The School of Interdisciplinary Learning (SIDL) in the College of Arts and Sciences offers adult learners a flexible program for degree completion just as Board of Governors Bachelor of Arts Program had for the previous 35 years.  The program accepts credit from a variety of sources to help adult learners complete their degree in a timely fashion while conforming to university standards for general education and residency. 

Non-traditional learners come to SIDL with a variety of life experiences that need to be meaningfully blended into an academic program. The program’s intention is to assist in creating a personally satisfying future while providing the academic rigor that is expected of a college graduate.  The School of Interdisciplinary Learning accepts credit from a variety of sources in order to allow degree completion in a timely fashion while conforming to university standards as a regionally-accredited Bachelor of Arts degree program. 

The undergraduate major in Interdisciplinary Studies explores the connections between life experience and academic learning. It encourages learners to think broadly and deeply about the connections between different fields of study and the world at large.  Students are encouraged to meet the following objectives by the time they graduate: 

• Make a difference,
• Connect effectively with others,
• Integrate information, and
• Be self-aware.

These objectives will be achieved in several ways.  Students are required to complete an introductory course, a capstone course, three one-credit IDSS workshops, and take courses from at least two disciplines. The IDSS workshops provide tools to help make connections in interdisciplinary course content. 

Because learners have traditionally come into the School of Interdisciplinary Learning with a variety of educational and life experiences, each student will have a unique and individual path to degree completion.  Self-styled study plans are one of the hallmarks of the program, which makes it ideal for adult learners. Learners are asked to reflect on their life experiences and develop a pathway for degree completion based on what they have learned from an interdisciplinary study of life.  They then create an interdisciplinary pathway with courses reflecting the themes they want to pursue and further explore.  The pathway created becomes the study plan.

This degree is built upon the need to achieve degree completion in a timely manner.  It is designed to assist in integrating life experience and academic credit into a plan of action for creating a degree that is unique for each learner. 

In IDSS310, Perspectives on Interdisciplinary Studies, students explore where life has taken them to this point and develop their pathway and study plan. Students also take any required courses and electives from their individualized plan of study.  Along the way they take three IDSS workshops to help enhance understanding of interdisciplinary studies and assist in the integration of various courses.  In their last term, students take IDSS490, Interdisciplinary Studies Appraisal.  This course brings together what has been learned from the different courses taken over the students’ academic career, specific courses taken on the pathway, things learned about self, how they have fulfilled the program objectives during their course of study, and how all of this may affect future goals and plans. 

Alternative Options for Credit

The School of Interdisciplinary Learning accepts credit for learning other than what comes from college course work.  Military experience can be counted towards credit.  Students can take competency exams such as CLEP (College Level Examination Program®) or may have had training at an organization offering ACE (American Council on Education) credit.  Demonstration of college level learning from life experience is encouraged through the completion of a Prior Learning Portfolio for college credit.  Such portfolios are assessed for college credit by faculty evaluators.

Admission Requirements

Candidates should submit an application indicating the term in which they want to be admitted.  Applications can be submitted online.  They should also contact all previous schools they have attended and ask each to send transcripts either to the School of Interdisciplinary Learning or the Office of Admissions and Student Recruitment.  Official transcripts for military experience, proficiency test results, and ACE (American Council on Education) certified training credits should be sent directly to the School of Interdisciplinary Learning.  Contact the School of Interdisciplinary Learning (at 708.534.4092, or sidl@govst.edu) for more information about the program or to sign up for an information session.

Because GSU is an upper-division university, most SIDL students begin their studies with at least 60 semester credit-hours. However, students who have earned at least 45 semester credit-hours are eligible for conditional admission to the program pending completion of additional credit-hours by portfolio, competency exams, or dual enrollment.  Students who have earned their first bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution are not eligible for admission to SIDL. 

Students can apply up to 80 hours of lower-division credits toward the 120 semester credit-hours required for the Interdisciplinary Studies B.A. degree. It is mandatory for enrolled students to attend a group advising session with a SIDL advisor prior to or at the very beginning of their first semester of enrollment. A slightly different process is in place for distance-learning students.

Degree Requirements

Students must meet all university requirements for a bachelor’s degree. A minimum of 40 hours must be taken at the upper-division level; up to 80 credit hours in lower division courses can be transferred to GSU. The residency requirement for the university necessitates that 24 hours be taken as courses offered by GSU.

The IDSS 310 course should be taken in the first trimester and IDSS 490 should be taken in the last trimester. The IDSS workshops are divided into three groups, and students are required to select one from each group.  Students must earn a “C” or better in each of the required IDSS courses. Five hours of non-IDSS workshop course credit can be applied toward graduation in addition to the three IDSS workshops required below.

I.        General Education Requirements (37-41 Hours)

See the front of the catalog for general education requirements. While these are usually taken at the lower-division level, they can also be completed at the upper-division level.

II.       Required Courses (15 hours)

          The following courses must be taken at the upper division level:

          IDSS 310 Perspectives on Interdisciplinary Studies 3

          Workshops in Interdisciplinary Studies (3)

          Select one workshop from each area:

IDSS 405 IDSS Tools: . . . 1

IDSS 406 IDSS Self-awareness: . . .  1

IDSS 407 IDSS Issues: . . . 1

          IDSS 490 Interdisciplinary Studies Appraisal 3

          2 courses from two different disciplines* 6

III.      Electives (64-68)

Students may not exceed a maximum of 80 hours of lower-division credit between Sections I and III.  

Students must complete a minimum of 40 hours of upper-division hours, if Section I is complete through course work taken at the lower-division level.  

The upper-division hours must be from at least 2 different disciplines.

Suggested Electives:

IDSS 330 Writing a Prior Learning Portfolio (3)

IDSS 410 Topics in IDSS (1-3)

IDSS 480 Interdisciplinary Studies Internship (3)

IV.      Total – 120 Hours

*Some of these courses may be used to meet general education requirements.