Interdisciplinary Minors

 

Interdisciplinary Minors seek to promote an understanding of the human condition from a perspective created by the interactions of multiple disciplines.  Interdisciplinary Minors may differ one from another substantially in purpose and/or design.  In some cases, an Interdisciplinary Minor may represent an area of scholarship with its own unique methodology and subject matter.  In others, an Interdisciplinary Minor may represent an emerging field that studies the world in a way that is not the province of an established discipline.  In still others, an Interdisciplinary Minor may reflect the preparation necessary for pursuing advanced study in an area that is itself interdisciplinary.

 

An Interdisciplinary Minor utilizes appropriate courses from multiple disciplines and requires completion of at least 15 credits.  Interdisciplinary Minors may consist entirely of presently standing courses, or require that additional courses such as an introduction to the interdisciplinary area, or a capstone, be added to the curriculum.   A newly proposed minor must demonstrate that the Interdisciplinary Minor advances students towards achieving General Education Understanding Content objectives.  In addition to consulting the guidelines presented below, persons seeking to develop new Interdisciplinary Minors should consult Appendix E of the faculty handbook for additional guidance.

 

1)      Required structural elements for new Interdisciplinary Minors

 

a)      Completion of at least 15 semester hours of courses approved for the minor.

b)      Completion of courses selected from at least two different departments

c)      Completion of at least nine hours of courses approved for General Education credit in the four disciplinary groups of the curriculum

d)      Identification of a program coordinator. The coordinator has the following responsibilities:

i)        Program curricular design, review and assessment 

ii)       Resource person for students and faculty interested in that Interdisciplinary Minor

iii)     Liaison with campus offices such as Records and Registration, and Admissions

iv)     Course development and procurement of both personnel and financial resources for supporting all new courses

 

2)      Required elements of a proposal

 

a)      Title of the Interdisciplinary Minor

b)      Coordinator’s name and home department

c)      Mission statement of the Interdisciplinary Minor

d)      Learning objectives of the Interdisciplinary Minor

e)      Program curricular structure, including a listing of required courses, if any, and alternatives, and

i)        The EPC course fact sheet and most recent syllabus for each existing course included in the Interdisciplinary Minor

ii)       For existing courses seeking General Education designation, a proposal following Educational Policies guidelines

iii)     For newly developed courses, a full course proposal following the guidelines of established Educational Policies procedures

f)        An Assessment Plan for the Interdisciplinary Minor

 

Individualized Interdisciplinary Minor

 

A student’s particular interest may not be addressed by any standing/approved Interdisciplinary Minor.  In such cases, a student in consultation with an advisor may prepare a plan of study to complete an Interdisciplinary Minor of his/her own design.  Upon a student’s completion of this program of study, the Registrar will note the individualized Interdisciplinary Minor upon that student’s transcript.  The following procedures apply for an individualized Interdisciplinary Minor.

 

  1. Proposals are submitted to the Director of General Education who will act upon a proposal within 14 days and notify student, advisor and Registrar of an approved minor.

 

  1. A student may have completed no more than two courses of the proposed plan of study by the end of the semester in which the proposal is submitted

 

  1. A Proposal must include the following:

 

    1. Title of the Interdisciplinary Minor
    2. A statement describing the general purpose of the Interdisciplinary Minor
    3. Specific learning objectives for the Interdisciplinary Minor
    4. Proposed plan of study identifying all course work to be included, and meeting the following requirements

                                                               i.      At least 15 semester hours of courses

                                                             ii.      Courses selected from at least two different departments

                                                            iii.      At least nine hours of courses approved for General Education credit in the four disciplinary groups of the curriculum

    1. Copies of the most recent syllabus for each course in the Interdisciplinary Minor program of study
    2. A letter of support from the student’s advisor