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Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES/LEARNING OUTCOMES:

The bachelor of arts in interdisciplinary studies is a flexible "self-design" program. It is designed to help area students obtain a quality liberal arts baccalaureate degree in fields of study that would otherwise be unavailable to them in Central Maine. The bachelor of arts in interdisciplinary studies presents the opportunity to concentrate one's studies in fields like American studies, public relations, business technology, or art therapy through UMA.

This program allows students to design an individualized major, under the supervision of an interdisciplinary studies committee (ISC) comprised of faculty from each of the three colleges at UMA. The program will require any student who wishes to pursue a bachelor of arts in interdisciplinary studies degree to complete an integrated, interdisciplinary sequence of at least 39 credit hours of courses from multiple departments. The student must demonstrate that this program of study will meet specific educational goals that cannot be achieved within any existing departmentally-based major program.

Students enrolled in this program will:

• design, propose and complete a coherent, individualized and interdisciplinary degree program that is not currently at UMA
• write, in collaboration with faculty members, a learning proposal that incorporates specific programmatic outcomes
• experience increased engagement and investment in the educational process
• experience increased satisfaction when they have educational objectives that are not met by departmental majors
• increase their dialogue with and develop closer intellectual and academic relationships with faculty members
• create a broader array of educational opportunities and curriculum possibilities at UMA without additional financial investment

ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS:

• a high school diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (GED)
• satisfactory SAT scores -applicants are never denied admission based solely on test scores
• acceptable class standing, generally upper half of graduating class following a college preparatory program
• through placement testing, or other criteria, must be eligible for ENG101 and MAT100 or higher
• students with 45 or more credits must submit a learning proposal with the application; acceptance into the degree will be contingent upon approval of the learning proposal
• applicants who do not meet these requirements may qualify for admission by completing 15 credit hours or more at UMA or comparable course work with a minimum 2.00 grade point average.

ADVISING:

All students are required to meet with their advisors prior to registration. An advisor's signature or electronic equivalent is required for registration. Students are encouraged to continue to meet with their advisors on a regular basis to help ensure a productive and meaningful college experience. The College of Arts and Humanities will initially assign an academic advisor to all bachelor of arts in interdisciplinary studies majors upon acceptance to the College. As with any student, they are free to change advisors, pending the acceptance of responsibility by faculty outside of the College. By the time the student is prepared to forward a learning proposal, an appropriate (team of) academic advisor(s) must be named on the proposal. Members of the team are not restricted to UMA faculty; however, the team leader must be a member of the UMA faculty.

TRANSFER:

Students wishing to transfer credits in from institutions other than UMA should be aware that the General Education Requirements are very specific and that course equivalencies are determined after very careful scrutiny by academic officers of the institutions. Credit is accepted in transfer only from those institutions accredited by one of the six regional associations of schools and colleges. Only those courses applicable to the program are accepted. Grades of "D" earned on a University of Maine System campus are transferable. Grades of "D" earned at institutions outside the University System are not.

CREDIT FOR PRIOR LEARNING:

CLEP examinations may be taken at any time in the student's program. In many areas portfolio review, DANTES, and other options for credit exist. Students should contact the Office of Testing and Research for details.

UPPER-LEVEL CREDIT:

Upper-level credit is awarded only for those courses numbered 300-400 by UMA. Upper-level credit is not allowed for courses taken at two-year institutions, regardless of the numbering. Upper-level courses in which a grade of "D" was received may be used to meet program requirements, but are not applicable to the minimum upper-level credit hour requirement.

LEARNING PROPOSAL:

By the end of the third semester (45 credit hours), students must declare another major or write a learning proposal. If the student does neither by the completion of the fourth semester (60 credit hours), the registrar, in consultation with the dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, will place the student in the baccalaureate degree that best parallels the student's academic record.

At the earliest possible date, students should be discussing and planning their learning proposals with their academic advisor and others whom will likely be asked to join the advising team. Issues such as the availability of course work, other resources, or arranging internships need to be planned for at the outset.

Learning proposals should be submitted to the College of Arts and Humanities office. The ISC will review the learning proposals for their academic integrity and feasibility, then forward positive recommendations to the dean of the College of Arts and Humanities. Proposals denied by the ISC will be returned to the students with recommendations for revisions. In the (likely) event that the approved proposal crosses college boundaries, the ISC will copy all the appropriate deans. Learning proposals will be reviewed and approved by the dean(s) and the provost. Each learning proposal will contain:

1. the title of the concentration (i.e., art therapy, Franco-American studies, or women's studies)
2. the name(s) of the academic advisor(s)
3. programmatic outcomes
   1. what the student expects to learn
   2. any professional expectations that the degree should encompass
4. an outline of courses the student will be taking in sequential order, or a "sample" curriculum specific to the interdisciplinary program, including any internships or apprenticeships for credit, and a capstone experience
5. a justification for the sample curriculum
   1. course descriptions and sample curricula from other institutions that have programs similar to that of the proposal
   2. graduate school entry requirements in the discipline
   3. national or state licensing requirements
   4. professional standards
6. outside resources to be utilized
   1. other universities or colleges
   2. professional organizations
   3. businesses or outside agencies
   4. branches or agencies of government
   5. libraries
7. signature page
   1. student
   2. academic advisor(s)
   3. chair of the ISC
   4. dean(s)
   5. provost

Amending the learning proposal is allowable at anytime. Minor changes require the signature of the student, academic advisor(s), and the dean of the College of Arts and Humanities. Major amendments must be approved by the ISC and provost. The dean of the College of Arts and Humanities will determine whether an amendment is major or minor.

DEGREE:

Upon successful completion of the program requirements listed below, the student will be awarded a bachelor of arts in interdisciplinary studies degree.

• completion of 121-122 semester hours of credit
• minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00
• completion of 45 semester hours at the upper level (300-400 series)
• completion of the General Education Requirements
• completion of the learning proposal objectives and requirements

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS:

GENERAL EDUCATION (40-41 credit hours):

1. COMPETENCY: 12 credit hours from ENG101, 102W; MAT100 or higher-level mathematics course; and one of the following: COM101, 102, 104, or 106
2. FINE ARTS: 6 credit hours from any studio art, music, theatre or dance performance course and one of the following: ARH105, 106; ART211; DRA101, 265, 280; INT129; MUS123, 160, 180, 333, 334
3. DIVERSE TIMES AND CULTURES: 6 credit hours from a two-semester sequence of foreign language or American sign language, or HTY101 and  102, or HTY103 and 104, or HTY105 and 106
4. HUMANITIES: 3 credit hours from any art history; ART211; DRA101, 265, 280; any literature; any HTY; any humanities; INT129; MUS110, 113, 117, 120, 123, 124, 131, 160, 180, 223, 333, 334; any PHI; HUM/POS390; WST101W
5. SCIENCE: 7-8 credit hours from one laboratory science (4 credit hours) and any laboratory or descriptive science (3-4 credit hours)
6. SOCIAL SCIENCE: 6 credit hours from two different disciplines: PSY100, SOC101, 201, ANT101, 102, GEO101, ECO100, 201, 202, POS101, or 102

INTERDISCIPLINARY REQUIREMENTS (81 credit hours):

1. INTERDISCIPLINARY COMPONENT (39 credit hours): 24 credit hours must be 300-400 level courses
2. UPPER-LEVEL ELECTIVES: an additional 21 credit hours of 300-400 level courses
3. ELECTIVES (21 credit hours)

Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies Sample Curriculum

FIRST YEAR

SECOND YEAR

THIRD YEAR

FOURTH YEAR