General Education: 30 Credits; Major: 36 Credits; Elective Credits: 54 Credits
Becoming an IDS Major
Entering students at MMC may declare the IDS major or IDS as a double-major, though they should confer with the Liberal Studies Program advisor and IDS coordinator as soon as possible during (or even before) their first year at the College. After accumulating 15 MMC credits, and before reaching 45 MMC credits, IDS majors or double-majors are required to submit a complete Interdisciplinary Studies Major Application to remain enrolled in the program. Successful applicants must have a 3.0 GPA or higher at the time that the application is submitted.
Most IDS students begin the application process by meeting with the Program Coordinator and/or Liberal Studies advisor to discuss areas of interest around which they might organize a program of study and to identify a possible faculty advisor. Once the faculty advisor has agreed to serve this role, students proceed to identify two more faculty members who will serve on their committee. The committee reviews and issues final approval of the student’s application. When it is approved, this document is submitted to the Program Coordinator and becomes the guide for the student and faculty advisor to chart progress. At this point the student also submits the official Major Declaration form to Academic Advisement. In the event that the student, in consultation with his/her faculty advisor, decides to make significant revisions to his/her program of study, the student submits a revised proposal to the faculty committee that approved his/her initial plan and to the Program Coordinator.
Required Courses (6 credits)
| IDS 399 | Independent Study/Internship | 3 |
| IDS 499 | Independent Study Capstone | 3 |
Elective Courses (30 credits)
In consultation with their Faculty Advisor, students complete the remaining 30 credits by selecting 10 courses from across the curriculum that connect to the student’s chosen topic.
- No more than three of these courses can be from the same department.
- No more than four of these courses may be at the 100/200 levels.
- These courses may include additional Independent Study/Directed Study courses as deemed appropriate by the student and his/her faculty advisor.
- For those double-majoring in IDS, no more than four courses can count towards the IDS major and the other declared major.
- No more than two courses may be applied to both the IDS major and a minor.
- In order to ensure that students have met the prerequisites and are adequately prepared for 300- and 400-level courses in any given discipline, it is strongly recommended that they select 100- and 200-level Shared Curriculum courses and elective courses in disciplines that they anticipate studying at the advanced level.