Interdisciplinary Studies

Students who become Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS) majors do college differently—they choose a topic and design their own unique “program of study” (POS), addressing an important intellectual or social issue that raises questions about how people should live. Such topics include human trafficking, artificial intelligence, systemic poverty, healthcare inequalities, and political incivility, to name a few. The nationally recognized IDS degree promotes the educational goals of Christian liberal arts learning, emphasizing the importance of becoming a whole human being who can problem-solve by integrating knowledge from various disciplines, demonstrating critical understanding, creative skill, and redemptive purpose.

Those who are interested in the IDS major must first meet with the IDS director to discuss a possible topic before submitting their application. After selecting a topic that represents a legitimate “wicked problem”—an issue that is complex enough to require analysis from two or three disciplinary perspectives—each prospective major will then design a related POS with upper-divisional courses from any two or three of the College’s existing academic programs. Courses related to certificates (such as HNGR, Pre-Law, Humanitarian Leadership, and others) can be included within an academic area of the POS.

The POS should be informed by IDS “guiding directives,” which serve to clarify the rationale for the IDS major’s integrative research:

1.    Select a recognized "wicked problem" that is truly complex.

2.    Ask "vital questions" about the nature of the wicked problem.

3.    Explore "sticky ideas" which relate to the problem thematically.

These guiding directives should provide insight for how the student will choose courses for their POS, which must be thematically congruous and support the ideal of a coherent academic plan. The culmination of the IDS major’s POS will be the IDS research project, which will allow the student to complete qualitative, quantitative, or creative writing on the topic related to their POS. This final project will be workshopped with peers in the senior seminar. It will then be evaluated by two faculty members knowledgeable about the topic. IDS majors focus their projects on key issues pertaining to interdisciplinary issues across the arts, social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. 

Although students may provisionally declare IDS during their first year, they must apply to the IDS program before attaining 60 credit hours, and ideally they should apply at 30 credit hours. The application is comprised of a video introduction by the applicant, an academic self-assessment, short-answer questions, a proposed POS, three brief essays, and a thirty-minute interview with the IDS director; it must be completed by the deadline, which is always two weeks before the end of each quad. Each application will be evaluated by the IDS Faculty Committee, and applicants will then be informed of their standing in writing. Candidates should realize that the application process is intended to be challenging but supportive. The goal is to clarify the research project and to attain meaningful results. Students are only allowed to apply twice to the IDS major to secure acceptance.

Interdisciplinary Studies majors are granted a Bachelor of Arts degree unless they request a Bachelor of Science degree and meet the following criteria:

• If the student chooses the two-discipline option, one of the disciplines must be in a field that offers a B.S. degree.
• If the student chooses the three-discipline option, two of the disciplines must be in a field that offers a B.S. degree.

Director, Jeffry C. Davis
IDS Faculty Member, Robert Bishop

Interdisciplinary Studies Major Courses