Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization/Minor
in College and University Teaching
Procedures for Obtaining an Interdisciplinary Specialization/Minor in College and University Teaching
If you wish to pursue an official Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization/Minor, you must follow the Graduate School procedures as outlined below.
In conjunction with your advisor, you should determine the appropriateness of pursuing a graduate interdisciplinary specialization and how best to incorporate it into your program of study. If you would like some additional guidance, contact Maura Eze.
- The student completes the Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization/Minor Program Form, including obtaining his/her advisor’s signature. The Program Form is then submitted to the chairperson of the Coordinating Graduate Studies Committee. This form serves as the application to enroll in the interdisciplinary specialization/minor.
- The Graduate Studies Committee Chairperson of the interdisciplinary program sends a copy of the completed Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization/Minor Program Form to the Graduate School and to the Graduate Studies Committee Chairperson of the student’s primary graduate program. The Coordinating Graduate Studies Committee keeps the original.
- The Coordinating Graduate Studies Committee will send the student an acknowledgement indicating whether or not the request is approved. The Graduate Studies Committee Chair of the interdisciplinary program will send a copy to the Graduate School and the student’s primary Graduate Studies Committee.
- The student must adhere to the curriculum of the Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization Program as indicated on the approved Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization/Minor Program Form. If changes in the approved curriculum are necessary, the student must complete a new Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization/Minor Program Form following the above steps. Departures from the approved Interdisciplinary Specialization/Minor Program could lead to the specialization/minor not appearing on the student's transcript.
Upon completion of the Interdisciplinary Specialization or the Interdisciplinary Minor Program, the student must submit the Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization/Minor Transcript Designation Form (page 3 of http://www.gradsch.ohio-state.edu/Depo/PDF/InterdisciplinarySpecializationForm.pdf) to the Coordinating Graduate Studies Committee Chair. The completed form will be sent to the Graduate School for posting the specialization/minor on the transcript.
All academic aspects of the graduate interdisciplinary specialization or graduate interdisciplinary minor are subject to approval by each participating graduate program. Below are listed the general criteria applicable to all graduate interdisciplinary specializations and interdisciplinary minors. Students should consult the appropriate graduate studies committees for specific information regarding the graduate interdisciplinary specialization or graduate interdisciplinary minor in which they are enrolling.
General Criteria for all Graduate Interdisciplinary Specializations. A graduate interdisciplinary specialization involves two or more graduate programs outside the student’s major graduate program. A graduate interdisciplinary specialization requires a minimum of 13 hours of graduate-level course work in at least three courses. Twenty hours of graduate level courses is the maximum allowance for a Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization. Nine hours taken for the Graduate Interdisciplinary Speciailization must be completed outside of the student’s home program. The student must receive a grade of B or better or S in each course comprising the graduate interdisciplinary specialization. The completed graduate interdisciplinary specialization will appear on the student's transcript. In instances where the student's major graduate program is included in the specialization and the specialization consists of coursework in only two programs, the specialization will be termed a graduate interdisciplinary minor. (Graduate School Handbook, Section VIII.4)