FAQ's

Why is this academic field important?

As we enter a new millennium, we are living in an era of phenomenal change. Many career fields that exist today are so new and unique that educational institutions have been unable to keep up with preparatory programs. This evolution will likely become more rapid. Now, more than ever, individuals must adapt their education to their own unique goals and plans for the future.

What is the Integrated Studies program all about?

The main purpose of our Integrated Studies Program is to facilitate the efforts of students and faculty members who wish to develop and implement interdisciplinary and integrative degree concentrations. The Integrated Studies Program offers an organizational structure within which such concentrations can be incubated and evaluated.

We enable the development of three types of curricular innovation at CSUMB:

• The Integrated Studies Special Major (ISSM) for students with interdisciplinary and integrative learning goals
• Interdisciplinary degree tracks involving two or more majors designed by and for relatively small groups of students and faculty who share special interdisciplinary and integrative learning goals
• Experimental interdisciplinary and integrative degree programs which faculty and students seek to pilot on a trial basis before deciding whether or not to seek approval for a particular program as an established degree curriculum

How does the Integrated Studies Special Major work?

ISSM offers a limited number of highly qualified, self-directed students the opportunity to develop and pursue an individualized, interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree program. Like the students in the other majors at CSUMB, if you pursue an ISSM degree, you must achieve a series of clearly defined Major Learning Outcomes in order to graduate. However, in contrast to students in the other undergraduate degree programs, as an ISSM student you must convincingly demonstrate that your academic and career goals can only be achieved through combining the learning outcomes, courses, and other learning experiences offered by two or more of the existing degree programs at CSUMB.

How do I receive approval to pursue an Integrated Studies Special Major?

To pursue an ISSM degree, you must submit an application to the coordinator of the Integrated Studies Program who determines whether it meets the minimum requirements. If your application is accepted, you will enroll in the Integrated Studies ProSeminar where you will develop both a concentration proposal and an Individualized Learning Plan that combines learning outcomes and experiences from two or more of the existing degree programs at CSUMB.

What are the guidelines for choosing my Integrated Studies concentration?

You must develop a concentration proposal and an Individualized Learning Plan that meets the following requirements:

• It must be interdisciplinary and integrative. In other words, it must integrate the learning outcomes from two or more major areas of learning and teaching represented at CSUMB.
• It cannot duplicate any existing major at CSUMB, nor can it be used to avoid some of the requirements of an existing major.
• It must be feasible. The particular combination of learning outcomes and experiences chosen must be available or accessible through CSUMB, and there must be two fulltime faculty members with expertise in the areas represented by the concentration who are willing to serve as advisors.
• It must exhibit the same or a greater degree of breadth, depth, and complexity as the other approved degree programs at CSUMB.

What courses should I take to prepare to major in Integrated Studies if I will be entering CSUMB as a freshman?

If you are coming to CSUMB from high school, then you should be sure that you fulfill all requirements for admission to the CSU system. Check with your high school guidance counselor to get the details and a CSU admissions application.

What courses should I take to prepare to major in Integrated Studies if I will be entering CSUMB as a transfer student?

If you are transferring to CSUMB from a community college or another four-year institution, be sure to follow the CSU transfer admissions criteria. Check with your college counselor or a CSUMB representative to get the specifics and a CSU admissions application.

What will I learn through the Integrated Studies Special Major?

Consistent with CSUMB's outcomes-based education approach and similar to the other majors at CSUMB, the Integrated Studies Special Major centers on the achievement of a series of learning outcomes rather than the mere completion of a prescribed sequence of courses. You will be required to design an individualized, interdisciplinary concentration that consists of at least 10 Major Learning Outcomes (MLOs). These learning outcomes must be largely drawn from the MLOs of existing degree programs at CSUMB. Since our program is designed to encourage curricular innovation, we do not prescribe a single set of MLOs for all students who pursue an Integrated Studies degree. You must develop and pursue the combination of MLOs selected for your particular concentration.

What are the unique features of the Integrated Studies Special Major?

Integrated Studies assigns important responsibility to students in developing and executing their learning programs. You must be considerably self-directed, highly motivated, and capable of successfully undertaking an independent learning program.

The Major ProSeminar provides the environment and mentoring necessary for you and other ISSM students to develop an Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) and concentration proposal.

Your Senior Capstone will allow you to design, produce, and present a project of your choice as a display of your cumulative and integrative learning.

How do Integrated Studies Tracks work?

Some students have difficulty addressing their academic goals through any single existing degree program, and occasionally a group of such students share their unique interests and career goals. Such groups often lack the critical mass necessary to warrant establishment of a degree program to address their unique goals and interests. Consequently, these students are usually forced to gain as much relevant learning from an existing major as they can.

Integrated Studies Tracks enable us to better address such needs by drawing upon the expertise and resources from two or more academic areas on campus to formulate and deliver a program with a concentration tailored to the goals of these relatively small groups. The program of study for an Integrated Studies Track consists of the existing learning experiences of established majors and new learning experiences designed specifically for those enrolled in the track. It is the development and scheduling of these targeted learning experiences, which most likely would not exceed four or five such experiences for any single track, that distinguishes the Integrated Studies Track from the Integrated Studies Special Major.

How do Integrated Studies Experimental Majors work?

We offer Integrated Studies Experimental Majors as the third component of our Integrated Studies Program. This innovative option serves as an academic incubator in which CSUMB faculty, administrators, and students can pilot test a range of degree programs. From the knowledge and experience gained during this experimental phase, participants will be able to determine the types of revisions that would be required to warrant sending a program forward for approval as a freestanding or independent degree program.

What will my learning environment be like?

Regardless of the fields that you choose to integrate, our campus and region will help you put it all together. Wired for the 21st century since opening in 1994, our university sits on the leading edge of technology. At the same time, we are multicultural and diverse both in backgrounds and interests. We have committed ourselves to pluralistic faculty, staff, and student populations that interact in small classes conducted in spacious, modern facilities.

Our campus location is a huge asset. Monterey Bay, a scientific wonderland, is only a mile away. Silicon Valley, high-tech heaven, is a mere one hour north. San Francisco, mecca of arts and humanities, lies just two hours up the coast. We have established direct working relationships with surrounding communities, organizations, and companies to open doors to rich internship and employment opportunities for our students in a number of fields.

Which careers will the Integrated Studies Special Major prepare me to pursue?

Integrated Studies allows you to mold your degree to your unique career goals. To prepare yourself for the career you envision, you will build your learning experiences exactly the way that you want. Rather than fit into an existing program, you fit your program to your unique career goals and plans.

Who will guide my learning experiences?

Advisory faculty members facilitate, review, and evaluate the three forms of curricular innovation in the Integrated Studies Program. The curricula are guided by the Integrated Studies Program Advisory Council which is composed of the Integrated Studies Program coordinator, one full time faculty member from each of the main academic Centers at CSUMB, and two representatives from the student government.

As part of the planning for your Integrated Studies Special Major, you will be asked to find two appropriate CSUMB faculty members to serve as advisors. These faculty members, along with the Integrated Studies Program coordinator, serve as your faculty advisory committee. The members of this committee must represent at least two of the major fields in your concentration.