Office of Interdisciplinary Studies

SPOTLIGHT: Find a Major Fair

The program in Interdisciplinary Studies houses the University’s undeclared majors program for exploratory students, the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS), and various interdisciplinary minors.

Program for Undeclared Majors

The program for undeclared majors provides an organized plan of study for students who are exploring options for their academic major. It is the appropriate place for Southern Miss students who wish to sample university life and various fields of study before committing to a definite major. While an undeclared major, students pursue the university’s General Education Curriculum and work with specially trained academic advisers. Advisors provide a structured syllabus that encourages students to explore, select and eventually commit to an appropriate major, thus facilitating the timely completion of an undergraduate degree. The program works closely with Southern Miss Career Services to help the exploring student.

Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies

The Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) undergraduate program allows students to create interdisciplinary specialties in preparation for careers in a world where complex issues demand multi-faceted knowledge and skills. With the help of an Interdisciplinary Studies faculty advisor, students will select courses from two or more disciplines and focus their program on the basis of a unifying issue, theme, or topic as an area of concentration. Students will work closely with faculty from each selected discipline to design a program meeting their diverse educational and career goals.

Acceptance into the BIS program is determined by the following criteria:

the student’s selection of a concentration area that does not reflect any existing major, linking clusters of courses and faculty where no structure or formal program exists;
the student’s selection of a concentration area that integrates knowledge and skills from at least two fields and disciplines resulting in an individualized program that is historical, regional, thematic, or problem-based;
the student’s selection of a concentration that is supported and approved by an BIS faculty advisor and associated program faculty. BIS students are required to cultivate relationships with assigned or designated faculty, taking initial responsibility in developing their individualized programs.

Interdisciplinary Studies students will develop individualized, coherent, intellectually challenging, cross-disciplinary academic plans, utilizing courses selected from departments at The University of Southern Mississippi.

Office of Interdisciplinary Studies
http://www.usm.edu/bis
601.266.6891 • bis@usm.edu