Integrated Studies

Select two areas of interest and combine them for a unique major

With Integrated Studies you combine two minors or certificates to create the degree that is right for you. You will also select four interdisciplinary courses and then complete a two-semester capstone paper or project. Graduates will be well-prepared for entry into the workforce or advanced study in a specialized field, with a competitive advantage due to their interdisciplinary training and practical experience.

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At a Glance

Minor or Certificate #1

Minor or Certificate #2

General Education
IS 2000
Topic 1

Topic 2
Topic/Internship
Capstone 1
Capstone 2

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Course Topics

In this class, we will explore questions about the meaning, function, and value of education from interdisciplinary perspectives. Our driving questions will include those below. Students will be encouraged to develop and implement their personal philosophy of education.

What is/are the function/functions of education? Is it to get a credential? To become more authentically human? To become a better citizen? To attain scholarly knowledge? To gain skills? If so, what skills are central?

Why are there disciplines? How did they come about? What are their values and limitations?

What are intellectual virtues? Which ones are valuable and why? How are they developed?

What, if anything, is the difference between education and schooling? How do they work together ideally? Are they ever at odds? If so, when and why, and what should we do about that?

Most importantly, what does education mean to you? Why do you value it? What do you want it to give you? What barriers/challenges do you face and how can you confront them? What strengths/assets do you have and how can you use and develop them?

Integrated Studies courses are designed to create discussion and problem solving across discipline areas. The IS 2000 Knowledge Integrated course introduces this concept of bringing multiple disciplines to help solve complex problems. IS 3000R/3500R are Special Topics courses that unite students from various disciplines to explore broad themes and topics using interdisciplinary methods and approaches.

Finally, the IS 4980 course gives you the opportunity to develop a proposal for your own capstone paper or project, one that is informed by your two minor areas of study. You will complete your capstone paper or project in IS 4990.

Program Outcomes

31% of Integrated Studies graduates have attended graduate school

Graduates have gone on to succeed in fields such as law, dentistry, business, academia, technology, the arts, and more. Their ability to think across disciplines and tackle complex challenges prepares them for leadership and innovation in an ever-changing world.

Testimonials

Is it crazy to say I miss UVU? I was so eager to finish my classes, but I really miss those class discussions and being able to read and call it homework. For my [Integrated Studies] Capstone, I wrote [a children’s book] Foogle and Me. I’ve yet to get a new book out, although I have some in the early stages of development. [Since graduation] I have been writing for Retailsphere. I have 30+ published articles on their website and about 10 or so more about to be published... I moved up quickly in the company and now I am Operations Manager performing all duties for Client Success, Recruiting, and Head of the Data Analyst team.

Brooke Sanchez

Combined English and Business Management

I’m working as a COO of an online business, and I’m definitely utilizing my degree professionally and personally. Some of the most impactful classes I took were [Integrated Studies topics courses] — Divine in the Arts, German Romanticism, Intro to the European Union. My degree exposed me to a variety of worldviews and new paradigms, and the subsequent examination of each course topic from those perspectives drove me to develop critical thinking skills that I sincerely wouldn’t have developed otherwise… I absolutely loved this degree.