INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES PURPOSE/ESSAY GUIDELINES

The purpose of the Interdisciplinary Studies Major - Student Designed (ISM-SD) is to provide a route by which highly motivated and independently disciplined students can systematically pursue a course of study that is not available through existing programs (majors) at the University.  It is presumed that every approved major will include study of an issue, problem, or area of intellectual concern in some depth.  It is expected that the student's program will have a coherence or unity to it and not be merely a collection of courses.  It is not to be used as a mechanism to merely take courses in three areas of interest, but is to be a unified major.  It is not to be used as a device to avoid those portions of an existing major that are uninteresting, or too difficult for an individual.  Instead the major is to be something new, something different, something that is academically sound, and something that will contribute to the individual's intellectual development.

The student should prepare a thoughtful essay that addresses the following points.

  1. A thorough well-thought out plan which articulates a major that is not merely a collection of courses but a unified whole that is greater than the sum of parts (**Note: students may not double count general education and major courses).
  1. Evidence that what the student wants to do is not available through an existing major and is educationally sound.
  1. Evidence that the ISM-SD is viable for what you want to do in the future (e.g., if it leads to graduate study it will be acceptable to graduate schools).
  1. Evidence that the proposed intellectual and academic content is comparable to other majors--this should include an appropriate number of advanced courses to provide depth.


Guidelines above adapted from those of the University of New Hampshire

When you write your essay, thoroughly address each of the following questions, as well as anything else you feel is pertinent. If you turn it in after the eleventh week of the semester you should expect that the final approval will not happen until the following semester, which could affect the courses you can include in your major.

Remember, an Interdisciplinary Studies major is equivalent to a major designed and approved by a department and approved by the College Curriculum Committee and the University Curriculum Committee. Your essay is expected to exhibit significant thought and present good reasoning.

When writing your essay, you should make the best case for your major that you can. This is not something that can be revised and negotiated if your first version isn’t accepted. It should be a minimum of five, typed and double-spaced pages beyond the cover page. The cover page must include your name, the name you propose for your major, your e-mail address, your phone number, and your regular mail address so you can be contacted.

Keep in mind that the purpose of the essay is to demonstrate that (1) you’re someone who is likely to be successful in taking more responsibility for your education than is expected of all students, (2) you’ve thought about the possibilities and implications involved in the student designed interdisciplinary major, and (3) your major fulfills the goals described above. Thoroughly answering every question below is very important to accomplish those purposes.

QUESTIONS TO ANSWER IN THE ESSAY

  1. Why do you want to pursue an Interdisciplinary Studies Major? Why do this instead of a similar major that’s already accepted?
  2. Why is it academically better to pursue an Interdisciplinary Studies Major rather than a regular major and careful selection of electives?
  3. What have you done to find out if a major exist at another school that is similar to the major you propose? Name the schools for which you have looked at course catalogs, name the majors you looked for, and describe what you found. If the major you plan to design is intended to be similar to a major that exists elsewhere but is not offered at HSU, explain why don’t you attend a college where the major exists.
  4. What courses would you include in each of the three areas? (Keep in mind these choices may change after consultation with faculty in each area.) Make a single-spaced vertical list, with the proposed name for each area followed by the courses you propose to include in each area. Include the course number, name, number of units, and if you’ve completed the course or are currently enrolled in it. You may include choices in your list, such as “one of the following three classes,” if you wish.
  5. How does each of those courses integrate with the others? How do the courses you’d select create a whole program that is more than a set of courses with a similar theme? This should be the largest single section of your essay. You should have at least one paragraph for each course in your list from question #4, including all choices if you have them, and they should be in the same order as they are in your list. Your essay must address how the courses relate to each other, both within the same area and with courses in other areas. If you found a similar major elsewhere you can use it as evidence of integration if you include similar courses. You must also have at least one paragraph explaining how the major you propose is, overall, a unified whole program.
  6. If your major proposal is not approved, what would you do to complete your degree? (Remember, revising and resubmitting the proposal is not an option.)
  7. What do you plan to do with your major after graduation? What evidence do you have that your Interdisciplinary Major will help you pursue your goals?

If you plan to go to graduate school, describe the evidence you have (what it is and where you got it) that your major meets the expectations of graduate schools in the discipline you intend to pursue. If you intend to go into a particular profession or career, describe the evidence you have (what it is and where you got it) that your major meets the expectations of the profession or career. (You should go to graduate school catalogs or the career center for some of your evidence. Feel free to attach photocopies of the information you find to your essay.) This must not be an unsupported assertion of what you know. If you don’t know what you want to do after graduation explain how your major prepares you to make future choices and indicate that you are not trying to create a major that prepares you for specific future goals.

  1. What do you propose for a Senior Project that provides a cumulative experience bringing the three areas of your major together? What will be the final product that will be turned in to the IS Major Coordinator? (This may change when it comes time to actually do the project.)
  2. Attach a current copy of your unofficial transcript to your essay.

You can look at a copy of a successful proposal at http://www.humboldt.edu/~advise/SampleProposal.pdf

It isn’t perfect, and some of the guidelines have been revised since it was written, but it can give you a good idea of what to do.

Be sure to include your name, the proposed title of your major, your e-mail address, phone number, and regular mail address on the cover page.