What's Your Major?

People have been asking this question of university students for decades. In UW Tacoma's Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, the word "major" is replaced by something relatively new: the word "concentration."

This small change signals something big: freedom to explore outside the bounds of tradition while building on the best of what the UW has to offer—including excellent faculty and high standards of teaching and learning.

IAS is one large, cohesive organization, rather than a conglomeration of several academic departments that each offer a narrowly focused major. This open organization frees professors to offer courses that make connections, for example, between history, economics, physics, psychology and the teaching of English. Concentrations provide the focus, as well as the flexibility, to study what you want while providing an education that prepares you to think critically, solve problems, write and speak effectively—the skills employers look for most. This educational approach is excellent preparation for the fast-changing, complex, interconnected world in which we live and work. The chart below will help you find which concentration will help you pursue your "major," and much more.

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