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Interdisciplinary Studies

Interdisciplinary Studies, Associate of Interdisciplinary Studies (246)

  • Undergraduate
  • AIS
  • Education & Behavioral Science
  • Leadership & Professional Studies, School of

Overview

The Associate of Interdisciplinary Studies degree is designed for those who need or desire a flexible degree program. Within the limits specified for the degree, students, with their advisors, may design programs to suit their personal needs and educational objectives.

This program requires 60 credit hours of coursework. Students who have previously earned 60 hours of credit with a 2.0 cumulative grade point average or above in all higher education coursework, including all coursework completed at Western Kentucky University, and have met all other requirements for the degree, may apply as candidates for the AIS degree. If, upon evaluation of their transcripts, such students meet all the requirements for the degree, the degree will be awarded at the next graduation ceremony.

Opportunities

The Associate of Interdisciplinary Studies degree is an attractive option for employment or promotion in business and industry. In addition to those wishing to enhance their employability, several other groups of students will find the program suits their needs. These include those who are seeking a degree for their personal satisfaction; those who plan to move on to a bachelor's degree but wish to have a degree at the two-year level; and those who wish to consolidate previously-earned credits into a degree program.

Areas of Concentration

  • Arts (GSAR)
  • Business (GSBU)
  • Education (GSED)
  • Health (GSHE)
  • Humanities (GSHU)
  • Organization and Communication of Ideas (GSCO)
  • Science (GSSC)
  • Social and Behavioral (GSSB)
  • Social Justice and Equity Studies (GSSJ)
  • Sustainability (GSSU)
  • Technology (GSTE)

Program Requirements (60 hours)

Minimum requirements for the AIS degree are 60 total hours distributed among the WKU Colonnade, concentration, and elective courses.

Course List
Colonnade for Associate Degree Seeking Students
Complete a minimum of 15 hours of Colonnade coursework chosen from:15
College Composition (F-WC)
Arts & Humanities (E-AH)
Social & Behavioral Sciences (E-SB)
Quantitative Reasoning (F-QR) or Natural and Physical Sciences (E-NS)
Additional Foundations or Explorations Category
Area of Concentration
Select 27 hours in an area of concentration: 127
Arts
Business
Education
Health
Humanities
Organization and Communication of Ideas
Social and Behavioral Science
Science
Social Justice and Equity Studies
Sustainability
Technology
Electives
Select hours of electives to reach 6018
Total Hours60
1

One quarter of the areas of emphasis hours must be earned at WKU.

A student must obtain a 2.0 grade point average in the concentration. An overall 2.0 grade point average is required to be awarded the AIS degree.

Students seeking the AIS degree must complete a minimum of 25% of their degree program in residence at Western Kentucky University. Courses taken at WKU off-campus locations through regional campus offerings or other WKU outreach are considered as having been taken in residence.

The Associate of Interdisciplinary Studies degree cannot be filed as a second degree program; as a result, students applying for concurrent or subsequent associate degrees must file the Associate of Interdisciplinary Studies as their primary degree program. Electives are in addition to the Colonnade courses and area of concentration. They may come from Colonnade categories or courses that do not fall into any Colonnade categories or areas of concentration.

Arts Concentration

Course List
Students pursuing the Arts Concentration can apply the following prefixes and/or courses:27
AD, ANIM, ANTH, ART, DANC, ENG, FILM, FLK, HON
HORT 209
Floral Design
HORT 309
Advanced Floral Design
HORT 330
Wedding Floral Design
IDST, JOUR, MUS, PERF
PSYS 380
Psychology and Science Fiction
SPS, THEA, UCC, UX
Total Hours27

Business Concentration

Course List
Students pursuing the Business Concentration can apply the following prefixes and/or courses:27
ACCT, ACTU, AD, AGEC 
ART 243
Digital Media
BA, BDAN, BDAS, BE,  CIS, CIT, CM, COMM, CRIM, CS, CSCI, DH, ECON, ENG, ENT, ENV, EMDS, FACS, FIN, FINC, GISC, HCA, HIM, HMD, HON, SUPR 
HORT 420
Floral Shop Management
IDST, LEAD, MATH, MFG, MFGE, MGMT, MGT, MIL, MKT, OST, PH, PLS, PR 
PSYS 350
Social Psychology
PSY 350
Social Psychology
PSY 371
The Psychology of Sales Behavior
PSY 470
Psychology and Law
RE, REC, SPM, SPS, STAT, SUPR, UCC, UX, VJP, WFA
Total Hours27

Education Concentration

Course List
Students pursuing the Education Concentration can apply the following prefixes and/or courses:27
AGED, BE, CNS, EDU, ELED
ART 411
Foundations of Art Education and Methods II
ART 413
Foundations of Art Education and Methods III
BIOL 303
Life Science for Middle Grades Teachers
CHEM 470
Chemistry / Middle School
DANC 301
Dance Pedagogy
ENG 407
Linguistic Analysis
ENG 408
Psycholinguistics and Sociolinguistics
ENG 416
Literature/EST Capstone
ENG 469
2nd Language Acquisition Theory
ENG 470
Methods and Materials for Teaching English as a Second Language
ENG 471
Teaching English as a Second Language Practicum
FACS, HED, HON, ID, IDST, IECE, LME, LTCY
GEOL 305
Earth System Science for Teachers
HIST 311
History Teaching Methods
MATH 205
Number Systems and Number Theory for Teachers
MATH 206
Fundamentals of Geometry for Teachers
MATH 302
Introduction to Advanced Mathematics for Middle Grades Teachers
MATH 308
Rational Numbers and Data Analysis for Teachers
MATH 403
Geometry for Elementary and Middle Grades Teachers
MATH 411
Problem Solving for Elementary and Middle Grades Teachers
MATH 421
Problem Solving for Secondary Teachers
MATH 490
Seminar in Middle Grades Mathematics
MGE, MKT, MLNG, PE, PETE, REC, SEC, SMED, SPED, SPS, UCC
MUS 310
Pedagogy for Performance Majors
MUS 311
Music for the Elementary Teacher
MUS 312
Teaching Music in the Primary Grades
MUS 314
Comprehensive Arts Education for the Elementary Teacher
PSY 310
Educational Psychology: Development and Learning
PSY 331
Psychology of Learning
PSY 422
Adolescent Psychology
PSY 432
Psychology of the Gifted and Creative
PSY 435
Moral Development and Education
PSY 436
Applied Cognitive Psychology
PSYS 321
Child Developmental Psychology
THEA 392
Production of Theatre for Children
THEA 425
Play Production in the Schools
Total Hours27

Health Concentration

Course List
Students pursuing the Health Concentration can apply the following prefixes and/or courses:27
AH, BIOL, CD, CHEM, CHHS, COMM, DH, ENV, EXS, FACS, GERO, HCA, HED, HIM, HMD, HON, IDST, NURS, PE, PETE, PH
PHIL 322
Biomedical Ethics
PHIL 330
Philosophy of Science
SOCL 440
Sociology of Health and Illness
REC, SFTY, SPM, SPS, SWRK, UCC
Total Hours27

Humanities Concentration

Course List
Students pursuing the Humanities Concentration can apply the following prefixes and/or courses:27
AFAM, ANIM, ANTH, ARBC, ARC, ART, ASL, BCOM, CHIN, CHNF, DANC, DCS, ENG, FILM, FLK, FREN
AGEC 468
World Food Development
GEOG 300
Writing in the Geosciences
GERM, HIST, HON, HUM
IDFM 332
History of 20th Century Fashion
IDST, JAPN, LME, MLNG, MUS, PERF, PHIL, POP
MATH 409
History of Mathematics
PSYS 380
Psychology and Science Fiction
PSYS 481
History of Psychology
RELS, SPAN, SPS, SUS, THEA, UCC
Total Hours27

Science Concentration

Course List
Students pursuing the Science Concentration can apply the following prefixes and/or courses:27
ACTU, AGEC, AGED, AGMC, AGRI, AGRO, AH, ANSC
ART 444
Computer Animation III
BCOM 429
Broadcast Meteorology
ASTR, BDAS, BIOL, CE, CHEM, CHHS, CM, CS, DH
EDU 385
Climate, Resources, & Society
ELED 406
Teaching Science in the Elementary School
EE, EM, EMDS, ENGR, ENV, EXS, GEOG, GEOL, GISC, HCA, HIM, HMD, HON, HORT, IDST, MATH, ME, METR, MFGE, NURS, PH, PHYS, PSY, PSYS, REC, SEAS, SMED, SPS, STAT, UCC
Total Hours27

Social and Behavioral Concentration

Course List
Students pursuing the Social and Behavioral Concentration can apply the following prefixes:27
AERO, AFAM, ANTH, ARC, ASL, ATCU, CNS, COMM, CRIM, ECON, EDU, ELED, FACS, FLK, GEOG, GERO, GWS, HIST, HON, ID, IDFM, IDST, IECE, JOUR, LEAD, LME, LS, MIL, MKT, PE, PETE, PH, PLS, POP, PS, PSY, PSYS, RELS, SOCL, SPED, SPM, SPS, SWRK, UCC
Total Hours27

Technology Concentration

Course List
Students pursuing the Technology Concentration can apply the following prefixes and/or courses:27
AGMC, ANIM, BCOM, BE, CE, CIS, CIT, CM, CS, CSCI, EE, EM, ENGR, ENV, GISC, HIM, HON, ID, IDFM, IDST, INS, ME, MFG
MKT 331
Social Media Marketing
OST, SEAS, SPS, UCC, UX, WFA
Total Hours27

Organization and Communication of Ideas Concentration

Course List
Students pursuing the Organization and Communication Concentration can apply the following prefixes and/or courses:27
AD, AERO, ARBC, ART, ASL, BCOM, CD, CHHS, CHIN, CHNF, COMM, DH, EMDS, ENG, ENV, FILM, FLK, FREN, GERM, HCA, HON
HORT 316
Greenhouse Maintenance and Operation
HORT 317
Greenhouse Maintenance and Operation Laboratory
HORT 420
Floral Shop Management
IDST, ITAL, JAPN, KORE, LTCY, PE, PETE, PH, REC, RUSS, SOM, SPAN, SPM, SPS, SUPR, SWAH, SWRK, UCC, WFA
Total Hours27

Social Justice and Equity Studies Concentration

Course List
Students pursuing the Social Justice and Equity Concentration can apply the following prefixes and/or courses:27
AFAM, CRIM, DCS, ENV, GWS, HON, IDST, PH, PHIL, PLS, PS
PSYS 353
Psychology of Prejudice and Stereotyping
SPS, SWRK, UCC
Total Hours27

Sustainability Concentration

Course List
Students pursuing the Sustainability Concentration can apply the following prefixes:27
AGRI, AGRO, ENV, GEOG, HON, HORT, IDST, SPS, UCC
Total Hours27

Modality: This program is 100% online

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 Last Modified 12/11/25