Interdisciplinary Core Curriculum
All universities have a general education core. Most require students to select from a cafeteria plan of lower division courses from various disciplines. Science & Arts is distinctive in offering an interdisciplinary liberal arts core that spans all four years of its students’ academic careers. In our interdisciplinary (IDS) core, students develop tools of communication, artistry, computation, and analysis and use them to engage and understand the complexity and interconnectedness of the world. The interdisciplinary nature of these courses means that they examine topics from multiple academic perspectives, not the viewpoint of a single field or specialization. To emphasize the broad, multi-faceted nature of the interdisciplinary approach, many courses are team-taught by two professors from different disciplines. A faculty-guided independent Senior Seminar project (or optional Mentored Research project) provides a capstone experience that completes Science & Arts’ undergraduate curriculum.
IDS Core
Required Courses (46-48 hours)
| IDS 1013 | Rhetoric and Critical Thinking | 3 |
| IDS 1113 | Introduction to College Writing | 3 |
| IDS 1133 | Individual in contemporary Society | 3 |
| IDS 1213 | Writing About Literature | 3 |
| IDS 1223 | Mathematics in the Modern World | 3 |
| IDS 2011 | Foundations of Science Lab | 1 |
| IDS 2013 | Foundations of Physical Science | 3 |
| IDS 2023 | Foundations of Life Science | 3 |
| IDS 2133 | American Civilization (History/Government) I | 3 |
| IDS 2143 | American Civilization (History/Government) II | 3 |
| IDS 3223 | Political and Economic Systems and Theories | 3 |
| IDS 3313 | World Thought I | 3 |
| IDS 3323 | World Thought II | 3 |
| IDS 4333 | World Thought III | 3 |
| IDS 4522 | Senior Seminar | 2 |
| PHED 1011 | Concepts of Health and Fitness | 1 |
| Physical Expression | 1 |
| Artistic Expression | 2 |
Physical Expression and Artistic Expression: See list of options below.
Note: IDS-4462 Research Project I (Design) and IDS-4552 Research Project II (Implementation) can be taken in place of Senior Seminar.
Mentored Research Program
The Mentored Research program provides advanced experience in research and presentation methods and should result in sophisticated research projects suitable for conference presentation and/or professional publication. Completion will require a total of four credit hours but can take up to eight hours with repeated enrollment in IDS-4552. The program can be started in either the Fall or Spring term. The project title is added to the student transcript signifying the successful completion of a quality undergraduate research project, and students who complete the program are recognized at graduation.
To apply, the student must have:
- A GPA of 3.0 by the time student begins IDS-4462.
- At least 75 hours completed by the time student begins IDS-4462.
- A research-based course relevant to the project’s field OR a letter from a professor familiar with the student’s research experience affirming the student’s preparedness for a large research project. Mentors may require a research methods course as appropriate. Research courses may be taken concurrently with IDS-4462.
Physical Expression
One hour must be successfully completed from the following:
Note: Students who have served on active military duty in the U.S. Armed Forces and supply the Registrar's Office with appropriate documentation are exempt will receive credit for the Physical Expression requirement. Students who are physically disabled and provide documentation from a qualified physician (M.D. or D.O.) may, upon approval by the Registrar, be exempted from the Physical Expression requirement.
Artistic Expression
Two hours must be successfully completed from any of the following: