Interdisciplinary Studies, MIS

The Master of Interdisciplinary Studies is designed in such a manner that students with unique interests and multifaceted career goals can incorporate several traditional academic disciplines into a single program of study. Individual programs, created by students in direct consultation with university faculty, typically include three different disciplines, each represented with between a minimum of six and a maximum of 15 semester credit hours. This program is founded upon the understanding that in our culture there is a need for the practical interdisciplinarian - a specialist in the interrelationship of ideas and traditional disciplines.

Students in the MIS program may select one of two program options. In each option, all MIS students will be supervised by a committee comprised of faculty members representing each discipline in the degree and the division director or graduate director. The format of comprehensive examinations, either written or oral, will be at the discretion of the committee members.

Admission Requirements

GPA and Entrance Scores

In order to be admitted to the MIS program, students must fall into one of the two categories below:

Category One

Students may be granted clear admittance to the program if they have an overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0, a GPA of 3.0 for the last 60 hours of coursework, and recognition by the graduate director that the purpose and goals outlined in the applicant’s statement of purpose can be achieved through our academic offerings.

Category Two

If students do not meet the criterion highlighted in Category One, they may still be admitted if they have an overall undergraduate GPA of 2.5 and a 2.8 GPA for the last 60 hours of coursework. Students with these GPAs will be required to take the GRE exam and achieve a score of 155 or higher on both the verbal and quantitative sections and achieve a minimum level of 3.0 on the analytical writing section of the exam.

At the discretion of the division director, students who do not have the acceptable GPA or GRE scores may be admitted to the program on probationary status for one semester only and must fulfill specific GPA and/or course requirements before the start of the next semester.

Application Deadlines

If one hopes to begin the MIS program during a fall semester, the application deadline is Aug. 1. If a student hopes to begin the MIS program in the spring semester, the application deadline is Dec. 1.

Program Notes

• All requirements for an MIS must be completed within six years of first graduate enrollment.
• To remain in good standing, students must have a 3.0 GPA (B average) on all graduate work.
• No Ds and no more than two Cs may be counted toward graduate degree requirements.
• No more than two graduate classes may be repeated. (Only the second grade counts toward the GPA.) The GPA may not be improved by retaking a course at another university.
• Students wishing to transfer graduate credit earned at another university must have written approval from the division director.