Multidisciplinary Studies
BA, BS

On-campus Undergraduate Major

The multidisciplinary studies program offers you the flexibility to pursue an area of study not available in an established major.

Multidisciplinary studies allows you to combine coursework in two or three disciplines to create your own major, working in consultation with a faculty advisor and the Director of Multidisciplinary Studies. You may earn a BA or a BS degree with your multidisciplinary studies major, depending on the design of your program of study. Classes, studios, and laboratories from any of the UMassD colleges may be included as part of the program of study.

Eligibility

Multidisciplinary studies is intended as an option for students who have some familiarity with college-level study. It is available only to students who have completed at least one semester of college work. It is not available to entering first-year students or entering transfer students.

After you complete at least 15 credits at UMass Dartmouth, you may apply to multidisciplinary studies. Students are required to have a GPA of at least 2.5. The earlier a program of study is designed, the greater the flexibility in scheduling the required courses.

If you are applying to UMass Dartmouth and are interested in pursuing multidisciplinary studies, please contact the Program Director. You will not have the option to select multidisciplinary studies when you apply.

The multidisciplinary studies major is built around a thematic program of study that encompasses two or three disciplines, one of which must be in the College of Arts & Sciences.

The program will consist of a minimum of 36 credits in the selected disciplines, 30 of which must be at the 300 level or above and constitute the core courses of the major. Ordinarily, the upper level credits will be evenly split between two disciplines. (Experiential learning and courses in pedagogy may not be included in the 300- and 400- level courses.)

Only three credits of either independent study or directed study may be included in the 36 credits of core courses, although students may petition for approval to include additional credits under exceptional circumstances.

Examples of topics or themes chosen by MDS majors are:

Communications/photography
Environmental studies
Society and aging
Sociobiology

Course descriptions, schedules and requirements

Internships: gain experience by pursuing internships in your areas of academic and professional interest
Research: investigate a specialized area of study while working with faculty advisors
Study online: take advantage of the latest learning technologies through blended and fully-online courses