Interdisciplinary Studies, B.S.

The graduation requirements are listed below. In addition, students select free electives to reach 120 credits overall required for the degree.  The department website provides an overview of the program, admission requirements for the major (when applicable), faculty biographies, learning outcomes, and careers: https://www.southernct.edu/academics/interdisciplinary-studies/programs. 

GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS (46 Credits)

All bachelor’s degree programs include liberal education (LEP) and writing (W) course requirements. To review more detailed information, please visit General Education (LEP) Degree Requirements.   

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS (60 Credits)

Up to three courses in the major/cognate may also satisfy LEP requirements and will be indicated below; no more than two courses in the same subject may be used towards LEP Explorations.  

Major GPA 2.0 required.

Required (6 Credits)
IDS 311 – Research Methods in Interdisciplinary Studies
IDS 401 – Interdisciplinary Investigations of Globalization 

Completion of a minimum of 30 credits overall at the 300 or 400 level (any 300 or 400 level course in the student’s degree program may count towards the 30 credit requirement).

CONCENTRATION REQUIREMENTS (54 Credits)

To create a BS-IDS degree students choose three existing concentrations from the list of minors or the additional concentrations open to Interdisciplinary majors outlined below (Child, Family, and Community Studies; Social Science).  An established minor or concentration may also be combined with one 18-credit approved self-designed concentration (approval by the Interdisciplinary Studies Director required).

Generally, students may not select more than one existing concentration from the same  discipline.

Child, Family, and Community Studies (18 Credits)

Select 6 credits from: 
ANT 201 – The Global Community
REC 312 – Therapeutic Play
TSL 315 – Foundations of Bilingual Education

Select 12 Credits from:
AFR 100 – Introduction to Africana Studies
AFR 475 – Seminar in Africana Studies
ANT 376 – Anthropology of Education
COM 228 – Capturing, Analyzing, and Presenting Family Stories
EDU 106 – New Literacies: Digital Text and Tools for Learning
HIS 210 – U.S. Black History
HIS 290 – Latin American History Through Film
HIS 345 – History and Culture of African Diaspora
ILS 300 – Literature for Children
LAC 100 – Introduction to Latin American and Caribbean Studies

MUS 111 – Experiencing the Arts (T2CD)*
PCH 356 – Maternal and Child Health
PSY 210 – Infant and Child Development
PSY 318 – Emotional and Social Development
PSY 320 – Abnormal Child Psychology
PSY 370 – Educational Psychology
REC 202 – Materials and Methods Birth to Five
REC 307 – Disabilities in Society
REC 403 – Mediating Problems in Community Settings
SED 225 – Introduction to Exceptionalities
SHE 203 – School Health
SOC 215 or WGS 215 – Women in Society
SOC 415 or WGS 415 – Contemporary Feminist Theories
SOC 265 – Self and Society
SOC 320 – Sociology of the Children
SOC 322 – Sociology of the Family
THR 375 – Theatre for Young People
WGS 100 – Dynamics of Gender, Race, and Class

Social Science Concentration (18 Credits)
9 Credits from the following list (no more than one course per discipline):
ANT 101 – Cultural Anthropology
ECO 100 – Principles of Macroeconomics or ECO 101 – Principles of Microeconomics
GEO 100 – People, Places, and Environments or GEO 102 – World Regional Geography
HIS 100 – Western Civilization I or HIS 101 – Western Civilization II
     or HIS 110 – United States History I or HIS 111 – United States History II 
PSC 200 – Political Change and Conflict or PSC 260 – U.S. Government 
PSY 100 – Introduction to Psychology
SOC 100 – Introduction to Sociology

An additional 9 Credits from ANT, GEO, HIS, PSC, PSY, SOC. Six of these nine credits must be at the 300+ level. This 18-credit concentration cannot combine courses from more than three disciplines.

ACCELERATED PATHWAY OPTION (12 Credits)

Students with an overall 3.0 GPA may be approved to complete an accelerated pathway. Graduate courses may be completed during their senior year when a student has earned at least 90 credits. Courses successfully completed with a grade of 'C' or higher will earn dual credit to be applied to both the undergraduate and graduate transcript. Approval to start graduate coursework does not guarantee admission to the graduate program.

Accelerated Pathway to Graduate Program
In consultation with their advisor, students may select up to 12 credits of graduate level coursework (500-level or higher) appropriate to their intended graduate program of study.