This program places a student in control of what is learned and how it is learned. A flexible program design lets the student tailor the content to focus on virtually any field, making it especially useful for those whose interests fall between traditional areas or study or who wish to avoid a conventional master’s program. It is designed to incorporate directed learning, field experiences, and other nontraditional forms of study into a student’s program. The program is flexible in structure as well as content. A student can earn this degree with no on-campus study requirements and can take up to five years to complete.
Program Requirements
The 36-semester hour degree program is divided into three phases: Methodology, Content, and Perspective.
Phase I: Methodology (3 hours)
A student can begin by developing a detailed degree plan for proposal to the program. Essentially, this proposal tells the student what he/she plans to learn in the Content phase and how he/she plans to demonstrate that learning in the Perspective phase. Once the degree plan has been approved, the student begins the Content phase.
Phase II: Content (25 hours)
In Content, the student carries out his/her learning goals as planned in the Methodology phase. Members of the student’s graduate committee or mentoring team assists in helping the student fit the real-world learning into a theoretical framework. Content studies total 25 hours and may combine coursework, custom tutorials, and field experiences. The student is awarded credit after each segment of Content.
Phase III: Perspective (8 hours)
The student demonstrates a mastery of the degree program content in a capstone project that may comprise a major writing project; field experiences; or an oral, video, or multimedia presentation. Once the student’s graduate committee or mentoring team has accepted the capstone project, the student is awarded the 8 credit hours.
Concentrations:
Disability Studies (M.S.)
Designed for teachers, administrators, advocates, mediators, social services personnel, and human resources professionals dealing with compliance issues. Content includes directed work involving the history of disability issues; evolution of social attitudes; social responses through IDEA, ADA, and other regulations; and educational issues. Perspective projects may include a problem paper, extended major proposal, thesis, or presentation in an alternative medium.
Educational Mastery (M.A.)
Designed for certified teachers who want to increase their subject knowledge and educational skills. The Content phase incorporates advanced work in a specific discipline and field experience in directed applied educational settings, and may also include coursework in strategic leadership. The Perspective project is a detailed master teacher portfolio.
Leadership Studies (M.S.)
Promotes career growth of those moving into leadership positions of those interested in the history and philosophy of leadership. Content includes coursework in strategic leadership plus directed studies and projects. The Perspective project may be a problem paper, extended major proposal, thesis, or presentation in an alternative medium.
Liberal Studies (M.A.)
Includes directed study of important works in four areas of human thought: literature, history, theories of society, and philosophy. The Perspective project may be a creative work, set of articles, conventional thesis, or presentation in an alternative medium.
Social and Behavioral Studies (M.S.)
Provides teachers, counselors, and human resources or human services professionals with an interdisciplinary understanding of social and behavioral studies. Content includes specific coursework as well as directed work and projects. The Perspective project may be a problem paper or similar product in an alternative medium.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the graduate program in interdisciplinary studies is open to those with a bachelor’s degree in any field from a regionally accredited college or university. There are no GPA or standardized test requirements. A student can apply, enroll, and begin the studies at any time during the academic year.
