Integrative Studies: Northern Kentucky University, Greater Cincinnati Region

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Integrative Studies...

I wanted it not
Was not my choice, alas!
Still, mercy found me...

Nooked into it
I found safety, mystery
Solace, excellence...

Taught by exposure
Acclimation, made truce yet
Learning here, I enjoyed

Enthusiasm was sure
Diversity of the mind
Overall notions...

Global perspectives
Imbibed with strong reasonings
Critical thinking...

Research? No limits...
Used to connect disciplines
Solutions are birthed

Applicational...
Not black and white opinions
Exploring knowledge

Telling it all...
Informative ideas
Reconnecting dots

Examining life
Concurring with sciences
Upholding via Law

Discussing the parts
Omitting nothing in the...
World's Complexity.

This is Integrative Studies.

By Chinonye Izu

Integrative Studies Programs

Integrative study is required when one moves beyond disciplinary boundaries and attempts to use knowledge from different specialties to answer a big question or tackle a complex problem. In interdisciplinary work specialists address problems or topics that sit between or overlap the disciplinary perspectives.

Integrative Studies at NKU offers three degree programs.

Associate of Arts Degree in Integrative Studies (AAIS)
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Integrative Studies (BAIS)
Master of Arts Degree in Integrative Studies (MAIS)

Each program is designed to be flexible and emphasizes the kind of integrative study required for interdisciplinary problems or topics. Both the Associate's and Bachelor's degrees can be obtained online .

Interdisciplinary studies may be defined as a process of answering a question, solving a problem, or addressing a topic that is too broad or complex to be dealt with adequately by a single discipline or profession . . . IDS draws on disciplinary perspectives and integrates their insights through construction of a more comprehensive perspective.

-- Klein & Newell, “Advancing Interdisciplinary Studies,” in Gaff & Ratcliff, Handbook of the Undergraduate Curriculum (Jossey-Bass, 1996)

Who Are We?

We are Established. The Integrative Studies program has nearly 260 current undergraduate majors and 20 graduate students. The B.A. degree in Integrative Studies is among the top four largest majors in the College of Arts and Sciences, and it is one of the top ten largest at NKU.
We are Successful. Since 2009 the B.A. program has graduated over 800 students and M.A. program has graduated over 80 students. IST now graduates over 100 students every year.
We are Diverse. Over fifty percent of our students are post-traditional, 57% are first generation, and almost 25% are under-represented minority (URM) students.
We are Flexible. More than one fifth of the Bachelor of Arts Integrative Studies students are earning their degree entirely online.

Who Are Our Students?

Integrative Studies programs attract students who

have a variety of interests, that won’t be satisfied focusing a single major,
like to think about big problems or issues from different perspectives,
exercise curiosity and creativity that outruns the strict focus of traditional majors,
have career goals are still open or not fixed by a single disciplinary or professional program of study.

Who are these students?

Adult learners who have interrupted their studies for a prolonged period and return with a different academic focus and career goal.
Undergraduate transfer students whose prior work does not mesh well with existing programs of study at NKU.
Part-time students whose work schedules and other responsibilities preclude them from completing more structured majors.
Undergraduate students abandoning highly structured disciplinary or professional majors during their undergraduate career.

Benefits

Our graduates will have the ability to

work collaboratively and productively with others who have different perspectives or worldviews;
think critically, creatively and boldly; and

recognize the relevance of disciplinary knowledge to complex issues.

Our graduates leave with a variety of skills that make them attractive employees for a large number of career possibilities. Integrative Studies students develop impressive resumes that show both bread and depth in their knowledge. They are excellent collaborators who are well-positioned to pursue their dream careers.

Our Mission

It is the mission of the Integrative Studies program at NKU to offer students educational experiences through which they can find coherence, meaning and value in rigorous individualized programs of study--programs that address complex, real-world problems that often go beyond the scope of traditional disciplinary or professional programs of study.

Integrative Studies