WTF is "Interdisciplinary Studies"

The big deal about majors like "Interdisciplinary Studies" and "General Studies" at some schools isn't necessarily that the classes you take are easier. The real big deal is the "progress towards graduation" issue. If you recall now, not only do you have to complete a certain percentage of your credit hours for graduation by a certain time each year of eligibility but you also have to have made progress towards your degree which means that you have to have taken appropriate classes towards that degree by a certain time.

So think back to the course catalog for most majors. When I was at GT in the previous decade there wasn't a huge amount of flexibility in the timing of various courses. Each semester/quarter you had to take certain classes to be prepared for the next semester/quarter and if you missed a class sometimes you were set back an entire year because it was only offered once or twice per year. In the new system this could make you ineligible even if you had passed all your classes because you would not be able to make appropriate progress towards your degree (not just towards graduation).

Now if your course catalog doesn't have a specific curriculum of classes that you have to take but instead says "24 hours of social sciences, 24 hours of humanities, 16 hours of science..." but doesn't say by when they must be completed this gives MUCH more freedom to stay within the "progress towards your degree" mandate of the NCAA. It is a HUGE advantage to have that type of program (by the way, I'm not really sure interdisciplinary studies actually is like that, just guessing that it is).
 
JOJATK said:
So think back to the course catalog for most majors. When I was at GT in the previous decade there wasn't a huge amount of flexibility in the timing of various courses.
Click to expand...

For CEs it was the survey course. It was offered every quarter, but only at 8:00 and it filled up quick. So unless you we're one that was allowed to register early, or had a CS hacker friend, you couldn't get it until late in your Jr. year.
 
here's the quick answer..
at least from my school (what i've heard)
Interdisciplinary is a major which encompasses 4 minors.
You study 4 different fields and it creates a major..
I don't see much use in this.. but hey.. whatever. lol
 
The "use" is apparently to maintain academic elligability for student athletes. Now assuming they don't make it to the pros, no clue what they do with it once they get out.
 
Yeah, it's not useful just by itself like most other degress. The use has already been explained in the thread, if you are going to get/need a graduate degree (law,medicine, public policy, whatever) for your career this degree gives you the chance to prepare for that
with the relevant classes that you choose freely. And of course, you get to have the chance to hold a higher GPA which helps a ton when applying for grad school.

For athletes, the use is different, just that it's easier than most majors.
 
Oh yea, like we had Moon Mullins and Chaucer's Canterbury Tales for an English Credit and then Rocks for Jocks with Dr. Beck.
 
Why doesn't GT get Inter Studies? If you want better football players the school is going to have to get more majors.
 
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