School of Interdisciplinary Studies
Interdisciplinary Studies (BA, BS)
The Bachelors' degrees in Interdisciplinary Studies (BAIS) emphasize a broad learning experience and a wider perspective than that provided by traditional undergraduate majors. They are designed to offer the student the opportunity to participate in an interdisciplinary, coherent, academically sound, and goal-oriented education directly relevant to the student's intellectual development and career aspirations. They are appropriate for those students who seek a thorough grounding in the traditional arts and sciences from an interdisciplinary perspective. Each student in the Interdisciplinary Studies program becomes an active partner in the formulation of his or her program of study, working in consultation with an academic advisor to devise an appropriate individual degree plan. Within the framework of two foundation areas, a university-wide Interdisciplinary Studies sequence, and a multidisciplinary concentration, a student may draw upon the resources of all schools of the university to create a degree program.
Common areas of concentration for the BAIS are business issues, environmental studies, human resources, international relations, law, public relations, urban studies, and courses toward Teacher Certification (EC-6 and 4-8). Graduates have been accepted into graduate programs in divinity, environmental studies, the health professions, humanities, interdisciplinary studies, law, management, and social sciences. The BS in Interdisciplinary Studies is selected by students interested in environmental studies, the health professions, and other science-related fields. Students interested in pre-health are advised to contact Head of the Healthcare Studies during their first semester.
Minors and Double Majors are not allowed in these two Interdisciplinary Studies degrees. In order to make the Interdisciplinary Studies degrees reflect their name, no more than 21 hours of courses with the same prefix are allowed in the combined major requirements and the 6 hours of electives. (All courses taught by the Naveen Jindal School of Management courses count as a single prefix.) In the major requirements and 6 hours of electives, there must be a minimum of 51 hours of upper-division courses. In the concentration, a minimum of three (3) prefixes must be represented. Please consult an academic advisor for further elaboration.
Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies
Degree Requirements (120 hours)
I. Core Curriculum Requirements: 42 hours1
Communication (6 hours)
3 hours Communication (RHET 1302)
3 hours Communication Elective (BIS 3320)2, 3
Social and Behavioral Sciences (15 hours)
6 semester credit hours Government (GOVT 2301 and GOVT 2302)
6 hours American History
3 hours Social and Behavioral Sciences Elective
Humanities and Fine Arts (6 hours)
3 hours Fine Arts (ARTS 1301)
3 hours Humanities (HUMA 1301)
Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning (6 hours)
3 hours College Algebra (MATH 1306 or MATH 1314)2
3 hours Statistics (STAT 1342 or PSY 2317)2
Science (9 hours including at least one course with a substantial laboratory component)
II. Major Requirements: 60 hours (51 hours beyond the Core Curriculum)4
Major Preparatory Courses (6 hours)
MATH 1306 College Algebra for the Non-Scientist2
STAT 1342 Statistical Decision Making2
or PSY 2317 Statistics for Psychology2
Major Core Courses (12 hours)
One 3 hour ISIS course
One 3 hour IS course offered by another school (ISAH, ISEC, ISNS, or ISSS)
One 3 hour course chosen from AMS, GST or ISIS, or BIS 4V04 (internship)
BIS 3320 The Nature of Intellectual Inquiry2, 3
Major Related Courses (42 hours) consisting of:
Two Foundations: 12 hours each (24 credit hours)
The two foundations are drawn from the Schools of Arts and Humanities, Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Computer Science, Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, Interdisciplinary Studies, Management, and Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
One Concentration: 18 hours
Each student devises, in consultation with his/her advisor, the topic for the Concentration and selects 18 semester credit hours of coursework related to the topic, drawn from at least three academic disciplines.
Appropriate IS coursework may be selected.
III. Elective Requirements: 27 hours
Guided Elective (1 hour)
BIS 1100 Interdisciplinary Studies Freshman Seminar
Free Electives (26 hours)5
Students must complete 51 hours of upper-division coursework to graduate. A minimum of 45 hours must be taken at UT Dallas. All the coursework in the final semester must be taken at UT Dallas.
Honors in Interdisciplinary Studies (BA)
GPA: 3.900 cumulative GPA, 3.900 GPA in courses described below, and a total of 30 upper-division UT Dallas hours as described below.
Required courses:
BIS 3320 The Nature of Intellectual Inquiry (3 hours)
Foundation I (3 hours)
Foundation II (3 hours)
Concentration (15 hours)
Options: (6 hours)
6 hours of Practice Teaching
6 hours of Internship
3 hours of Internship and one three hour ISIS/AMS/GST course
Notation on Transcript: Honors in Major
Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies
Degree Requirements (120 hours)
I. Core Curriculum Requirements: 42 hours1
Communication (6 hours)
3 hours Communication (RHET 1302)
3 hours Communication Elective (BIS 3320)2, 3
Social and Behavioral Sciences (15 hours)
6 semester credit hours Government (GOVT 2301 and GOVT 2302)
6 hours American History
3 hours Social and Behavioral Sciences Elective
Humanities and Fine Arts (6 hours)
3 hours Fine Arts (ARTS 1301)
3 hours Humanities (HUMA 1301)
Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning (6 hours)
6 hours Calculus (MATH 1325 and MATH 1326 or MATH 2417 and MATH 2419)2, 6
Science (9 hours including at least one course with a substantial laboratory component)
II. Major Requirements: 60 hours (51 hours beyond the Core Curriculum)7
Major Preparatory Courses (6-8 hours)
Either MATH 1325 Applied Calculus I and MATH 1326 Applied Calculus II2, 6
or MATH 2417 Calculus I and MATH 2419 Calculus II2, 6
Major Core Courses (12 hours)
Three Science IS courses
BIS 3320 The Nature of Intellectual Inquiry2, 3
Major Related Courses (42 hours) consisting of:
Two Foundations: 12 hours each (24 student credit hours)
Foundation I consists of courses taught by the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Computer Science, or Science courses from the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Foundation II is drawn from Arts and Humanities, Behavioral and Brain Sciences (if not used for Foundation I), Computer Science (if not used in Foundation I), Economical, Political and Policy Sciences, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Management.
One Concentration: 18 hours
Each student devises, in consultation with his/her advisor, the topic for the Concentration and selects 18 semester credit hours of coursework related to the topic, drawn from at least three academic disciplines. Appropriate IS coursework may be selected. Three courses must be science courses and one must be a statistics course.
III. Elective Requirements: 27 hours
Guided Elective (1 hour)
BIS 1100 Interdisciplinary Studies Freshman Seminar
Free Electives (26 hours)6
Honors in Interdisciplinary Studies (BS)
GPA: 3.900 cumulative GPA, 3.900 GPA in courses described below, and a total of 30 upper-division UT Dallas hours as described below.
Required courses:
BIS 3320 The Nature of Intellectual Inquiry (3 hours)
Foundation I - Natural Science and Mathematics (6 hours)
Concentration (15 hours)
Options: (6 hours)
6 hours of Practice Teaching
6 hours of Internship
3 hours of Internship and one three hour ISIS/AMS/GST course
Notation on Transcript: Honors in Major
Highly Recommended
Internships, basic computer skills, foreign languages, international studies, and courses in literature and history, offered by the School of Interdisciplinary Studies are highly recommended in all Interdisciplinary Studies degree plans. Students should consult closely with their advisors on particular areas of interest they wish to include in their programs.
1. Curriculum Requirements can be fulfilled by other approved courses from accredited institutions of higher education. The courses listed in parentheses are recommended as the most efficient way to satisfy both Core Curriculum and Major Requirements at UT Dallas.
2. A required major course that also fulfills a Core Curriculum requirement.
3. An additional ISIS course will be taken if BIS 3320 is used to satisfy the Core Curriculum Communication Elective requirement.
4. It will be 51 hours if MATH 1314, STAT 1342, and BIS 3320 are taken as part of the students' core curriculum requirements.
5. An additional (or fourth) ISIS course (science or non-science) will be taken if BIS 3320 is used to satisfy the Core Curriculum Communication Elective requirement.
6. Students may elect to substitute MATH 2417 and MATH 2419 for MATH 1325 and MATH 1326 and count two of the credit hours as Free Electives.
7. It will be 51 hours if MATH 1325, MATH 1326, and BIS 3320 are taken as part of the students' core curriculum requirements.