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Program Design
| Curriculum Summary | Credits |
|---|---|
| Core Courses | 24 |
| Capstone Course | 6 |
| Electives | 15 |
| Final Project or Thesis | 10 |
| Total | 55 |
The Master of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies is a 55-credit master's degree, consisting of core courses and a capstone, electives, and a final thesis or project. Classes are taught in the evenings.
Core Courses and Capstone
The four core courses are closely integrated, constituting a single, extended investigation of how issues and problems are evaluated in the process of taking action. The courses examine analytical tools and how social and organizational cultures influence the work required in moving toward taking action. These courses may be taken in any order.
Students enroll in the capstone course after the completion of the core course series. The capstone provides a forum for re-integrating the separate themes of the four core courses and considering how they can be applied to the students' areas of interest, and creating a framework for the thesis or project.
- TIAS 501: Models and Critical Inquiry
- TIAS 502: Culture and Public Problems
- TIAS 503: Evidence and Action
- TIAS 504: Values and Action
- TIAS 505: Capstone Course
Electives in the Area of Emphasis
Students will work with a faculty adviser to develop a focus within the student's chosen area of interest. The required fifteen credits of electives are to be chosen carefully in consultation with the faculty advisor, as stepping stones toward the substance of the thesis or project. In addition to elective courses developed specifically for the Master of Arts degree, students can select from a wide range of courses offered at UWT, including some of those offered in other UW graduate programs. Several independent study options are also available.
Thesis or Project
The final product of the graduate program must be a thesis or a scholarly project that demonstrates a level of competence equivalent to a thesis. Students negotiate specific thesis questions and plans in consultation with faculty, focused on their own chosen goals and areas of interest. It is the student's responsibility to eventually recruit a thesis chair and at least one other reader to constitute a thesis committee. The chair may be the faculty advisor, or may be someone else whose area of expertise most overlaps with the focus of the thesis or project.
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