Eastern Oregon University > Interdisciplinary Studies > FAQ

FAQ

Is this degree right for me?

The Interdisciplinary Studies degree program allows students to earn a bachelor’s degree while exploring complex topics through the academic lens of two or more fields of study and with appropriate inclusion of extracurricular experiences and activities.  Interdisciplinary Studies provides a framework for students to meet the following University Learning Outcomes:

  • Gaining a breadth of knowledge
  • Strengthening your ability to inquire, create, and communicate
  • Being engaged in the community and exercising personal and social responsibility
  • Integrating, applying, and reflecting on skills and knowledge

This program allows students to approach real-world problems and questions in multidisciplinary and holistic ways that appeal to employers in the 21st Century.

What can I do with a degree in Integrative Studies?

Interdisciplinary Studies emphasizes knowledge and skills essential to a successful career

Based on a national survey conducted by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), employers increasingly seek applicants who are able to demonstrate the following essential skills:

  1. The ability to work well in teams—especially with people different from yourself
  2. An understanding of science and technology and how these subjects are used in real-world settings
  3. The ability to write and speak well
  4. The ability to think clearly about complex problems
  5. The ability to analyze a problem to develop workable solutions
  6. An understanding of global context in which work is now done
  7. The ability to be creative and innovative in solving problems
  8. The ability to apply knowledge and skills in new settings
  9. The ability to understand numbers and statistics
  10. A strong sense of ethics and integrity

Source: AAC&U “Top Ten Things Employers Look for in New College Graduates” http://www.aacu.org/leap/students/employers-top-ten

What if I plan to attend graduate school?

Many graduate programs require applicants to have successfully completed specific undergraduate courses but do not require a specific undergraduate degree for admission. Interdisciplinary Studies offers a high degree of flexibility toward building a plan of study that includes these required courses. Graduate program websites will explicitly list any prerequisite courses and other admission requirements; program websites should be consulted as a plan of study is developed. If you are interested in continuing on to graduate-level studies, you should work with your EOU advisor and relevant faculty to develop a plan of study that is geared toward admission into a particular graduate program as early as possible. Advisors and faculty can also help you identify which graduate programs are best suited toward reaching your goals—they are your primary resource for success.

Can I still complete a Liberal Studies Major?

Liberal Studies Completion:

If you declared the Liberal Studies Major by the end of winter 2015 you will be able to complete your degree as long as you stay continuously enrolled or have a graduation application on file with the Registrar’s office. Students will be able to substitute the two IS courses (IS 301 & 401) in the re-designed Integrative Studies program for the previous Liberal Studies Capstone.

Liberal Studies Major:  History and a Redesign

To meet the needs of students desiring to complete an undergraduate degree through courses taken off campus, EOU designed a Major in Liberal Studies. Students met the requirements by taking two academic minors, or by creating an individualized program of study. The students then completed the degree by conducting an independent research capstone project combining the minor disciplines or the chosen focus of the individualized program. While a very popular degree, Liberal Studies also required significant faculty and administrative support for the capstone projects, and many students were unable to complete the independent capstone project within a reasonable time frame.

Based on these realities, EOU decided to redesign the program, now called the Integrative Studies Major, and eliminated the Liberal Studies option for any students who had not declared the Major by winter 2015.

Students who prefer to change to the redesigned program can submit a program change request here. It should be noted that once a student moves off of Liberal Studies there is not returning to that program, it is strongly suggested that the student should speak with their academic advisors before proceeding.

How do I begin?

Student should contact their academic adviser which can be found in Webster & Degree Works for more information about the program.

For more help finding your academic adviser please use this contact information below:

Advising 
Eastern Oregon University
One University Blvd
La Grande, OR 97850

Phone: 541-962-3378
Toll Free: 1-800-544-2195
Fax: 541-962-3953

On-campus Student email: advising@eou.edu
Online Student email: online@eou.edu

Question in regards to the IS 301 – IS 401 Capstone series should contact Dr. Kevin Jardaneh via sjardane@eou.edu for more information.