Multidisciplinary Studies, BS

About the Program

The Bachelor of Science degree in Multidisciplinary Studies (MDS) provides a flexible and individualized program of study for students at Purdue University Northwest. The MDS program provides students with the opportunity to combine courses based on specific educational and career interests and is designed to allow students to acquire a broad, well-rounded education that expands the traditional scope of disciplinary, departmental, and college boundaries. MDS encourages creativity, innovation, critical thinking, and integrative learning by enabling students to examine problems, issues, or topics from more than one academic perspective. The degree serves as an excellent platform for pursuing careers in a wide variety of fields.

Degree Requirements

• 120 credit hours
• 2.0 GPA
• 32 credits must be at the 300-level or above 

PNW General Education Core (30 Credits Minimum)

• English Composition (6 Credits) - ENGL 10400 English Composition I  and ENGL 10500 English Composition II  
• Speech Communication (3 Credits) - COM 11400 Fundamentals Of Speech Communication  
• Quantitative Reasoning (3 Credits) - select from the Quantitative Reasoning list  
• Natural Sciences (3 Credits) - select from the Natural Sciences Core list  
• Technology (3Credits) - select from the Technology Core list  
• Humanites (3 Credits) - select from the Humanities Core list  
• Social Sciences (3 Credits) - select from the Social Sciences Core list  
• First Year Experience (1-3 Credits) - GS 19100 First-Year Experience I  
• General Education Electives and/or Additional Gen Ed Credits can be used to bring the total to or above 30.

Major Core (75 Credits)

Math, Science and Technology (12 Credits) – Students must complete 12 credit hours in courses from the following General Education Lists (these credits are in addition to the General Education Core requirements):

• Natural Sciences
• Quantitative Reasoning
• Technology
• With faculty approval, any STEM course not included in the General Education List (must consult Academic Advisor)

Content Areas (63 Credits): Students must complete two or three Content Areas of Study:

• Content Areas consist of courses within a specific academic subject and approved by the department chair assigned to the particular subject • Content Areas must be planned in consultation with the Academic Advisor assigned to the Multidisciplinary Degree program
• Minimum 18 credit hours per content area
• All courses must be approved on the Plan of Study

Other Required Courses (15 Credits)

• Free Electives (15 Credits)
• Students are encouraged to pursue an approved Minor

Total 120 Credits Required

Degree Map

Degree Requirements

• 120 credit hours
• 2.0 GPA
• 32 hours of courses must be at the 300-level or above

Resources

The 8 semester plan of study is a recommended sequence of classes designed to show how this program can be completed within four years.

Visit the 15 to Finish website for information and resources.

For career information, click here to visit the Careers and Employment Trends page.

For Financial Aid eligibility, click here.   See Important Dates and Deadlines for annual FAFSA filing deadlines and Indiana state aid deadlines. State Financial Aid recipients are required to complete 30 credits per calendar year to maintain eligibility for the 21st Century Scholars award and the On-time Frank O’Bannon grant.

Financial Guarantee: If you follow the degree map and find a course unavailable, you may be able to take the course for free in a future semester.  Certain exclusions apply. 

College Scorecard

The U.S. Department of Education has created a scorecard for each university and its programs.  The scorecard shows data for the university such as graduation rate, average annual cost, and median earnings.  Then, when certain minimum standards have been met, data are available for a specific program.  That data could include median earnings, median total debt, and number of graduates. The link below will help you learn more:

https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?490805-Purdue-University-Northwest&fos_code=3000&fos_credential=3