2022-2023 Undergraduate General Catalog

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Interdisciplinary Major

Major Requirements
39 credit hours (minimum)

Faculty Interdisciplinary Committee
In proposing their customized curriculum, students will secure a faculty advisor from each department utilized in the plan of study. Those faculty, in consultation with the co-directors of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, will serve as the student’s Faculty Interdisciplinary Committee (FIC). This committee will be responsible for approving the students proposed INDP curriculum and capstone project. The student will solicit one faculty member to serve as chair of their FIC, with that faculty member overseeing the capstone project and assigning their final grade. A co-director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies may serve as a student’s FIC chair.

Department Coursework – 36 credit hours (minimum)
Students will take 4-8 courses from two or three departments. If courses are taken in three departments, the student will take 4 courses from each; if in two departments they will take 4-8 courses from each, to total a minimum of 12 courses, or a minimum of 36 credit hours (with a minimum of 12 credit hours per department). Furthermore:

  • courses comprising the individualized curriculum are chosen in consultation with faculty advisors from each department, with final approval of the proposed curriculum coming from the Faculty Interdisciplinary Committee (FIC). The student’s capstone proposal need not be approved at this time.
  • no more than two (or three if three department track is used) 100-level courses may count towards the major.
  • courses counting towards a student’s subsequent majors and/or minors may not be counted towards the INDP major.

Capstone Course – 3 credit hours
The student and chair of the student’s FIC will craft the interdisciplinary capstone experience to provide the student with the ability to apply and synthesize the substance of courses taken in their INDP major. The capstone will be an integrative project (e.g. applying what they have learned throughout their program to real-world experiences or expectations). In order to ensure timely progression through the major, students should solicit approval for their capstone project at least a semester in advance of their projected graduation. Students must present their project’s results to a larger audience, preferably at an academic conference, sponsored talk, or the Arthur Olson Student Research Symposium.

Process

  • Students should apply for an interdisciplinary (INDP) major in their second year, or no later than two years prior to graduation. Paperwork should be filed with the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies and processed with the Registrar’s Office.
  • To apply, students must develop an individualized curriculum that addresses a problem, question, or area of investigation of special interest that cannot be adequately addressed by an existing major. A general set of prompted questions will be provided in the student’s application to the INDP major . A separate application will be required for the student’s capstone project.
  • This individualized curriculum must consist of course work as identified above (i.e. in two or three departments, 39 cr., no more than two or three 100-level courses).
  • Students will work with a faculty member from each respective department to create a proposed plan of study that will be vetted and approved by the student’s FIC (comprised of a faculty member from each department and the co-directors of the CIS directors). Signatures from relevant departmental faculty members and CIS directors are required for the proposal’s approval.
  • Students will select a faculty member (departmental or CIS director) relevant to the proposed curriculum to serve as the chair of their FIC. This person will be responsible for mentoring the student through their integrative pursuit of academic and experiential learning while at Augustana.
  • Students wishing to deviate from the approved plan of study will need to file a change of curriculum petition, approved by the CIS and chair of the student’s FIC.
  • Students must take a capstone course in their final year at Augustana. Students are encouraged to create an ePortfolio, but will be required to provide some sort of reflection to complement their classroom experience. Students’ capstone projects (experiential learning and reflection) will be proposed for approval by the student’s FIC and overseen by the FIC chair.