas of emphasis: 3, 4 | ||
| Elective Hours | 25 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
- 1
For a BA degree, select six hours of a required foreign language at the introductory level.
- 2
In this course, with the assistance of a professional advisor, the student will develop a program of study to complete the degree. Students must pass with a grade of C or higher to continue in the program. The course may be retaken if necessary. The course must be taken within the first 12 hours after admission into the IDS major.
- 3
If choosing a singular emphasis,
- No more than 24 hours can be taken within the same discipline as reflected by that discipline's prefix (examples = AC, BI, DA, GE, etc.).
- A minimum of 24 hours of 300/400 level credit must be included in the area of emphasis (36 total 300/400 level credits are needed to graduate).
- No more than 30 hours may come from the Sanders College of Business and Technology.
- A writing-intensive course (signified by a W by the course number) must be included.
- Up to 12 hours of advisor-approved classes that fall outside of a particular area of emphasis may be included contingent upon their alignment with the student's career goals.
- 4
If choosing two areas of emphasis,
- Each emphasis will be 21 credit hours.
- Each emphasis will include a minimum of 12 hours of 300/400 level credit (36 total 300/400 level credits are needed to graduate).
- No more than 24 hours can be taken within the same discipline as reflected by that discipline's prefix (examples = AC, BI, DA, GE, etc.).
- No more than 30 hours may come from the Sanders College of Business and Technology.
- A writing-intensive course (signified by a W by the course number) must be included in at least one area of emphasis.
- Up to 6 hours of advisor-approved classes that fall outside of either area of emphasis may be included contingent upon their alignment with the student's career goals.
Art Emphasis
Students may benefit from an array of courses chosen from related fields within graphic design and visual and performing arts. In doing so, students develop creative and critical thinking skills.
Within the Art Emphasis, students may choose courses from the following subjects:
Art (AR), Cinematic Arts and Theatre (CAT), Culinary Arts Management (CAM), Fashion (FASH), Interior Architecture and Design (IAD), and Music (MU).
Business Emphasis
Students will obtain knowledge from traditional business courses and may apply it to professions one may find in higher education, the non-profit sector, social and human service agencies or government (e.g., emergency management, criminal justice, business development, or tourism).
Students may choose courses from the following subjects:
Management (MG), Marketing (MK), Accounting (AC), Business Law (BL), Data Analytics (DA), Economics (EC), and Finance (FI). Select courses from Entertainment Industry (ENT), Hospitality Event Management (HEM), and Sports Recreation Management (SRM) may also be included with advisor approval.
Health Emphasis
Students will investigate health-related issues involving topics in healthcare, public health, and factors related to physical and emotional well-being. This emphasis is not designed to prepare students for any specialized or licensed health profession, but may provide an attractive route to prepare for further scholarship in health professions such as health care administration, public health education, or other graduate studies.
Students may choose courses from the following subjects:
Applied Health Science (AHS), Biology (BI), Chemistry (CH), Culinary/Nutrition/Hospitality (CNH), Health, Physical Ed (HPE), Nursing (NU), Occupational Health Science (OHS), Physics (PH), Psychology (PY), and Sports Recreation Management (SRM).
Humanities Emphasis
Students may draw from several disciplines that study the human condition through literature, history, philosophy, religion, language, and the arts. The emphasis can satisfy personal interests, prepare one for graduate studies, or provide skill sets for careers built on a liberal arts base.
Students may choose courses from the following subjects:
English (EN), History (HI), Philosophy (PHL), Foreign Languages (FL, GE, KO, LT, JP, SP), Black Studies (BKS), Intercultural Experience (IE), Religion (RE), Study Abroad (SA), Women's Studies (WS), and select courses related to journalism in Communication (COM).
Organizational Leadership Emphasis
Students will progress through a curriculum that integrates knowledge from multiple academic departments to build skills in leadership, interpersonal relations, data management, and globalization.
Students will be required to incorporate the following in their program:
- 9 hours of Management coursework including MG 331, MG 330, & MG 382W
- 3-6 hours of Computer Information Systems coursework such as CIS 236 and CIS 446
- 6-9 hours of Social and Behavioral Science classes within the fields of Sociology (SO), Psychology (PY), Political Science (PS), or Communication (COM).
Students may also use Military Science (MS) classes or the complete Military Science Minor to satisfy this emphasis as it includes a heavy focus on leadership and communication.
Public Safety Emphasis
Students may build skill sets related to the study of justice, law, politics, terrorism, disaster mitigation, and disaster recovery. This emphasis can prepare students to serve in a variety of law enforcement, homeland security, and public administration roles. This emphasis may be particularly attractive to those who may already have a 2-year degree or background in fire safety, emergency medical services, and public safety.
Students may choose courses from the following subjects:
Criminal Justice (CJ), Political Science (PS), and Security & Emergency Management (SEM).
Social and Behavioral Sciences Emphasis
Students may design their program to gain exposure to multiple disciplines and bases of knowledge common to human and social service occupations as well as knowledge related to legal studies, public policy, and counseling.
Students may choose courses from the following subjects:
Communication (COM), Criminal Justice (CJ), Family Studies (FS), Geography (GE), Political Science (PS), Psychology (PY), Sociology (SO), and Social Work (SW).
Technology Emphasis
Students will receive training in a diverse range of related fields with technological applications to prepare for roles in cyber security, urban planning and development, or graduate studies within various programs such as forensics.
Students may choose courses from the following subjects:
Computer Information Systems (CIS), Computer Science (CS), Engineering (EG), Engineering Technology (ET), Geography (GE), and Information Technology (ITE).
Applied Educational Studies (Non-Licensure) Emphasis
This emphasis is designed primarily for students who already have a pre-existing education academic background. Credits earned can be helpful to prepare students for work within preschools, daycares, afterschool programs, social agencies, instructional design, community development programs, or other non-licensure programs. The emphasis can also serve as a bridge to a master of education program to obtain licensure. New coursework from the Educational Studies minor may be included if the student has already been accepted in the Teacher Education Program (TEP).
Students may choose courses from the following subjects:
Early Childhood Education (ECE), Education (ED), Elementary Education (EED), Education of Exceptional (EEX), and Instructional Technology and Design (ITD).
Applied Entrepreneurship Emphasis
This emphasis is designed for students who have graduated from a community college with an Associate of Applied Science or Occupational Technology degree. It allows students to transfer their general education academic credits plus up to 30 hours of technical course credit towards their bachelor’s degree. Up to 12 hours of technical coursework can be applied to the area of emphasis, and 18 hours may be applied to electives. For the remaining hours within the area of emphasis, students may select courses to build a variety of business skill sets.
Students may choose courses from the following subjects:
Management (MG), Marketing (MK), Accounting (AC), Business Law (BL), Data Analytics (DA), Economics (EC), and Finance (FI). Select courses from Entertainment Industry (ENT), Hospitality Event Management (HEM), and Sports Recreation Management (SRM) may also be included with advisor approval.