The purpose of the integrated studies major is to offer students the freedom and responsibility to develop individualized programs. This major provides a broad educational experience that is more flexible than traditional programs, and it provides an opportunity for students to concentrate on a combination of areas that Brescia University may not offer as individual majors. Upon completion of Integrated Studies requirements, the B.A. or B.S. degree is conferred according to the University standards for those degrees. Advising for the Integrated Studies degree is done in consultation with appropriate area advisors.
Because of its interdisciplinary nature, the Integrated Studies major cannot be awarded simultaneously with a major or minor in a separate academic area.
Required to Graduate: 120 credit hours
General Education Requirement: 48 credit hours
Areas of Concentration: 48 credit hours
- Forty-five (45) hours of the required 48 must be 200–400 level courses;
- only one 100-level course may count toward the major.
- A minimum of thirty (30) credit hours must be at the 300–400 level.
- Courses may be distributed over two or three selected areas of concentrated
study.
- At least fifteen (15) credit hours must be taken in each area of concentration,
and no
- more than thirty (30) credit hours may be taken in any one discipline.
- When at least 32 of the required 48 hours for the major have been completed,
students must register for the 3-credit-hour online Senior Capstone course,
in which they review writing skills and submit a paper demonstrating appropriate coursework integration and reflection on possible career options. This course in included in the 48-hour requirement for the major and may be counted as three credits toward fulfilling any one of the chosen areas of concentration.
Electives: To total 120 credit hours
Computer Competency is met through CS 105, IDC 205, or a computer science GER equivalent.
IS 499: Integrated Studies Senior Capstone
This course serves a two-fold purpose. First and most importantly, it is designed to assist students in integrating their areas of concentration within the Integrated Studies major with a view to possible career options for the degree. Second, of lesser importance but still a benefit as students prepare for graduation and the work world, it is a refresher course for senior students with a focus on grammar, mechanics, and citing. Within this review of writing, students will integrate the work done in their separate academic disciplines and produce both a creative career project and a paper researching application of that study to their personal and/or possible career goals. Prerequisites: A minimum of 32 of the required 48 hours for the major must be completed; student must be more than half way (2/3 recommended) through all content areas for the major.
