Two content areas, one degree!
Students in our Integrated Studies Department understand the ideas expressed in Goethe’s classic German poem. Like the ginkgo leaf, they pursue a degree that is both one and double.
Students with a major in Integrated Studies complete two minors (music and business management, psychology and religious studies, art history and event planning, etc.) and complete an Integrated Studies core that includes courses focusing on interdisciplinary research, analysis, and writing. The highlight of the degree is a two-semester capstone sequence in which students research and complete an interdisciplinary senior thesis or project. Our major generally attracts creative, self-motivated students who are loath to leave behind multiple areas of expertise and interest to focus exclusively on a single discipline.
The quality of our theses and projects is a direct outcome of our interdisciplinary curriculum and our project-based, experiential pedagogy. The projects and theses have proven especially useful for graduates applying for jobs or seeking to enter graduate or professional programs.
An internship course available to students gives credit for work related to a given program of study. This enhances our job-ready interdisciplinary program in which students graduate with a degree strongly focused on a specific post-graduation goal, giving them 1-2 years of experience in the workplace.
Minors, Two of Which Can Be Chosen for the Degree Available Through Integrated Studies
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The Integrated Studies degree is a writing-intensive major that requires the completion of a senior thesis paper or project. This should be a challenging, rewarding process that allows you to explore an academic field of study that intersects with your two minor programs. For example, if a student has Spanish and Marketing minors, they might write a thesis addressing how to market to the growing Latino population in the United States.
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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. The IS 300R and IS 350R are seminar style, discussion based, reading and writing intensive courses that explore a single topic from multiple disciplines.
Finally, the IS 4980 course gives you the opportunity to develop a proposal for your own interdisciplinary thesis paper or project, one that is informed by your two minor areas of study. You will complete your thesis in IS 4990.
“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, Integrated Studies combining 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.
-- Annalyse Kofoed, Integrated Studies with Psychology and Business Management
“I wholeheartedly recommend an integrated studies degree. It is one of the most applicable and relevant University programs for the real world. Our world does not exist in separate disciplines, everything is connected! If you want to be successful at whatever you desire to do, join this program. You will receive priceless and endless support, mentorship, and inspiration from amazing advisors and professors. My degree prepared me for a wide variety of job opportunities, graduate school, and a successful professional life. I am currently working as a field botanist with the Bureau of Land Management, I have taught sustainability at elementary schools, started my own Etsy shop as an artist, and am working on grant proposals for community sustainability projects. I am so grateful for the world of opportunity that is available to me because of my diverse degree.”
-- Erin Call, Integrated Studies Degree with emphasis in Environmental Studies and Geography
“For the first several years while I attended UVU I was a single mom working full time. I was also unsure of what career path I wanted to take and after switching majors several times I was finally able to join the integrated studies program that allowed me to encompass both of my passions. UVU made it possible for me to pursue my degree at my own pace and finally accomplish it. The best part about attending UVU has been the faculty. I have worked with professors in several different departments and they have all been nothing short of amazing. They have challenged and pushed me to become the best I could be. They are not only my mentors but several have become close friends. They have not only assisted me in an educational sense they have supported my humanitarian efforts outside of my schooling. After I complete graduate school in the field of medical anthropology at the University of Edinburgh my hope is to return to UVU to become a professor and join their amazing staff.”
-- Jessie Shuler, Integrated Studies Degree
