The Individual Degree Concentration allows students to develop an individualized degree program that integrates academic disciplines. It includes courses from two or more disciplines with a central focus on a subject or topic that may not be covered in existing majors or combinations of academic programs, but the combination of these courses will help students reach their academic/career goals. A Plan of Study will be devised in consultation with a faculty advisor and approved by the Interdisciplinary Studies department chair.
Students interested in the Individual Degree Concentration must submit your individualized degree proposal (linked below). This form includes a brief explanation of what subject areas will be combined and why. It also includes the listing of proposed courses, some initial ideas or questions to be answered in the senior capstone and potential titles for the Individual Degree Concentration.
No changes may be made to the approved program without written authorization from the Interdisciplinary Studies Chair. Students who major in Individualized degree concentration will be conferred with the Degree of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Interdisciplinary Studies.
Requirements for an Individualized Degree Concentration
- Required courses in the major—36 hours, including: IST 499; 16 hours in a primary subject area, as defined by course prefix; 8 credits in a secondary subject area; 8 additional hours of electives relevant to the program of study and approved by the major advisor. These 8 additional hours cannot be in the primary or secondary area of study. Of the 36 required hours, 16 must be at the 300-400 level.
- Required courses outside the major—None.
- Other departmental requirements—Major competency is demonstrated by successful completion of IST 499.
Students seeking an Individual Degree Concentration cannot seek a double major, and none of the hours used to fulfill requirements for a declared minor may be used for the Individual Degree Concentration. UNC Asheville graduates returning for a second degree cannot use any of the courses from their previous major or minor for the Individual Degree Concentration. Form must be submitted and approved before a student completes 75 credit hours. In exceptional cases a student may petition to have this rule waived.
For more information, please contact the IDC Coordinator, Dr. Renuka Gusain, rgusain@unca.edu.
Students should submit the following forms:
Past Exemplars & IDC Student Testimonials:
- Recreation, Outdoor Education & Sports – a student-designed IDC pathway focused on holistic and current understanding of the dynamics in Recreation, Outdoor Education and Sports, and how to make those connections generative and productive. This Degree combines courses in Business, Accountancy, Economics, Communications, Health Sciences and International Studies to allow the student to develop a background in research methods to learn and work across disciplines effectively.
“We are fortunate that our University has generative connections in the Asheville region to host internship opportunities for students within these areas of study.”
- Medical Anthropology – a student designed IDC pathway focused on bridging the gaps between medical professionals and marginalized communities to promote greater access to inclusive medical care, to create a holistic understanding of the issues at stake in healthcare access and equity in the United States and abroad. This Degree combines broad and niche courses in Health & Wellness, Anthropology, Sociology, Environmental Studies, and Psychology intended to prepare the student for graduate school and ultimately a career in healthcare advocacy and accessibility.
“[This is] the path I am seeking out because I know this is the best study plan to gain a comprehensive understanding of healthcare and how I will be able to take action in my future career…I plan on seeking out the Masters of Public Health at UNC-Gillings to further my education and I know that my proposed course plan will prepare me well for this.”
- Healthcare & Society – a pre-designed IDC pathway focused on effective communication and intercultural competency in relation to a future career in medicine. This Degree was designed to be a comprehensive Pre-Health program, meeting all the requirements to be able to apply to medical fields and prepare the student to succeed at MCAT and comparable exams, including Biology, Chemistry, and Physiology courses. This Degree also integrates Interdisciplinary Studies, Sociology, and Anthropology courses intended to help the student learn to remove obstacles and bias from their future practice of medicine.
- Environmental Equity – a student-designed pathway to be applied in order to explore environmental equity through environmental, climate, and other natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities courses that create a holistic understanding of the effects of a changing environment and it’s impacts on global indigenous people specifically, and humanity generally. This Degree uses a combination of Environmental Studies, Economics, Ethnic Studies, American Indian and Indigenous Studies, Health & Wellness, Political Science and Sociology to help the student create a wide view of the consequences of climate change on human lives.
“There are deep, interlacing concepts between environmentalism and social justice. There is no longer time for us to be passive about our future—the time to act, learn, and problem-solve is now.”
- Holistic Health – a pre-designed IDC pathway focused on developing a cohesive study of behavior, health history, natural healing, and regional understandings of health overall. This Degree combines courses from Health & Wellness, Biology, Environmental Studies, Neuroscience, and Psychology to allow the student to learn and apply nutrition-based and historical plant-based medicine to future medical practice in the Appalachian region.
- Prosthetics & Orthotics – a student-designed pathway aimed at a comprehensive and innovative career as a prosthetist and prosthetics designer. This Degree leverages courses in Biology, Health & Wellness, Computer Sciences, Digital Design, and Psychology in order to create a complete understanding of the skills and mindsets required to pursue a career designing and creating prosthetics in order to assist and enrich the lives and experiences of those who require them.
“While I cannot return all that was lost to someone, I can work tirelessly to give them the best care possible and support them throughout their journey…I was truly inspired, I knew that I had chosen the right field.”
- Cultural Studies & Experiences – a student-designed IDC pathway focused on the universal theme of human and cultural expression as a key to understanding humanity as a living, changing, and artistic philosophical concept. This Degree layered courses in History, Anthropology, Art History, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Religious Studies in order to provide the student with various lenses needed to develop cross-cultural communication and comprehension of global art and artistic expression.
“An interdisciplinary approach to this topic will allow me to discover new ideas and concepts, using a broader perspective to notice things that are not always evident when completely immersed in a certain field.”
- African Music & Culture – a student-designed IDC pathway focused on the historical and contemporary impact on culture, communication, sociopolitical issues, and human expression over time as created by African music and culture, both on the continent and in global diaspora. This Degree combined courses in Music, Africana Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies, Language & Literature, and Anthropology in order to help the student develop a historical, social, and musical analyses of African music and culture, and to comprehend the links to other cultures and other times.
“This [course of study] will help me articulate my ethical stances toward individuals, communities and societies, through its examination of the way in which morality and ethics are explored through cultural elements…by getting to understand what these different cultures perceive as right and wrong, good and bad, and how they react when faced with the unique challenges of the human experience through their music, I will be better able to understand different perspectives on these issues.”
- Theoretical Data Science & Astronomy Innovation – a student-designed IDC pathway focused on a science-based approach to combining computer based modelling with the statistical, mathematical, and astronomical skills required to study transiting exoplanets. This Degree combines courses from Astronomy, Computer Science, Statistics, and Interdisciplinary Studies to facilitate the student to make new advances in technology and space exploration.
“The multi-disciplinary studies and focus on critical thinking skills that are the foundation of the liberal arts education here at the University of North Carolina at Asheville have revealed to me a greater potential use for an interest in computers than previously envisioned.”