About the Program
 The Bachelor of Arts 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 his or her 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, such as communications and media, health care, business, government, and foreign service, as well as preparation for advanced and professional education in law, medicine, education, business, behavioral and social sciences, library and information sciences, and humanities.
Degree Requirements
- 120 Credit Hours
- Minimum GPA of 2.0 required for graduation
PNW General Education Core (30 Credits Minimum)
Foreign Language (12 Credits)
Choose from French, German, Japanese, or Spanish. Must complete 4 semesters of the same foreign language.
Aesthetics (3 Credits)
Choose 1 course from:
Political Science (3 Credits)
Math or Science (6 Credits)
MDS Options 1 and 2 (36 Credits)
Courses are dependent upon the following Areas of Study (choose 2): American History, Business, Communication—International/Intercultural Studies, Media Studies, English Literature, English Writing-Writing for Interactive Media, English Writing-Writing for Publication, French, HDFS-Early Childhood, HDFS-Child & Family Services, HTM-Nutrition, Fitness & Health, HTM-Hospitality & Tourism, Law, Politics & Philosophy; Organizational Leadership, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Spanish (Heritage), Spanish (Non-Heritage), World History, and others as established.
Electives (18 Credits)
Any course 10000 level or higher
SUGR Course EXL (3 Credits)
Senior Undergraduate Research (SUGR) Course - E X L – See your academic advisor for appropriate course selection. IDIS 10001 must be paired with this course to be considered Experiential Learning.
Total 120 Credits Required
Requirements
Minimum Grade and Grade Point Average (GPA): 2.0 GPA
Experiential Learning (EL): One EL course required. EL courses are noted by (e) next to the course title.
General Education Core: General Education notations can be found within the course description. Please click on a course to see if it meets a Gen Ed requirement.
Milestone Courses noted by (m) next to the course title have been identified as being critical to your success in this field of study.
Courses that are only offered on one campus will be noted by an (H) for Hammond, or (W) for Westville.
Please see the Additional Information and Guidelines section below for more information.
Semester 4 (15 Credits)
- Foreign Language Level IV (See Note 1)
- MDS Option 1 (See Note 2)
- MDS Option 2 (See Note 2)
- Math or Science Course (See Note 3)
- Elective Course (See Note 6)
Semester 7 (15 Credits)
- Political Science Option - POL 10100 , POL 13000 , or POL 14100
- MDS Option 1 (See Note 2)
- MDS Option 2 (See Note 2)
- Elective Course (See Note 6)
- Elective Course (See Note 6)
Additional Information and Guidelines
Note 1: Foreign Language Requirement
- Foreign Language Level I - Choose from SPAN 10100, FR 10100, GER 10100, or JPNS 10100.
- Foreign Language Level II - Choose from SPAN 10200, FR 10200, GER 10200, or JPNS 10200.
- Foreign Language Level III - Choose from SPAN 10200, FR 20100, GER 20100, or JPNS 20100.
- Foreign Language Level IV - Choose from SPAN 20200, FR 20200, GER 20200, or JPNS 20200.
- Must complete 4 semesters of the same foreign language.
Note 2: Multidisciplinary Studies - MDS Options 1 and 2 – Courses are dependent upon the following Areas of Study (choose 2): American History, Business, Communication — International/Intercultural Studies, Media Studies, English Literature, English Writing-Writing for Interactive Media, English Writing-Writing for Publication, French, HDFS-Early Childhood, HDFS-Child & Family Services, HTM-Nutrition, Fitness & Health, HTM-Hospitality & Tourism, Law, Politics & Philosophy; Organizational Leadership, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Spanish (Heritage), Spanish (Non-Heritage), World History, and others as established.
Note 3: Additional Math or Science – Choose any MA (except MA 11500), STAT, SCI, BIOL, CHM, EAS, ASTR, or CIS course or FN 30300.
Note 4: Aesthetics – AD 25500, MUS 25000, ENGL 31900, ENGL 28600, or THTR 20100.
Note 5: Senior Undergraduate Research (SUGR) Course - E X L – See your academic advisor for appropriate course selection. IDIS 10001 must be paired with this course to be considered Experiential Learning.
Note 6: Elective – Any course 10000 level or higher. Use Elective courses to ensure you meet Purdue Northwest’s residency rule of 32 credit hours at the 30000 level or higher.
All courses are subject to pre-requisites
|
Return to: 