At the undergraduate level, the Interdisciplinary Studies major can be completed with any of the following degree types:

Bachelor of Arts - Must complete all general university, GER and BA requirements, as well as the Interdisciplinary Studies major approval process. The BA degree requires students to have minor. A minimum of 130 credits are needed for this degree with at least 30 credits in the Interdisciplinary Studies major. 

Bachelor of Science - Must meet all general university, GER and BS requirements, as well as the Interdisciplinary Studies major approval process.  The BS degree requires two math classes including a calculus course, and four GER-approved natural science courses, including a two-semester science sequence. A minimum of 130 credits are needed for this degree with at least 30 credits in the Interdisciplinary Studies major.

Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences -  Students in the BAAS degree must have a previously earned AAS degree from an accredited institution. They also must complete all general university, GER and BAAS requirements, as well as the Interdisciplinary Studies major approval process.  A minimum of 120 credits are needed for this degree with at least 30 credits in the Interdisciplinary Studies major.

Associate of Applied Science -Must meet all general university and AAS degree requirements, as well as the Interdisciplinary Studies major approval process. A minimum of 60 credits are needed for this degree with at least 30 credits in the Interdisciplinary Studies major.

Most  Goals Option students take a combination of  in-person and online courses. It may be possible to complete it fully online depending on the specific courses that a student includes in their major. Students should work with their interdisciplinary advisor and faculty committee members to determine what courses and what delivery methods will work best for them and support their learning outcomes.  

More details about graduation requirements can be found in the UAF catalog.

In addition to general university requirements, General Education Requirements (GERs), degree specific requirements, the Interdisciplinary Studies -Goals Option major requires:

• Your major to be fully approved prior to your final semester.
• A minimum of 30 credits (either upper and/or lower division) be applied in the Interdisciplinary Studies major. 
  
• Two elements of the Capstone to be completed by the end of you final semester.  1. You and your faculty committee choose a course, project, internship, portfolio, or other culminating piece of work. 2. All students with a catalog year of 2022-23 and later must also complete the INDS F400 Interdisciplinary Studies Capstone course.

You can keep track of the Goals Option Graduation Requirements using Degree Works and a UIS Degree Planning Check Sheet

 

To be fully admitted to the Goals Option students must:

• Be admitted to the University of Alaska Fairbanks as a degree seeking student. If you need to apply for admission, follow the instructions here.
• If you are admitted to UAF, but are in another major, complete a Add or Change Major form to add or change to Interdisciplinary Studies.
• Have a GPA of 2.0 or higher
• Meet with an Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies Advisor. You can make an intake appointment here. 
• Meet with a faculty committee and have your Interdisciplinary Studies approval form signed by all faculty, UIS staff and deans listed on the form.  Details about forming a faculty committee and have your major approved in the Interdisciplinary Studies Major Approval Process section below.

• An Interdisciplinary Studies Major title cannot be redundant with or too similar to an existing UAF major.
• The title must be an accurate representation of courses, capstone and the major’s learning outcomes.
• A title can’t look like something it is not, and it can’t sound like a degree that has specialized professional  accreditation (e.g. nursing).
• Keep in mind that your diploma will read “Your Title: Interdisciplinary Studies”. Your title should not be too long or have unnecessary punctuation.

 

Major Title Examples from Alumni:

• Horticulture Management
• Materials Chemistry
• Mathematical Influences on Art
• Ethnobotany
• Indigenous Health and Wellness
• Juvenile Education, Intervention and Treatment 
• Computing Solutions for Small Businesses
• East Asian Language and Cultural Studies
• Construction Management and Design
• Health Care Administration
• Art History and Museum Studies
• Drafting and Design
• Community Restorative Practices 
• Sustainable Energy
• Public Administration

• Majors must have a minimum of 30 total credits and a minimum of 12 UAF resident credits (no resident credits needed for the AAS Major). Many INDS majors do have more than 30 credits.
• Individual courses must have a grade of CR, P, T,  or C- or better.
• When entering transfer credit courses on the approval form, the course number should be the course number at UAF and the original course number from the transfer school and the original course title should both be included in the "Course Title" Column 
• Courses must be from at least two different academic departments.
• Collectively, the major’s courses must demonstrate a cohesive body of knowledge and skills.
• Major courses can’t share with GER requirements.
• Anything above 30 credits can be shared with the BA, BS, or BAAS degree requirements.
• Major courses can share with ANT, minor, and double major, or dual degrees without restriction.
• 39 upper division credits are needed to earn a UAF bachelor’s degree, but there is no specific requirement for upper division credits in a major. However, all established UAF bachelor’s majors include some upper division credits. Therefore, interdisciplinary majors are highly encouraged to include upper division credits.

• The capstone for Interdisciplinary Studies goals option has two elements:
  • All students take INDS F400 Interdisciplinary Studies Capstone, a zero credit class that focuses on resume development and other practical steps in post-graduation planning.
  • Students are also required to have a unique capstone that is specific to their individual needs. 
• The unique capstone element can be, but is not limited to, an internship, research project, specific college-level course, portfolio or other collection of work. It should be measurable.
• The capstone is approved by the student’s interdisciplinary faculty committee.
• The intent of the capstone is to give INDS students an opportunity to utilize all of their skills/knowledge gained from their major. It should also serve to help tie the major together and prepare a student for the post-graduation application of their degree.
• The AAS Degree does not require a capstone.

General Guidelines

• Faculty committees must include a minimum of three members including the committee chair.
• The committee members must represent at least two different academic departments and should be selected based on their knowledge of the student’s interdisciplinary interests.
• The faculty committee members should be full-time UAF teaching or research faculty. 
• The committee chair should be a full time teaching faculty member from a college or school that offers the same degree level as the interdisciplinary degree. The committee chair will serve as the student’s faculty advisor once their interdisciplinary studies major has been approved.
• Committee members that don't meet the criteria above must be approved the UIS Director.
• An additional (forth) committee member is allowed, but is optional. The fourth committee member
  should be affiliated with the University of Alaska, but the other committee guidelines don’t apply. This can be a mentor or advisor that has helped the student develop their interdisciplinary plan or who offers specialized expertise related to the student’s interdisciplinary studies major.
• You can search for faculty with expertise in different areas on the Experts Guide service and your UIS Advisor can help you come up with committee members as well. 

Setting up Committee Meetings

• Student are responsible to set up their own faculty committee meeting. 
• Students should meet with a faculty committee by their sophomore year. Transfer students should meet their committee as soon as possible, ideally by their second semester at UAF. 
• If you have trouble finding a time that works for everyone, send a Doodle Poll to all your committee members and your UIS advisor to find a time that works for everyone. Make sure to include your availability too!
• Committees can meet in person or virtually. If you would like to meet in-person, your UIS Advisor can help secure a location. Most often, committee meetings are held virtually via Zoom. All UAF students can log into Zoom using their alaska.edu email address. Login here by typing alaska into the company domain box.
• Please invite your UIS Advisor to your committee meeting. We attend to answer questions that may come in the meeting about the Interdisciplinary major and the approval process.
• If you get stuck, and need help with setting up your committee meeting, reach out to your UIS advisor for assistance. 

Information for Faculty Committee Members

• Committee members are responsible for providing input, knowledge and a critical eye towards all aspects of a student's proposed major. The main areas of focus are:
  • The Title
  • The Course List
  • The Capstone
  • The Student's Proposal Narrative, including their individualized Learning Outcomes
• The time commitment can vary based on how far along in the process the student is but typically committee members are only required to spend time reviewing the student's major approval form and attending one or two 1-hour long committee meetings. 
• Committee members are encouraged to reach out the UIS Department if they have questions about serving on a committee.

Although students come to the UIS Goals option at different times in their college career, this is a general timeline for students to follow. Please talk to one of the UIS Advisors if you have specific questions. The timeline below is for bachelor's level students. Students in the AAS degree option, should meet with a UIS advisor to establish an individualized timeline. 

First/Second semesters :

• Explore classes in their areas of interest.
• Create a plan to complete GERs and Degree Requirements.
• Work on finding potential Faculty Committee Members.  Establish contact with possible committee members to get some early guidance and find out about possible hands-on opportunities and student organizations.
• Meet with an Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies Advisor to start the Major Approval Process.

Second/Third Semesters:

• Formally ask faculty to serve on your committee and have first meeting with Faculty Committee.
• Work with UIS Advisor to complete the Major Approval Form.
• Add a minor. Minors are required for BA degrees and optional for BS and BAAS degrees. AAS degrees cannot add minors. 

Third/Fourth Semesters:

• Submit final version of the Major Approval Form after approved by the Faculty Committee. 

Remaining Semesters:

• Finish all courses on the approved Course List. If any changes must be made work with Faculty Committee and UIS Advisor to find adequate replacements and fill out petitions with UIS advisor.
• Complete Capstone.
• Finish any remaining General University, GER and Degree Requirements.

All Interdisciplinary Studies Bachelor Degrees must go through the following steps to be approved:

• Students should fill out the Goals Option Approval Form appropriate to their degree level, and share it with and UIS advisor for review and initial edits. 
• A completed Major Approval From must be shared with the Faculty Committee prior to your committee meeting. 
• Once the Committee has given verbal or written approval. The Form will be sent by the UIS department via Docusign for signatures. It must be signed by:
  • The student
  • A UIS Advisor
  • All members of the Faculty Committee
  • The Director of UIS
  • The Faculty Committee Chair's Dean
  • The Vice Provost/ Dean of General Studies
• Once signed, the form will be sent to Graduation Services to be entered into Degree Works
• Any changes to the course list after the Major Approval Form has been submitted must be approved by a UIS Advisor and the Faculty Committee Chair. The student and the UIS Advisor will work together to submit a petition to Graduation Services to account for any changes. 
• The Faculty Committee and the UIS Advisor must be notified when the student has completed their Capstone. 
• Graduation Services will use the submitted Major Approval Form and any petitions to do the final graduation audit for the student.