Admission process for an interdisciplinary studies major with a general studies concentration

1. Contact the office of Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies for materials, procedures and to make an appointment with an interdisciplinary studies advisor. Please click on the "schedule an appointment" link on the undergraduate interdisciplinary studies website or call 907-474-1849.

2. If you are not currently a UAF student, are attending as a nondegree student or are enrolled in an associate or certificate program, you need to apply for admission to a bachelor’s degree with the UAF Office of Admissions. If you are currently active in a bachelor's degree program at UAF, you do not need to reapply for admission and can skip this step. New transfer students must have official transcripts from all previous colleges sent to UAF’s Office of Admissions.

3. Submit a General Studies concentration rationale form. The interdisciplinary studies major with a general studies concentration is intended for students who have 100 or more college credits but are not close to graduating or have obstacles preventing them from graduating with a particular major.

4. Your responses on the application form will be reviewed by a degree completion advisor, the director of the Academic Advising Center, the director of Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies, and the UAF vice provost for admission to the major.

5. Once admitted to the interdisciplinary studies major, you will receive a degree audit, and your DegreeWorks will be updated to show your degree requirements.

6. You will continue to work with a degree completion academic advisor on your path to graduation.

More information can be found on the interdisciplinary studies website.

Admission process for an interdisciplinary studies custom major (goals option)

1. Students who are interested in an interdisciplinary studies program should start by meeting with an advisor in the office of Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies to discuss and develop their educational plan. Please click on the "schedule an appointment" link on the undergraduate interdisciplinary studies website.

2. If you are not currently a UAF student, are attending as a non-degree student or are enrolled in an associate or certificate program, you need to apply for admission to a bachelor’s degree with the UAF Office of Admissions. If you are currently active in a bachelor's degree program at UAF, you do not need to reapply for admission and can skip this step.

3. Create a draft of your interdisciplinary studies major plan, including its title, courses to be included, a written description and a capstone. You can work on a draft directly on the Interdisciplinary Studies Bachelor's Degree- Goals Option Approval Form. Students are also encouraged to use a plan ahead worksheet or spreadsheet to lay out a path to graduation. 

4. Contact at least three faculty to serve as your interdisciplinary committee. An optional fourth committee member can be added for further expertise and advice. One faculty member will serve as the chair/advisor. The faculty chair should be affiliated with an academic unit that provides the degree level you are seeking. Students are welcome to work with faculty at all stages of their major, but once you have a draft of the approval form completed, you should arrange a committee meeting for all members to meet and discuss your academic plan. At this meeting, the committee will review your interdisciplinary studies major and provide feedback to help you refine your title and proposed courses. They will also help you select an appropriate graduation capstone. An interdisciplinary capstone can be (but is not limited to) an internship, a research project or a course. A capstone should help tie the major together and/or help prepare students for their post-graduation goals.

5. After receiving feedback and advice from your faculty committee, you will fill out or edit your drafted Interdisciplinary Studies Bachelor's Degree- Goals Option Approval Form. The form must be submitted electronically to the office of Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies, and will then be routed for electronic signatures by you, each of your committee members and the dean of your committee chair as well as the director of undergraduate interdisciplinary studies and vice provost for final approval.

6. Once your interdisciplinary studies packet is approved, you will be notified and your DegreeWorks will be updated to show your new major’s courses. You will work with your committee chair as your primary academic advisor going forward.

7. Any changes to the approved curriculum are made with the approval of your faculty committee chair and submitted on a UAF Undergraduate Petition Form signed by your committee chair, the Vice Provost. Petitions should be submitted to an interdisciplinary studies program advisor who will review the request with the vice provost for final approval.

8. The approved title of your major will appear on your transcript  and diploma when you graduate as “Interdisciplinary Studies: Your Title.”

For more information visit the interdisciplinary studies website.

Admission process for an interdisciplinary studies custom minor

1. Students who are interested in an interdisciplinary studies minor should meet with an advisor in the office of Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies to develop and discuss their proposed minor. Please click on the "schedule an appointment" link on the undergraduate interdisciplinary studies website.
2. After meeting with the interdisciplinary minor advisor, complete and electronically submit an interdisciplinary studies minor approval form to uaf-interdisciplinary@alaska.edu. On the form you will list the title of your proposed minor, answer short essay questions about your minor’s theme, and list courses included in the minor. An interdisciplinary minor cannot be titled the same as an existing minor and must demonstrate a cohesive body of knowledge skills. The approved title will appear on your transcript.
3. A committee appointed by the vice provost will review and approve interdisciplinary studies minors. This committee will ensure that an appropriate and cohesive body of knowledge and skills is addressed in the planned minor and that the interdisciplinary minor does not overlap with an existing minor. The committee may ask for changes to the minor before approving. Copies of the signed and approved form are sent to the student and the Office of the Registrar to be added to the student's records.

Admission process for an interdisciplinary environmental change minor

The minor in interdisciplinary environmental change provides students with an integrative understanding of the causes, impacts, and potential mitigation of anthropogenic environmental change by combining relevant knowledge, perspectives, and critical thinking skills from across the natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, and Alaska Native studies. This minor is intentionally interdisciplinary, reflective of the multidimensionality of the social-ecological issue of environmental change. It is flexible to allow students to pursue their individual lines of interest within this broad field. UAF is a world leader in environmental change and Arctic research due in part to its location, where the impacts of climate change can be observed and felt at an accelerated pace, and is an ideal setting in which to engage with faculty possessing expertise in multiple dimensions of environmental change, through in-person and/or online coursework.

For more information or to apply please click on the "schedule an appointment" link on the undergraduate interdisciplinary studies website.

Minimum Requirements for Interdisciplinary Environmental Change Minor: 15 credits

Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies - Division of General Studies
Interdisciplinary Studies
907-474-1849