Interdisciplinary/Multidisciplinary Studies: A.A., A.S., B.A., B.S.
Interdisciplinary/Multidisciplinary Studies will allow you to explore a particular area of interest, theme, theory, concern, profession or topic from more than one perspective. Your close, interdisciplinary examination will be the basis of both discovery and integration of interconnected ideas from different areas. You will sharpen your skills in writing and research and critical reading and thinking, as, together with a faculty mentor, you create a program to meet your specific needs and goals.
Why choose a degree in Interdisciplinary/Multidisciplinary Studies?
A degree in Interdisciplinary/Multidisciplinary Studies can be an excellent foundation for:
- Teaching,
- Graduate work,
- Social-services delivery,
- Journalism or creative writing,
- Advocacy in an area of interest,
- Communications,
- The arts, or
- Law.
Degrees Available
As a regionally accredited college of the State University of New York, SUNY Empire State College offers the following degrees in Interdisciplinary/Multidisciplinary Studies:
- Associate in Arts
- Associate in Science
- Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor of Science
- Bachelor of Professional Studies
Taking individual courses as a nondegree student also is possible and will offer you the same range and depth of courses and rigorous standards as matriculated undergraduate students.
Popular Concentrations
- Criminal Justice by combining:
- Community and Human Services
- Social Science
- Women’s Health by combining:
- Science, Mathematics and Technology
- Community and Human Services
- Human Development
- Cultural Studies
- Environmental Studies by combining:
- Science, Mathematics and Technology
- Community and Human Services
- Business, Management and Economics
- Cultural Studies
For sample degree programs and other degree planning resources, please visit the the Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Studies Degree Planning web page.
Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Studies with a Specific Interdisciplinary Concentration (other than General Studies)
Guidelines for an Associate of Science or Associate in Arts degree
Students will develop a concentration in multiple areas that combine around a well-explained problem, question, theme, or interdisciplinary field. Concentrations must have a title, in addition to the Area of Study in Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Studies.
1. Foundations
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to explain fundamental concepts and principles of at least two of the fields involved in the concentration, at least one of which must be a liberal arts and sciences field. These fields include The Arts (including visual, performing, or digital arts), Cultural Studies (including literature, communication, creative writing, expository writing, languages/linguistics, literature, philosophy religion), Historical Studies, Social and Behavioral Sciences (including anthropology, economics, human development, political science, public affairs, sociology, or psychology), Natural Sciences (including biology, chemistry, environmental science, physical sciences) and Mathematics, but not professional disciplines such as Human Services, Educational Studies, or Business.
These foundations will vary based on student interest and focus but are likely met through survey courses at the 1000-level with titles that might include words such as introduction/introductory, principles, exploring, foundations, or literacy, but may be a single subject that serves as a prerequisite to further study in that field. Examples include, but are not limited to: Introduction to Literature, Media and Visual Literacy, Introduction to Psychology, Biology I, Foundations of Anatomy and Physiology, Marketing Principles, or Statistics.
2. Communication
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to develop effective arguments in writing and speech, including demonstrating critical listening, reading and interpretation skills, in multiple contexts and through multiple strategies.
This guideline may be met by any course that meets the General Education category of Basic Communication, but most often is met through courses such as College Writing, Composition, Effective Academic Writing, or Public Speaking.
3. Critical thinking and problem solving
- Learning outcome: Students will develop abilities in reading, writing, and evaluating information critically, i.e., with sustained attention to meaning, presentation, and argument.
- Learning outcome: Students will build the capacity to identify and describe main ideas, underlying, assumptions, and valid conclusions.
These guidelines are most often met through courses that specifically deal with reasoning, such as Introduction to Critical Thinking, Introduction to Philosophy or Proposal Writing and Logical Argument.
4. Quantitative literacy
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to apply basic quantitative skills to the analysis and interpretation of real-world quantitative information to draw conclusions.
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to apply and present quantitative information to support personal, professional, and societal goals.
These guidelines are most often met through any course meeting the General Education category of Mathematics. Courses include Statistics, Algebra, Contemporary Mathematics, Visualizing Math, The History of Math, and Discovering Math Across Generations.
5. Research skills and information and digital literacy
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to apply information from a variety of media, including digital media, with an emphasis on scholarly sources.
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to critically evaluate sources and reach well-reasoned conclusions, attributing sources appropriately, to effectively convey information.
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to use digital tools to advance learning, as well as personal and professional development.
These guidelines may be met through courses that infuse digital research skills, such as Digital Literacy, or Media and Visual Literacy, or by courses that discuss the transformation of culture and society due to digital technologies, such as Communication through New Media, Digital Culture and Society, or The Digital Environment in a Post-Truth World.
6. Social responsibility
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to engage in ethical reasoning and reflect on issues such as: democratic citizenship; diversity, such as gender, race, class, sexuality; social justice; and environmental sustainability, both locally and globally.
Courses to meet this guideline might include references to subjects such as ethics, diversity, equity and inclusion, or the environment in their titles and include titles such as Introduction to Ethics, Business Ethics, Media, Ethics and Law, Sex and Gender in Western Culture, Images of Women in Western Civilization, African American Literature, Environmental Studies, Social, Professional, and Ethical Issues in Computing or Sustainability and Agriculture.
All students at SUNY Empire are expected to demonstrate Breadth and Depth of Knowledge. Students may use Educational Planning as an integrating study or capstone in order to explore connections and patterns within their learning, including prior learning. They do this through the following guidelines:
7. Building on Foundations
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to apply learning in at least two of the fields involved in the concentration and a progression that builds on fundamental concepts and principles. This will be demonstrated through courses from at least the 2000 level in the foundation areas.
8. Interconnections
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to describe how their concentration combines two or more distinct disciplinary areas.
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to identify connections and contrasts among two or more disparate approaches or perspectives, or multiple fields that combine to respond to a question, topic, or theme.
Students earning Associate Degrees must earn at least 8-12 credits in each of two areas, or 16-24 credits from three or more areas that come together to constitute a response to a well-explained problem, question, theme, or interdisciplinary field.
Guidelines for a bachelor's degree
Students will develop a concentration in multiple areas that combine around a well-explained problem, question, theme, or interdisciplinary field. Concentrations must have a title, in addition to the Area of Study in Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Studies.
1. Foundations
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to explain fundamental concepts and principles of at least two of the fields involved in the concentration, at least one of which must be a liberal arts and sciences field. These fields include The Arts (including visual, performing, or digital arts), Cultural Studies (including literature, communication, creative writing, expository writing, languages/linguistics, literature, philosophy religion), Historical Studies, Social and Behavioral Sciences (including anthropology, economics, human development, political science, public affairs, sociology, or psychology), Natural Sciences (including biology, chemistry, environmental science, physical sciences) and Mathematics, but not professional disciplines such as Human Services, Educational Studies, or Business.
These foundations will vary based on student interest and focus but are likely met through survey courses at the 1000-level with titles that might include words such as introduction/introductory, principles, exploring, foundations, or literacy, but may be a single subject that serves as a prerequisite to further study in that field. Examples include, but are not limited to: Introduction to Literature, Media and Visual Literacy, Introduction to Psychology, Biology I, Foundations of Anatomy and Physiology, Marketing Principles, or Statistics.
2. Communication
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to develop effective arguments in writing and speech, including demonstrating critical listening, reading and interpretation skills, in multiple contexts and through multiple strategies.
This guideline may be met by any course that meets the General Education category of Basic Communication, but most often is met through courses such as College Writing, Composition, Effective Academic Writing, or Public Speaking.
3. Critical thinking and problem solving
- Learning outcome: Students will develop abilities in reading, writing, and evaluating information critically, i.e., with sustained attention to meaning, presentation, and argument.
- Learning outcome: Students will build the capacity to identify and describe main ideas, underlying assumptions, and valid conclusions.
These guidelines are most often met through courses that specifically deal with reasoning, such as Introduction to Critical Thinking, Introduction to Philosophy or Proposal Writing and Logical Argument.
4. Quantitative literacy
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to apply basic quantitative skills to the analysis and interpretation of real-world quantitative information to draw conclusions.
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to apply and present quantitative information to support personal, professional, and societal goals.
These guidelines are most often met through any course meeting the General Education category of Mathematics. Courses include Statistics, Algebra, Contemporary Mathematics, Visualizing Math, The History of Math, and Discovering Math Across Generations.
5. Research skills and information and digital literacy
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to apply information from a variety of media, including digital media, with an emphasis on scholarly sources.
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to critically evaluate sources and reach well-reasoned conclusions, attributing sources appropriately, to effectively convey information.
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to use digital tools to advance learning, as well as personal and professional development.
These guidelines may be met through courses that infuse digital research skills, such as Digital Literacy, or Media and Visual Literacy, or by courses that discuss the transformation of culture and society due to digital technologies, such as Communication through New Media, Digital Culture and Society, or The Digital Environment in a Post-Truth World.
6. Social responsibility
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to engage in ethical reasoning and reflect on issues such as: democratic citizenship; diversity, such as gender, race, class, sexuality; social justice; and environmental sustainability, both locally and globally.
Courses to meet this guideline might include references to subjects such as ethics, diversity, equity and inclusion, or the environment in their titles and include titles such as Introduction to Ethics, Business Ethics, Media, Ethics and Law, Sex and Gender in Western Culture, Images of Women in Western Civilization, African American Literature, Environmental Studies, Social, Professional, and Ethical Issues in Computing or Sustainability and Agriculture.
All students at SUNY Empire are expected to demonstrate Breadth and Depth of Knowledge. Students in IMS with a specific concentration do this through the following guidelines:
7. Development of knowledge and current perspectives
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to analyze the system of ideas on which a field or discipline is based. This may mean tracing the definition, foundations, vocabulary, and scope of a field or it might mean discussing the environment in which ideas or priorities change and explain current thinking in the field.
Courses meeting this guideline will be at the advanced (3000, 4000 or graduate) level, and include courses such as Art History, History and Theories of New Media, Globalization: Business and Society in the Information Age, Economic Issues in Health Care or Contemporary Environmental Issues.
8. Theoretical and/or methodological knowledge
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to evaluate, critique, and apply theories, critical approaches, and/or methodologies in at least two of the areas of inquiry within the concentration or a single already well-established interdisciplinary field.
Courses meeting this guideline will be at the advanced (3000, 4000 or graduate) level, and typically include courses with words such as theory/theories, methods, critical in their titles such as Performance Theory, Communication Theories, Social Science Research Methods, Theory of Computation, Travel and Tourism: A Critical Perspective, and/or course descriptions that refer to these concepts such as Literature and Culture of the Vampire, Advertising and Society, or Evolution.
9. Synthesis of knowledge
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to analyze and form critical perspectives through the synthesis of two or more areas of study through either a capstone study, a senior project or thesis, or through identifying a study or through Prior Learning Assessment that combine at least two areas as discussed thoroughly in the degree rationale.
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to identify connections and contrasts between two or more disparate approaches or perspectives, or multiple fields.
Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Studies with a concentration in General Studies
Guidelines for a Bachelor of Science degree
Students will explain what led them to make the decision to earn a concentration in General Studies rather than a degree with more of a disciplinary or interdisciplinary focus.
1. Foundations
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to explain fundamental concepts and principles of at least two of the fields involved in the degree.
These foundations will vary based on student interest and focus but are likely met through survey courses at the 1000-level with titles that might include words such as introduction/introductory, principles, exploring, foundations, or literacy, but may be a single subject that serves as a prerequisite to further study in that field. Examples include, but are not limited to:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| LITR 1005 | Introduction to Literature | 4 |
| ARTS 1140 | Media and Visual Literacy | 4 |
| PSYC 1005 | Introduction to Psychology | 4 |
| BIOL 1210 | Biology I | 3 |
| BIOL 1300 | Anatomy & Physiology I | 4 |
| MRKT 1005 | Marketing Principles | 4 |
| MATH 1065 | Statistics | 3-4 |
2. Communication
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to develop effective arguments in writing and speech, including demonstrating critical listening, reading and interpretation skills, in multiple contexts and through multiple strategies.
This guideline may be met by any course that meets the General Education category of Basic Communication, but most often is met through courses such as:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| COMW 1005 | College Writing | 3,4 |
| COMW 2005 | Effective Academic Writing | 2,3 |
| COMM 1030 | Public Speaking | 4 |
3. Critical thinking and problem solving
Learning outcome: Students will develop abilities in reading, writing, and evaluating information critically, i.e., with sustained attention to meaning, presentation, and argument.
Learning outcome: Students will build the capacity to identify and describe main ideas, underlying assumptions, and valid conclusions.
These guidelines are most often met through courses that specifically deal with reasoning, such as:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CUST 2030 | Introduction to Critical Thinking | 2 |
| PHIL 2005 | An Introduction to Philosophy | 4 |
| COMW 3005 | Proposal Writing and Logical Argument | 3 |
4. Quantitative literacy
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to apply basic quantitative skills to the analysis and interpretation of real-world quantitative information to draw conclusions.
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to apply and present quantitative information to support personal, professional, and societal goals.
These guidelines are most often met through any course meeting the General Education category of Mathematics. Courses include:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 1065 | Statistics | 3-4 |
| MATH 1040 | Algebra | 3,4 |
| MATH 1005 | Contemporary Mathematics | 4 |
| MATH 1030 | Visualizing Mathematics | 4 |
| MATH 2005 | History of Mathematics: Introductory | 4 |
| MATH 1010 | Discovering Math Across Generations | 4 |
5. Research skills and information and digital literacy
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to apply information from a variety of media, including digital media, with an emphasis on scholarly sources.
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to critically evaluate sources and reach well-reasoned conclusions, attributing sources appropriately, to effectively convey information.
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to use digital tools to advance learning, as well as personal and professional development.
These guidelines may be met through courses that infuse digital research skills, such as:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ARTS 1140 | Media and Visual Literacy | 4 |
or by courses that discuss the transformation of culture and society due to digital technologies, such as:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| COMM 3015 | Communication through New Media | 4 |
| ANTH 2005 | Digital Culture & Society | 4 |
| DIGA 3041 | The Digital Environment in a Post-Truth World | 4 |
6. Social responsibility
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to engage in ethical reasoning and reflect on issues such as: democratic citizenship; diversity, such as gender, race, class, sexuality; social justice; and environmental sustainability, both locally and globally.
Courses to meet this guideline might include references to subjects such as ethics, diversity, equity and inclusion, or the environment in their titles and include titles such as:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PHIL 2020 | Introduction to Ethics | 4 |
| BUSN 3010 | Business Ethics | 4 |
| COMM 3025 | Media Ethics & Law | 3,4 |
| ANTH 3122 | Sex & Gender in Global Perspective | 4 |
| ARTS 4035 | Images of Women in Western Civilization | 4 |
| LITR 2006 | African American Literature: Intro | 4 |
| ENSC 1200 | Environmental Science | 4 |
| INFT 3045 | Social, Professional & Ethical Issues in Computing | 4 |
| ENST 3010 | Sustainability & Agriculture | 4 |
All students at ESC are expected to demonstrate Breadth and Depth of Knowledge. Students may use Educational Planning as an integrating study or capstone in order to explore connections and patterns within their learning, including prior learning. They do this through the following guidelines:
7. Building on Foundations
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to explain concepts in at least one subject or topic in their degree plan or PLA and a progression that builds on fundamental concepts and principles and includes intermediate and advanced study.
8. Interconnections
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to describe how their concentration combines two or more distinct disciplinary areas.
- Learning outcome: Students will be able to identify connections and contrasts between two or more disparate approaches or perspectives, or multiple fields.
Students concentrating in General Studies must earn at least 12 upper-level credits in a single area of focus, which may include any liberal arts and sciences subject, professional disciplines such as Business, Education, or Human Services, or topics assessed through PLA, and 8 upper-level credits in any second area of focus, discipline, or PLA.