Interdisciplinary
studies offers unique program
By
Lauren Nelson
On-line Forty-Niner
Students
at Cal State Long Beach are taking charge
and creating personalized and specific majors
that support their diverse educational and
career goals.
The
Interdisciplinary Studies Program allows
students to create their own individual
majors instead of choosing from a course
catalogue that only offers select, strict
majors. Students who go through the program
choose what classes they take, what emphasis
they want and they even name his or her
own major.
Some
of the cross-disciplinary major programs
are music management, neuroscience, ecological
studies, feminism in philosophy and literature,
marine toxicology and audio engineering.
Two of CSULB's largest programs, engineering
technology and women's studies, began under
the interdisciplinary studies program.
In
order for the concentration to be valid,
it must meet the program's criteria. The
concentration must integrate at least two
fields, it may not replicate any existing
major and it must be attainable. The program
wants everyone who may consider designing
his or her own program to know that the
student's role is very active.
Cultivating
relationships with designated faculty is
a must-do for students because the student
has a greater responsibility in shaping
the perfect program. In order to ensure
that the required courses will be available
for the proposed program, each prospective
student needs to speak with a faculty advisor.
Since
the program has only been on campus for
18 months, there is no way to determine
the graduation rate of students who plan
their own academic careers. In the program,
there are approximately 50 undergraduates
and 35 graduate students obtaining degrees.
According
to the director of interdisciplinary studies,
Bruce Berg, the students who choose to stray
from the ready-made-majors tend to be more
goal directed.
"They
have an idea of what to go after, and it's
not always after a job."
Most
of the students who go through ISP take
the courses that many prominent graduate
schools require.
"They
are improving their chances of getting into
grad school," Berg said.
Though the program's students have freedom
in directing their own studies, including
the major title, most of the majors are
replicate majors from other universities
that CSULB does not offer.
Students who are interested in becoming
a part of the program must have a satisfactory
GPA and be willing to research their objectives.
Students must submit their objectives and
a written proposal to Berg for admission
to the program.
Students
who are looking into the program must state
why a traditional major will not suffice
along with explaining how the combined majors
will enhance a student's prospects for obtaining
a job, improve abilities to be flexible
in careers and if the combination does not
assist in terms of employability, the student
must explain why that major is useful.
According
to Berg and the students, the hardest part
of the process is meeting with each of the
departments that and getting the required
signatures.
Summer
Farmer combined educational psychology,
family and consumer sciences, communication
disorders, English and health science to
create her personalized major which is special
education. Originally a communication disorders
major, Farmer decided in Spring 2003 that
it was too impacted and not right for her.
"I
was really impressed [with the program]
because I get to be around what I'm interested
in. It beats [having to take] all the classes
that you don't need," Farmer said,
who will be graduating in May.
According
to career counselor, Ruby Leavelle-Hartley,
from the Career Development Center, there
is no reason students in the program should
have more difficulty looking for jobs than
anyone from another major.
"There
is a large variety of resources for a large
variety of majors," she said. "They
come in and use the resources just as everyone
else does."
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