Overview
Ann Marie Fallon, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences
Climate change. Trade wars. Bio-culture. The role of the arts in civic life. Questions old and new about how to live call for information, methods, and perspectives from a range of disciplinary fields, and importantly, for people who can synthesize and communicate effectively with a range of partners, including programmers, scientists, ethicists, activists, engineers, educators, artists, and politicians.
Interdisciplinary studies allows students to build an individualized degree program around a persistent question or problem of their own, or to address a complex topic that necessarily calls for approaches from many disciplines or professions. This method of study allows students to integrate and synthesize knowledge, perspectives, and insights from the different fields appropriate to their particular interest.
Students majoring in interdisciplinary studies work closely with faculty to clarify their primary focus and to tailor their course plan, and meet one-on-one with faculty in their fields of interest as they work through to mastery of the major concepts of each on their progress toward a senior-level project or thesis.
Students might craft a program to prepare them for graduate study in a particular field, as law or medicine or philosophy, or they might choose to stress workplace practices in (for example) business or non-profit organization. Examples of student-designed majors include: Community Arts Management; Disability and Society; Cognitive Science; Documentary Studies; Health Policy and Management.
All online courses offered at St. John Fisher College can be included in the student’s degree program, including those offered through the RN/BS program. Students can transfer up to 18 credits (6 courses) from other institutions. Approval of the course plan for the major must be obtained prior to the start of the last four courses of the major program.
Additional information may be obtained from the Center for Career and Academic Planning.