The Multidisciplinary Studies Program is comprised of three related minors. The program does not limit students to courses of study in a particular area, but rather stresses the importance of breadth of knowledge and cross-disciplinary communication. The program emphasizes flexibility and combines specialized knowledge from individual disciplines with a unique ability to approach problems from divergent perspectives. Students learn to apply their minors to real-world problems through a community-based internship and to apply multidisciplinary techniques in communicating the strengths of their self-chosen course of study. Students in the Multidisciplinary Studies program are able to take advantage of the vast resources available in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, but are not limited to any one of the University’s colleges when making decisions as to which minors to pursue. Thus, students in Multidisciplinary Studies are uniquely positioned to take advantage of the excellence of West Virginia University’s faculty across the entire spectrum of academic offerings. Majors in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Biochemistry B Biology B, M, D Chemistry B, M, D Communications Studies B, M, D Computer Science B Creative Writing M Criminology & Investigations B Economics B English B, M, D Environmental Geoscience B Foreign Languages B, M Forensic & Investigative Science B Geography B, M, D Geology B, M, D History B, M, D Individualized Major B Industrial Mathematics and Statistics B International Studies B Legal Studies M Liberal Arts and Sciences B Liberal Studies M Mathematics B, M, D Multidisciplinary Studies B Philosophy B Physics B, M, D Political Science B, M, D Professional Writing and Editing M Psychology B, M, D Public Administration M Regents Bachelor of Arts B Religious Studies B Slavic Studies B Social Work B, M Sociology M Sociology and Anthropology B Statistics M Women's Studies B B=Bachelor's; M=Master's; D=Doctorate You can also visit the Web site at: www.as.wvu.edu/mds.html

The WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
The Eberly College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most diverse academic unit within West Virginia University. A faculty of 450 and a staff of 125 are involved in educating and supporting the efforts of more than 6,700 students (nearly one-fourth of the WVU student body) who are majoring in one or more of 63 undergraduate and graduate programs offered by the College’s 16 academic departments and divisions. The College’s academic units and research facilities are housed in 14 buildings on the WVU campus. The Dean’s Office is in historic Woodburn Hall. The College and its Department of Biology also maintain the Core Arboretum, a 75-acre wooded tract adjacent to the Monongahela River.

The College provides the majority of the curriculum for all WVU undergraduates and a wide variety of required and elective courses for the entire student body. Arts and Sciences majors may, with permission, major in more than one discipline, and when appropriate, design highly individualized degree programs.

Eberly College undergraduate degree programs prepare students for many specific professions, while also providing a broad-based education that will remain relevant beyond the first job after graduation. Many Eberly College alumni go on to complete graduate and professional degrees. By providing students with analytic and communication skills, reasoning abilities, and a broad knowledge of the humanities and the behavioral and natural sciences, the Eberly College equips graduates for lifelong learning and prepares them to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world and an increasingly volatile job market.

Admission
Upon completion of 58 credit hours with at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average, a student may apply for admission to the Multidisciplinary Studies Program. At this point the student should be prepared to declare his or her three minors. No grade in a course required for one of the student’s minors lower than a C counts toward the completion of the MDS degree. First-year MDS students are required to enroll in MDS 199, Multidisciplinary Studies Orientation.

Curriculum
Depending on their chosen minors, students in the MDS Program will have their schedules vary widely in their junior and senior years. However, every minor requires the completion of at least nine credit hours at the upperdivision level. A detailed list of the requirements for completing the minors available at WVU can be found at http://www.wvu.edu/%7Eacadaff/acad/minors/minors.htm

In addition to the courses required by the student’s minors, the student must complete two Multidisciplinary Studies courses. The required courses are the MDS orientation course, MDS 199, and the final capstone course, MDS 492. The capstone is taken in the student’s final semester at WVU and stresses the integration of the three minors into a cohesive whole through the completion of an internship in the local community.

While working toward the completion of the MDS requirements, MDS students must also complete either the LSP or GEC curriculum as stipulated by the University. In addition to other requirements, the MDS Program mandates the completion of at least 60 credit hours at the 200 level or above and 30 credit hours at the 300 or 400 level. The student must maintain a 2.0 GPA to graduate.

Course Work
*Please see the current WVU Undergraduate Catalog for complete course descriptions.

Accreditation
WVU is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Career Opportunities
Multidisciplinary Studies helps to bridge what have become increasingly specialized, disparate, and segmented fields of study within American universities. The ability to approach problems from an interdisciplinary perspective is an increasingly valuable skill in today’s highly specialized society.

Holders of Multidisciplinary Studies degrees often enter the same fields as graduates of more traditional majors such as communication studies or business administration. These include positions in management or sales or in industries such as hotel/ hospitality, pharmaceutical, insurance, or retail. Employment opportunities for individuals who have learned divergent methods of solving problems are also available in education, social services, and government.

Graduate School Opportunities
Graduates may use their degrees as a foundation for further studies in law, business administration, journalism, education, or other disciplines.

Salary Range
The starting pay for Multidisciplinary Studies Program graduates varies widely depending on the career track pursued by the graduate and the minors completed. However, it is at least generally comparable to the starting salaries of other liberal arts majors.

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, as of summer 2006 the average starting salary for a graduate holding a liberal arts degree was $32,586.