COLLEGE OF INTEGRATIVE SCIENCES AND ARTS (CISA) · CLASS OF 2030

Isobel
Munnerley

Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies

Accepted — College of Integrative Sciences and Arts

DESIGN YOUR DEGREE

The degree

Design your own
degree pathway

The Interdisciplinary Studies Bachelor of Arts at the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (CISA) is one of the most flexible degrees in the country — and one of the most demanding on curiosity. Rather than fitting into a single discipline, you build your own academic identity by combining two concentration areas from nearly 200 options.

The core curriculum teaches you how to actually integrate those fields — to move between ways of knowing, to find the questions that only exist at the edges of disciplines, and to build arguments that draw on both. The degree requires 120 credit hours spread across four years.

What is a 'credit hour', really? Week by week, semester by semester — what 120 credit hours actually means for you.
120
credit hours to graduate
200+
concentration areas to choose from
45
upper division credits required
2
concentrations you'll master

Four years,
mapped out

Click any card to learn more. Where there's a choice, you can start picking your favourites.

IDS = Interdisciplinary Studies — the name of this degree and its core course prefix.
Lower division courses are numbered 100–200 (foundational). Upper division courses are numbered 300–400 (advanced).

IDS (Interdisciplinary Studies) core
Concentration 1
Concentration 2
University requirements
Key choices
✦ Double-counts (IDS + GS Gold)

Year 1 — Foundation 30 credits

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University req
ASU 101
First-year seminar · 1 cr
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University req
ENG 101 + 102
First-year composition · 6 cr
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IDS Core
IDS 201 or IDS 301
Intro to interdisciplinary thinking · 3 cr
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IDS Core
IDS 140
Nature of knowledge systems · 3 cr
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◇ Free Electives
Year 1 — Free elective
Explore freely — try a subject you've never studied. Lowest-stakes slot in the degree.
▸ General Studies Gold — 9 categories · 35 cr
Spans Years 1–3 · tap to expand · check off each category as you plan it
ASU's breadth requirement for all undergraduates. The 9 categories below total 35 credits, separate from the 6 cr of first-year composition (ENG 101 + 102). Many categories double-count with your IDS core, concentration, or integrative courses — your advisor will track this on your degree audit. Tap any category for the explanation, or use the checkbox to mark it planned.
HUAD
Humanities, Arts & Design
6 cr
SOBE
Social & Behavioral Sciences
3 cr
SCIT
Scientific Thinking in the Natural Sciences
8 cr
QTRS
Quantitative Reasoning
3 cr
MATH
Mathematics
3 cr · MAT 142 (College Mathematics) satisfies this
AMIT
American Institutions
3 cr
CIVI
Governance & Civic Engagement
3 cr
GCSI
Global Communities, Societies & Individuals
3 cr
SUST
Sustainability
3 cr
Key decision: You'll also begin choosing your two concentration areas this year. Explore the concentrations section below to start forming ideas — your advisor will help you finalise.

Year 2 — Building depth 30 credits

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Concentration 1
Lower division coursework
6 credit hours · 100–200 level · min grade C
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Concentration 2
Lower division coursework
6 credit hours · 100–200 level · min grade C
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IDS Core
Integrative application course
IDS 310–316, STS, or MVS · 3 cr
▸ General Studies Gold — 9 categories · 35 cr
Continued from Year 1 · shared state across years · tap to expand
Year 2 is when most students knock out several GS Gold categories alongside their concentration coursework. Checking a category here updates it everywhere — your degree audit only counts it once.
HUAD
Humanities, Arts & Design
6 cr
SOBE
Social & Behavioral Sciences
3 cr
SCIT
Scientific Thinking in the Natural Sciences
8 cr
QTRS
Quantitative Reasoning
3 cr
MATH
Mathematics
3 cr · MAT 142 satisfies this
AMIT
American Institutions
3 cr
CIVI
Governance & Civic Engagement
3 cr
GCSI
Global Communities, Societies & Individuals
3 cr
SUST
Sustainability
3 cr
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◇ Free Electives
Year 2 — Free elective
Start building toward a minor — most take 15–18 cr, so begin early.

Year 3 — Going deeper 30 credits

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Concentration 1
Upper division coursework
9 credit hours · 300–400 level
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Concentration 2
Upper division coursework
9 credit hours · 300–400 level
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IDS Core
Upper div integrative courses
9 credit hours across IDS/STS/MVS
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◇ Free Electives
Year 3 — Free elective
Take an upper-division course in your planned IDS 401 capstone area.
▸ General Studies Gold — 9 categories · 35 cr
Finish any remaining categories before Year 4 · shared state across years
Most students wrap up the last GS Gold categories during Year 3. Anything still unchecked here should be on your Year 3 schedule so Year 4 stays focused on upper-division concentration work and the IDS 401 capstone.
HUAD
Humanities, Arts & Design
6 cr
SOBE
Social & Behavioral Sciences
3 cr
SCIT
Scientific Thinking in the Natural Sciences
8 cr
QTRS
Quantitative Reasoning
3 cr
MATH
Mathematics
3 cr · MAT 142 satisfies this
AMIT
American Institutions
3 cr
CIVI
Governance & Civic Engagement
3 cr
GCSI
Global Communities, Societies & Individuals
3 cr
SUST
Sustainability
3 cr

Year 4 — Bringing it together 30 credits

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◇ Free Electives
Year 4 — Free electives
Finish a minor, add a language, or take something unexpected. ~6 cr lands here.
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IDS Core
IDS 401 — Experiential Learning
Capstone · internship, research, or project · 3 cr
Optional paths: 4+1 accelerated BA + master's in 5 years, or a concurrent double major. Discuss with your advisor from year 2 onwards.

Choosing your path

Two concentration
areas to define

1
tap to choose

Concentration one

Your first area of study

Pick any field from the nearly 200 available — from business and psychology to digital culture, justice studies, or public administration. Tap to browse options and make your choice.

6 lower division + 9 upper division = 15 credit hours

2
tap to choose

Concentration two

Your second area of study

The second concentration creates the intellectual tension that makes this degree distinctive. Choose something that sits in genuine creative friction with your first choice. Tap to browse options.

6 lower division + 9 upper division = 15 credit hours

Example pairings: Business + project management · Psychology + social welfare · Communication + justice studies · Public administration + ethics · Digital culture + computer gaming. The most interesting combinations are the ones that make people ask "how does that fit together?" — and where you have a real answer.
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