Interdisciplinary Studies
Bachelor of Arts
The Bachelor of Arts in interdisciplinary studies lends students with a range of academic interests the curricular flexibility to satisfy their learning goals, whether those goals entail adapting to ever-changing requirements of the work world or further study at the graduate level or in professional programs. The program will benefit nontraditional students who are already in the workplace but need a baccalaureate degree to advance in their careers to gain tangible benefits, such as job promotions, and will allow these students to maximize previously earned credits.
Prior to the beginning of the junior year or upon declaration of the major, interdisciplinary studies majors are required to submit a well-reasoned plan of study to their faculty advisor. As a part of this plan, students will choose an overarching theme (e.g., cross-cultural leadership, gender studies, communication and crime, communication and professional writing), propose the course work that supports the theme, and articulate their intellectual interest or career objective that guides and justifies the selected course of study. The plan will also include the student’s immediate and long-term professional goals as well as the student’s academic goals. Once the plan of study is approved by the student’s faculty advisor, a copy will be submitted to the chair of the Department of Communication. As a part of their senior seminar, students will assess the extent to which their individual program and the skills and knowledge gained from the selected courses helped them achieve their personal and professional goals and will offer suggestions to strengthen the program for future majors.
| Area A: Essential Skills | ||
| ENGL 1101 | English Composition I | 3 |
| ENGL 1102 | English Composition II | 3 |
| MATH 1001 | Quantitative Skills/Reasoning | 3 |
| or MATH 1101 | Intro to Mathematical Modeling | |
| or MATH 1111 | College Algebra | |
| or MATH 1401 | Elementary Statistics | |
| Area B: Institutional Options | ||
| Beginning Fall 2022, incoming (entering) students with 29 hours or fewer college credits will take only a Perspectives course for their one-hour Area B credit. | ||
| COMM 1110 | Fundamentals of Speech | 3 |
| Choose one of the following: | 1 | |
| Intro to Greek Mythology | ||
| Creative Writing | ||
| Natural Hazards | ||
| Appalachian Hist-Special Topic | ||
| Sports Hist & Amer Character | ||
| Health and Wellness Concepts | ||
| Mystery Fiction in Pop Culture | ||
| Christian Fiction/Pop Culture | ||
| Race and Ethnicity in America | ||
PRSP Elective (See advisor) | ||
| Area C: Humanities/Fine Arts | ||
| Choose one to two ENGL course(s): | 3-6 | |
| Topics in Literature & Culture | ||
| World Literature I | ||
| World Literature II | ||
| British Literature I | ||
| British Literature II | ||
| American Literature I | ||
| American Literature II | ||
| Intro to Film as Literature | ||
| If only one ENGL course is chosen, add one of the following: | 0-3 | |
| Art Appreciation | ||
| Expressions of Culture I | ||
| Expressions of Culture II | ||
| Music Appreciation | ||
| World Music | ||
| American Music | ||
| Theatre Appreciation | ||
| Area D: Science/Mathematics/Technology | ||
| Eight Credit Hours of Lab Science Electives: | 8 | |
| Astronomy of the Solar System and Astronomy of Solar Sys. Lab | ||
| Stellar and Galactic Astronomy and Stellar & Galac. Astronomy Lab | ||
| Environmental Studies | ||
| Principles of Biology I | ||
| Principles of Biology II | ||
| Botany | ||
| Principles of Entomology | ||
| Survey of Chemistry | ||
| Principles of Chemistry I | ||
| Principles of Chemistry II | ||
| Principles of Geology | ||
| Historical Geology | ||
| Geology & the Environment | ||
| Introductory Physics I | ||
| Introductory Physics II | ||
| Principles of Physics I | ||
| Principles of Physics II | ||
| One of the following electives: | 3-4 | |
| Astronomy of the Solar System | ||
| Stellar and Galactic Astronomy | ||
| Environmental Studies | ||
| Principles of Biology I | ||
| Principles of Biology II | ||
| Botany | ||
| Principles of Entomology | ||
| Survey of Chemistry | ||
| Principles of Chemistry I | ||
| Principles of Chemistry II | ||
| Principles of Programming I | ||
| Principles of Programming II | ||
| Introduction to Data Science | ||
| Environmental Hazards | ||
| Principles of Geology | ||
| Historical Geology | ||
| Geology & the Environment | ||
| Precalculus Mathematics | ||
| Elementary Statistics | ||
| Applied Calculus | ||
| Calculus and Analytic Geom I | ||
| Calculus and Analytic Geom II | ||
| Introductory Physics I | ||
| Introductory Physics II | ||
| Principles of Physics I | ||
| Principles of Physics II | ||
| Area E: Social Sciences | ||
| HIST 2111 | United States History to 1877 | 3 |
| or HIST 2112 | United States Hist since 1877 | |
| POLS 1101 | American Government | 3 |
| Choose two of the following electives: | 6 | |
| Intro to Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Principles of Macroeconomics | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics | ||
| Introduction to Geography | ||
| Intro to Human Geography | ||
| Intro to Physical Geography | ||
| World Civilization to 1500 CE | ||
| World Civilization since 1500 | ||
| United States History to 1877 | ||
| United States Hist since 1877 | ||
| Intro to World Religions | ||
| Intro to Philosophical Issues | ||
| Logic and Critical Thinking | ||
| Intro to Political Science | ||
| State and Local Government | ||
| Comparative Politics | ||
| International Relations | ||
| Introduction to Psychology | ||
| Psychology of Adjustment | ||
| Human Development | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Social Problems | ||
| Area F: Major Related | ||
| 18 credit hours chosen from Areas B-F. Courses previously used to satisfy other Area B-F requirements cannot be shared here. Please note that courses from Area B are one-credit hour. * | 18 | |
| ----------------- | ||
| ESSENTIAL AREAS | ||
| ENGL 3000 | Writing for Educ/Soc Sciences | 3 |
| 12 additional hours, with at least 3 hours above the 2000-level | 12 | |
* Humanities: 0-3 hours of courses in literature, composition, music, theatre, and/or film | ||
* Social Sciences: 3-6 hours in anthropology, criminal justice, philosophy, political science, psychology, and/or sociology | ||
* Communication: 3-6 hours in communication and/or foreign language | ||
* History: 3-6 hours of courses in history and/or geography | ||
| ----------------- | ||
| REQUIRED MINOR | ||
| Grades of C or better required. Students may choose any Dalton State minor that can be completed in 15-18 credit hours. Students may need to use a free elective to satisfy prerequisites. | 15-18 | |
| ----------------- | ||
| UPPER-LEVEL LIBERAL ARTS ELECTIVES | ||
| Courses may be selected from any of those offered by the Department of Communication, Performing Arts, and Foreign Languages; the Department of English; or the Department of Social Sciences and History. Courses should be selected to complement the student's academic, personal, or professional goals or to focus on a multidisciplinary theme (e.g., global studies, women's studies, comparative studies). | 21 | |
| FREE ELECTIVES | ||
| Courses may be selected from any of the College's offerings (with the exception of career technical courses) to complement the student's program or to satisfy a prerequisite. | 3-6 | |
| SENIOR CAPSTONE | ||
| INTS 4999 | Interdisciplinary Studies Sem ** | 3 |
| Total Hours | 120-121 | |
- *
Area B courses are 1 credit hour.
MUSC 1080 and MUSC 1090 are 1 credit hour each and must be taken in any combination for a total of 3 credit hours to count in Area F. A maximum of 3 credit hours may be used for this major.
MUSC 2600C, MUSC 2600F, MUSC 2600G, MUSC 2600H, MUSC 2600O, MUSC 2600P, and MUSC 2600W are 1-2 credit hours each and must be taken in any combination for a total of 3 credit hours to count in Area F. An additional 3 hours may be taken for a maximum 6 hours for this major.
- **
ENGL 3000 with a C or better and a 2.0 GPA are prerequisites for INTS 4999.