Senate Document Number 0300F

Date of Senate Approval 11/09/00

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Statement of Faculty Senate Action:

APC Document 1 Recataloging Individual Degrees Under Interdisciplinary Studies

Effective Date: Spring, 2001 (Contingent on Board of Governors Approval for Establishment)

Delete: on page 50, the heading "INDIVIDUAL DEGREE PROGRAMS" and the paragraph immediately following it.

Insert: on page 130, under the heading "Interdisciplinary Studies (IST)" after the second paragraph the following.

Major Concentration options for the Bachelor of Arts Degree are available in Interdisciplinary Studies in the Individual Degree Concentration and the Concentration in Ethics and Social Institutions. IST major programs for the B.A. require an introductory course or courses, a capstone experience, and provisions to satisfy major and oral competency. They incorporate at least 36 credit hours from at least three different departments with no more than one half of the required credit hours coming from any one department. At least 21 of the required hours must be at the 300 level or above and at least two-thirds of the major must be taken while a student at UNCA. If a student is seeking a double major, no more than 6 hours of courses can be used for both majors. None of the hours used to fulfill requirements for a declared minor may be used for the Interdisciplinary Studies major.

Insert: on page 131, before the heading Interdisciplinary Studies: Africana Studies (AFST) the following.

Interdisciplinary Studies: Individual Degree Concentration
Students have an opportunity to pursue individual degree concentrations for the Bachelor of Arts that combine features of more than one discipline and are outside the normal list of major programs. A student interested in pursuing an individual degree develops a proposed course of study with his or her faculty advisor. The proposal for an individual degree must be submitted before the student completes seventy-five hours of college work and must include the following.

I. A specific list of required courses totaling at least 36 and no more than 45 credit hours drawn from at least three different disciplines available at UNCA. No more than one half of the required credit hours may come from any one department and at least 21 of these hours must be at the 300 level or above. At least two-thirds of the major must be taken while a student at UNCA. (If a student is seeking a double major, no more than 6 hours of courses can be used for both majors. None of the hours used to fulfill requirements for a declared minor may be used for the Interdisciplinary Studies major.)

II. A specific statement as to how major and oral competency will be demonstrated and a description of the paper or project which will serve as the capstone experience.

III. A persuasive educational rationale for the individual program which explains the reasoning behind the focus and demonstrates that the proposed course of study is in harmony with UNCA's mission.

IV. A timetable for completion.

V. The student's proposal must be cosigned by faculty members from at least two of the department's involved.

VI. A signed agreement from the student that he or she will submit the work required by the program's assessment plans to the IST Director.

The student submits the proposal to the Director of Interdisciplinary Studies who determines if the proposal warrants an IST designation. If the Director approves, the proposal is submitted to the Registrar's Office where it is evaluated to determine if it meets all graduation requirements. Upon the Registrar's approval, the student formally declares a major in Interdisciplinary Studies. No changes may be made in the proposed program without written approval of both the Director and the Registrar. The title of the individual degree will be identified on the UNCA transcript and the student's course of study will be listed as Interdisciplinary Studies.

Declaration of Major in Interdisciplinary Studies: Individual Degree Concentration
Declaring an Individual Degree Concentration major in Interdisciplinary Studies requires the student to meet the requirements listed above and then complete a Declaration of Major Form that must be signed by the Director of Interdisciplinary Studies. Before declaring a major a student must satisfy the LANG 102 and Library Research Requirements.

Rationale:
Individual degrees are currently awarded by the department "most closely related to the individual program" (p. 50) no matter how many disciplines are represented or how few courses are taken in the major department. The change recognizes the inherent interdisciplinary nature of individual degrees and releases departments from awarding degrees to students who have not completed the normal requirements for the major. Placing the approval decision in the hands of the Director of Interdisciplinary Studies creates the opportunity for more systematic analysis and assessment of individual degree requests.

Impact:
A slight decline in the number of majors in departments which sponsor individual degree concentrations.

Note:
Section 8 of the "Graduation Requirements" listed on page 37 states that a student must "complete at least one-half of the major at UNCA if a transfer student." The Individual Degree in Interdisciplinary studies requires "two-thirds." To make the individual degree a serious and planned enterprise and not simply a convenience for an indecisive person, it is necessary for a student to pursue most of their work here. The phrase "at least" implies that a specific major can require more.

Study abroad courses used for the Individual Degree that are undertaken while a student at UNCA and approved by the Director of Interdisciplinary Studies or courses taken at schools with which UNCA has a consortium agreement are considered to be courses taken while a student at UNCA.