Students create their own academic path with the Interdisciplinary Studies major

UNC offers more than 80 majors for students to pursue, however, students who don’t align with a preexisting program can also pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies.

According to the UNC academic catalog, the Interdisciplinary Studies major, abbreviated as IDST, provides an “innovative space and a flexible, individualized program structure for students who wish to develop a major different from those already offered.”

Interim Director of Interdisciplinary Studies William Goldsmith wrote in a statement to The Daily Tar Heel that the students in the major currently pursue around 50 unique programs.

Curriculum Director Nick Siedentop wrote in a separate statement that the major has been around for decades, dating back to 1997 in the UNC catalog archives.

The 24-credit major allows for students to generate their own academic plan and create a unique course of study. In previous years, students pursuing IDST majors have studied topics ranging anywhere from entertainment management to cultural studies, the undergraduate curricula website states.

Sophomore Suhan Asaigoli, an IDST major, said in an email statement to The DTH that he is studying “Neurohumanities, Cognitive Health and Experience.” He wrote that he applied to the IDST program because it allowed him to pursue “a unique academic path focused on exploring the narratives of illness and the human experience of disease.”

Because IDST majors have the ability to design their own curriculum, students who desire to pursue this major must apply to it. Asaigoli wrote that completing the application was an insightful experience.

“It compelled me to comprehensively reflect on my interests as a student, ruminate on how I wanted to further explore those in my own course plan, and conduct research into the many departments and faculty that we have at UNC to shape my designed major,” he wrote. 

The application consists of a form requiring prospective students to explain their proposed major, outline the necessary courses and complete four short answer questions about their goals. After completion, the form is then sent to the IDST program director before being reviewed by an advisory board. 

Students interested in pursuing an IDST major for the spring semester must submit their applications by Feb. 1 and will be notified about their decision around four weeks after the application deadline, according to the undergraduate curricula website.

Once decisions are released, students will need to follow a series of requirements in order to graduate as an IDST major, including taking eight core courses from at least three departments and complete at least eight substitute courses while maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or higher. 

Additionally, the undergraduate curricula website states that the IDST Advisory Board “strongly discourages” students pursuing IDST from double majoring. Some students pursue two minors in order to reach the number of credits required for graduation.

To refine their proposals, the UNC Department of Undergraduate Education provides faculty sponsors that help students develop their coursework and the subject of their programs.

“The IDST department faculty were very helpful in helping me refine my proposal to be a rigorous course of study that addressed my interests,” Asaigoli wrote.

Senior Amir Shaheen, an IDST major studying infectious diseases, wrote in an email statement to The DTH that the IDST program has enabled him to pursue his desired major through several different ways. One of those ways, he wrote, was through granting him access to classes that were restricted to certain majors.

“I've been able to take epidemiology, microbial pathogenesis and immunology [courses],” he wrote. “These classes are technically within graduate departments, but my major enables me to enroll in them.” 

Asaigoli wrote that he came to UNC with an interest in medical education and research, writing that he discovered the cultural, social and emotional aspects of neurological illnesses are just as important to understand for his career goals.

"Interdisciplinary studies offers me the flexibility to explore a wide range of topics — from narrative medicine and sociology to bioethics and research-intensive coursework,” he wrote.

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