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, education, 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 semester credit hours of courses with the same prefix are allowed in the combined major requirements and the 6 semester credit 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 semester credit hours of electives, there must be a minimum of 51 semester credit 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 semester credit hours)¹

Faculty

FACG> is-interdisciplinary-studies-ba

Professors: George W. Fair @gwfair, Karen J. Prager @kprager, Lawrence J. Redlinger @redling, Erin A. Smith @erins

Professor in Practice: Seema Yasmin @sxy143030

Senior Lecturers: Kathleen Byrnes @kab019000, Jillian Duquaine-Watson @jmw087000, Patricia A. Leek @santine, Angela McNulty @mcnulty, Rebekah Nix @rnix, Teresa Parker @tparker, Elizabeth M. Salter @emsalter, Nancy C. Van @ncv013000, Elizabeth Winstead @lwm061000, Tonja Wissinger @twissin

I. Core Curriculum Requirements: 42 semester credit hours²

Communication: 6 semester credit hours

COMM 1311 Survey of Oral and Technology-based Communication

RHET 1302 Rhetoric

Mathematics: 3 semester credit hours

Choose one course from the following:

MATH 1306 College Algebra for the Non-Scientist

MATH 1314 College Algebra

Life and Physical Sciences: 6 semester credit hours

Choose two courses from the following:

ISIS 2305 Humans: Our Place in Nature

ISIS 2308 Bones, Bodies, and Disease

ISNS 2359 Earthquakes and Volcanoes

ISNS 2367 The Oceans

ISNS 2368 Weather and Climate

Or select any 6 semester credit hours from Life and Physical Sciences core courses

Language, Philosophy and Culture: 3 semester credit hours

Choose one course from the following:

AMS 2300 American Popular Culture

AMS 2341 American Studies for the Twenty-First Century

HUMA 1301 Exploration of the Humanities

Or select any 3 semester credit hours from Language, Philosophy and Culture core courses

Creative Arts: 3 semester credit hours

Choose one course from the following:

ARTS 1301 Exploration of the Arts

Or select any 3 semester credit hours from Creative Arts core courses

American History: 6 semester credit hours

Choose two courses from the following:

HIST 1301 U.S. History Survey to Civil War

HIST 1302 U.S. History Survey from Civil War

HIST 2301 History of Texas

Government / Political Science: 6 semester credit hours

GOVT 2305 American National Government

GOVT 2306 State and Local Government

Social and Behavioral Sciences: 3 semester credit hours

Choose one course from the following:

GST 2300 Introduction to Gender Studies

PSY 2301 Introduction to Psychology

SOC 1301 Introduction to Sociology

Or select any 3 semester credit hours from Social and Behavioral core courses. Students are strongly encouraged to take a core course that is closely related to their foundations, concentrations, and career goals.

Component Area Option: 6 semester credit hours

Students are strongly encouraged to take two Component Area Option courses that are closely related to their foundations, concentrations, and career goals.

II. Major Requirements: 54 semester credit hours

Major Core Courses: 12 semester credit hours

BIS 3320 The Nature of Intellectual Inquiry

One 3 semester credit hour ISIS course

One 3 semester credit hour IS course offered by IS or another school (ISAH, ISEC, ISNS, or ISSS)

One 3 semester credit hour course chosen from AMS, GST or ISIS, or BIS 4V04 Internship

Major Related Courses: 42 semester credit hours consisting of:

Two Foundations: 12 semester credit hours each (24 semester credit hours)

The two foundations are drawn from School of Arts and Humanities, School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, School of Interdisciplinary Studies, Naveen Jindal School of Management, and School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

One Concentration: 18 semester credit 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: 24 semester credit hours

Guided Electives: 1 semester credit hour

UNIV 1010 Freshman Seminar

BIS 1100 Interdisciplinary Studies Freshman Seminar

Free Electives: 23 semester credit hours

Students must complete 51 semester credit hours of upper-division coursework to graduate. A minimum of 45 semester credit 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)

Grade Point Averge (GPA): 3.900 cumulative GPA, 3.900 GPA in courses as described below, and a total of 30 upper-division UT Dallas semester credit hours as described below.

Required courses: 9 semester credit hours

BIS 3320 The Nature of Intellectual Inquiry (3 semester credit hours)

Foundation I (3 semester credit hours)

Foundation II (3 semester credit hours)

Concentration: 15 semester credit hours

Options: (6 semester credit hours)

6 semester credit hours of Practice Teaching

6 semester credit hours of Internship

or 3 semester credit hours of Internship and one three semester credit hour ISIS/AMS/GST course

Notation on Transcript: Honors in Major

Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies

Degree Requirements (120 semester credit hours)¹

Faculty

FACG> is-interdisciplinary-studies-bs

Professors: George W. Fair @gwfair, Karen J. Prager @kprager, Lawrence J. Redlinger @redling, Erin A. Smith @erins

Professor in Practice: Seema Yasmin @sxy143030

Senior Lecturers: Kathleen Byrnes @kab019000, Jillian Duquaine-Watson @jmw087000, Patricia A. Leek @santine, Angela McNulty @mcnulty, Rebekah Nix @rnix, Teresa Parker @tparker, Elizabeth M. Salter @emsalter, Nancy C. Van @ncv013000, Elizabeth Winstead @lwm061000, Tonja Wissinger @twissin

I. Core Curriculum Requirements: 42 semester credit hours²

Communication: 6 semester credit hours

COMM 1311 Survey of Oral and Technology-based Communication

RHET 1302 Rhetoric

Mathematics: 3 semester credit hours

Choose one course from the following:

MATH 1325 Applied Calculus I

MATH 2413 Differential Calculus

MATH 2417 Calculus I

Life and Physical Sciences: 6 semester credit hours

Choose two courses from the following:

ISIS 2305 Humans: Our Place in Nature³

ISIS 2308 Bones, Bodies, and Disease³

ISNS 2359 Earthquakes and Volcanoes³

ISNS 2367 The Oceans³

ISNS 2368 Weather and Climate³

Or select any 6 semester credit hours from Life and Physical Sciences core courses

Language, Philosophy and Culture: 3 semester credit hours

Choose one course from the following:

AMS 2300 American Popular Culture

AMS 2341 American Studies for the Twenty-First Century

HUMA 1301 Exploration of the Humanities

Or select any 3 semester credit hours from Language, Philosophy and Culture core courses

Creative Arts: 3 semester credit hours

Choose one course from the following:

ARTS 1301 Exploration of the Arts

Or select any 3 semester credit hours from Creative Arts core courses

American History: 6 semester credit hours

Choose two courses from the following:

HIST 1301 U.S. History Survey to Civil War

HIST 1302 U.S. History Survey from Civil War

HIST 2301 History of Texas

Government / Political Science: 6 semester credit hours

GOVT 2305 American National Government

GOVT 2306 State and Local Government

Social and Behavioral Sciences: 3 semester credit hours

Choose one course from the following:

GST 2300 Introduction to Gender Studies

PSY 2301 Introduction to Psychology

SOC 1301 Introduction to Sociology

There are other core courses to choose from. Students are strongly encouraged to take a core course that is closely related to their foundations, concentrations, and career goals.

Component Area Option: 6 semester credit hours

Choose one of the following courses in mathematics:

MATH 1326 Applied Calculus II (if MATH 1325 Applied Calculus I is taken)

MATH 2414 Integral Calculus or MATH 2415 Calculus of Several Variables (if MATH 2413 Differential Calculus is taken)

MATH 2419 Calculus II (if MATH 2417 Calculus I is taken)

And

MATH 2415 Calculus of Several Variables

or any other Component Area Option courses

II. Major Requirements: 54 semester credit hours

Major Core Courses: 12 semester credit hours (6 semester credit hours beyond Core Curriculum)

BIS 3320 The Nature of Intellectual Inquiry

And

Any three ISNS science courses³

Or

ISIS 2305 Humans: Our Place in Nature³

ISIS 2308 Bones, Bodies, and Disease³

And one ISNS science course³

Major Related Courses: 42 semester credit hours consisting of:

Two Foundations: 12 semester credit hours each (24 semester credit hours)

Foundation I consists of courses taught by School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, or Science courses from the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences (NSC and CGS only).

Foundation II is drawn from the courses taught by School of Arts and Humanities, Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences (if not used for Foundation I), Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science (if not used in Foundation I), School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, School of Interdisciplinary Studies, and Naveen Jindal School of Management.

One Concentration: 18 semester credit 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: 24 semester credit hours

Guided Electives: 1 semester credit hour

UNIV 1010 Freshman Seminar

BIS 1100 Interdisciplinary Studies Freshman Seminar

Free Electives: 23 semester credit hours

Honors in Interdisciplinary Studies (BS)

Grade Point Averge (GPA): 3.900 cumulative GPA, 3.900 GPA in courses described below, and a total of 30 upper-division UT Dallas semester credit hours as described below.

Required courses: 9 semester credit hours

BIS 3320 The Nature of Intellectual Inquiry (3 semester credit hours)

Foundation I - Natural Science and Mathematics (6 semester credit hours)

Concentration: 15 semester credit hours

Options (6 semester credit hours)

6 semester credit hours of Practice Teaching

6 semester credit hours of Internship

or 3 semester credit hours of Internship and one three semester credit hour ISIS/AMS/GST course

Notation on Transcript: Honors in Major

1. Incoming freshmen must enroll and complete requirements of UNIV 1010 and the corresponding school-related freshman seminar course. Students, including transfer students, who complete their core curriculum at UT Dallas must take UNIV 2020.

2. Curriculum Requirements can be fulfilled by other approved courses from institutions of higher education. The courses listed are recommended as the most efficient way to satisfy both Core Curriculum and Major Requirements at UT Dallas.

3. A required major course that also fulfills a Core Curriculum requirement. Semester credit hours are counted in the Core Curriculum. Students will need to take an additional 6 semester credit hours within the Major Requirements.