Standard Four-Year Program for Interdisciplinary Studies

There is no standard program for a bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. The Arts & Sciences department offers 32 different fields, sponsored by 11 different academic departments, so it's difficult to provide students with an exact outline for planning their undergraduate educations. INDS students choose a Field I of 30 credits, a Field II of 24 credits, and complete a 2-credit senior project in order to finish their degrees.

However, an Interdisciplinary Studies degree offers more flexibility than many other majors at North Central. Majors at North Central (some of which require Supporting Programs) can range from as few as 26 to as many as 87 credit hours. An INDS degree requires 57 credit hours, which is right in the middle. Also, many INDS students decide on an Interdisciplinary Studies major only after they've been at North Central for several years and have taken courses in a number of different departments. Planning an INDS degree is easy!

If you already know which Fields you're interested in, you can look at the list of required courses for your fields and set up a plan with your advisor. If you're not sure which Fields you want to choose, here is a general plan to follow:

Freshman Year: You have 45 General Education and 30 Biblical Studies credits (about 54% of your total degree) to complete as part of your bachelor's program. Don't worry about anything else at this point. Start getting your required courses out of the way. Also, visit the Student Success Center and take the Strong Interest Inventory, a test which lines up your interests with those of people practicing nearly a hundred different occupations that require a bachelor's degree. Show your Strong results to your advisor. It will help you and your advisor sort through the various majors at North Central and determine the one that's best for you.

Sophomore Year: You will still have more than a semester's worth of General Education and Biblical Studies credits to complete, so during this year concentrate both on finishing these and on experimenting with classes in departments in which you might like to major. Don't be surprised if you like classes in more than one department. Continue to consult your Strong results, talk to your advisor, other teachers, and friends whose opinion you trust, and check the list of departments on the Arts & Sciences website that sponsor Fields in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Junior Year: You should be done with most of your General Education and Biblical Studies courses by now. If you're drawn to courses in two of the departments that sponsor an INDS Field, you're set. Also, if you feel drawn to a single department's program, that would be a good choice for your major. Continue to talk about your major with your advisor, other teachers, and friends, and re-check your Strong results. If you've decided on an INDS major, check the Arts & Sciences website for any specific requirements set by the departments whose Fields you have selected.

Senior Year: You should mostly have your Field I and Field II courses and your senior project remaining at this point. At the beginning of the academic year, please see the instructor whom you would like to work with on your senior project and notify the chairperson of the Arts & Sciences department. The chairperson needs to make sure that both you and your instructor understand the requirements for the INDS senior project. Continue to talk to your advisor, and check with the Registrar's Office to ensure that everything is set for your graduation. Please check with the chairperson of the Arts & Sciences department, even if he or she isn't your advisor. The chair will make sure you're ready for that final step into the world outside of North Central!