Interdisciplinary Major Overview

Overview

The Interdisciplinary Studies major is an exciting baccalaureate of science major program designed by the Student. The purpose of the Interdisciplinary Studies program is to allow students the opportunity to create a degree program that matches their unique interests and career goals. Students design a major made up of a combination of courses from two or more disciplines offered by the College, (ie, BUS and PSY).

The proposed interdisciplinary studies major must specify at least 36 credits total from at least two disciplines, and at least one of areas of interest must be drawn from courses required in a currently offered SCA or SAW major dependent upon the student's enrollment status. At least one-half of the credits required (min. 18 credits) for the interdisciplinary major must be in upper-division courses (300-level or higher) as determined by the faculty in the affected programs.

Students electing to declare this major must do so before having completed 90 credit hours. Admission to SCA or SAW does not guarantee an interdisciplinary proposal will be accepted. Students should first consult with the Director of Academic Advising and then work with the program directors and faculty advisors in the affected majors to create a written proposal explaining their areas of interest and a listing of the required major courses. This proposal must be approved by a faculty advisor in each affected discipline, the Director of Academic Advising and the Dean of the College.

Faculty Consultation

Students consult with faculty from each discipline and submit the proposal form prior to completing 96 credits. Components of the proposal include: purpose/ rationale of the major, courses constituting the major (required) including senior project/capstone course, experiential learning course, and total number of credit hours. Students are responsible for fulfilling all college and degree/graduation requirements.

Career Research

It is important to research relevant career information before designing an interdisciplinary major. When focusing on a career, students need to be knowledgeable of the professional qualities that are considered essential to be successful in the line of work they are pursuing. Things to research about a career goal: Will technology, writing, research, or communication skills be required? What are the recommended college courses or knowledge areas? What is the job outlook (regional or national) for this career field? What is the best way to enhance my resume, how much relevant work experience is expected?

Proposal/Approval Process

  1. Student
  2. Faculty Advisor
  3. Program Coordinator(s)
  4. Director of Academic Advising
  5. Academic Dean
  6. Registrar/Student Services Office.

Once the required signatures are complete the Student Services Office enters the proposal information in the Colleges computer system. The student then can view his/her major requirements on the academic program evaluation report in SageAdvisor.

Proposal Guidelines

  • Suggested number of interdisciplinary major credits: 39-51.
  • Courses from two or more disciplines must be represented.
  • Students must complete at least 18 upper-level (300 level or higher) Sage credits in one of the disciplines included in the proposal.
  • 1/2 of credits in major must be completed at Sage.
  • The proposal must also contain course information on what capstone/senior project and experiential learning/internship courses you will complete. (The capstone and experiential courses will be based on the disciplines in the proposal).
  • Major GPA (grades from courses in major) must be a 2.20 or higher.
  • It is important to pre-register early for your next semester courses even while you are developing your proposal or if you are waiting to hear if your proposal was approved. If you are asked to make course changes to your proposal, you can always add/drop later as needed.

Misc

  • B.S. degree = minimum of 120 credits; 60 of the 120 credits must be liberal arts
  • Students must fulfill all relevant college and degree/graduation requirements
  • Sage bachelor degrees have 3 components: Major Requirements, Life Skill/General Education Requirements, and General Electives
  • Prerequisites: Keep track of courses that require one or more prerequisites by reading course descriptions in the College catalog.
  • The college diploma will state, baccalaureate of science only, it will NOT include the wording, interdisciplinary studies or the major title you created. For employment and future advance study purposes, you are officially granted a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies. After stating this, you may then indicate your areas of study (disciplines) or use the major title you created.

For More Information


Karen Schell, Director of Academic Advising
scaadvising@sage.edu (518) 292-1719

Proposal Form [pdf]