Integrative Studies

Integrative Studies, sometimes also know as Interdisciplinary Studies, can be an opportunity for students to have a unique and creative approach to undergraduate education. Here are a few quotes that define and explain Integrative Studies, from A Statement of Integrative Learning, published by AAC&U (Association of American Colleges and Universities).

"The undergraduate experience can be a fragmented landscape of general education courses, preparation for the major, co-curricular activities, and “the real world” beyond the campus. But an emphasis on integrative learning can help undergraduates put the pieces together and develop habits of mind that prepare them to make informed judgments in the conduct of personal, professional, and civic life."

"Integrative learning comes in many varieties:

• connecting skills and knowledge from multiple sources and experiences
• applying theory to practice in various settings
• utilizing diverse and even contradictory points of view
• understanding issues and positions contextually."

"Significant knowledge within individual disciplines serves as the foundation, but integrative learning goes beyond academic boundaries. Indeed, integrative experiences often occur as learners address real-world problems, unscripted and sufficiently broad to require multiple areas of knowledge and multiple modes of inquiry, offering multiple solutions and benefiting from multiple perspectives."