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The BIS degree requires a minimum of 120 semester hours, 45 of which must be upper level. Out of the last 45 credits, 30 must be from VCU, and 15 may be from another institution. Regardless of the number of hours earned before admission to BIS, a student must take at least 24 hours after acceptance including 12 hours in the focus area.

• 15 hours of Communicating (6 hours of English Composition; 6 hours of Writing Intensive; 3 hours of Speech or Communications)
• 3 hours in Ethics (e.g., PHIL 211, 212, 213, RELS 340, MASC 290, SOCY 445, POLI 341)
• 6 Hours in Quantity and Form which must include College Algebra or its equivalent (e.g., MAT 131) plus 3 hours of calculus, critical thinking or logic, statistics, or computer science
• 3-4 hours in Science and Technology which includes a lab experience (e.g., Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Physical Geography, Astronomy, Geology)
• 2-3 credits in the Visual and Performing Arts
• 9 credits in Humanities and Social Sciences and Interdependence dispersed as follows:
• 3 credits in Humanities
  (e.g., Literature, RELS, HIST, PHIL, Foreign Language) plus 3 hours in American, European, or Non-Western Culture plus three hours in Social Sciences (e.g., PSYC, SOCY, SOCS, ECON, POLI, AFAM, ANTH, GEOG, SLWK) plus one of these 3 courses must have an international or global emphasis
• a 36 hour interdisciplinary focus area which will be defined with the help of faculty

 

Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies Course requirements	Minimum semester credits required	Suggested courses to meet requirements
		Community college	VCU
Communicating
English Composition and Rhetoric	6	ENGL 111 and 112	UNIV 112 and ENGL 200
Upper Level Expository	6	None	Any course designated as Writing Intensive (WI)
Speech or Communications	3	SPD 105, 110	SPCH 321 or 121
Quantity and Form	6
(must include college algebra or its equivalent, e.g., VCU's MATH 131)
Math		MTH 163, 166, 151 and 152	MATH 131, 151
and
Statistics		MTH 240 or 241	STAT 208 or 210
or
Logic		PHI 115 or 112	PHIL 221 or 222
or
Computer Science		CSC 110, IST 110 or 114	INFO 160, 161 or 162
Ethics
	3	PHI 220	PHIL 211, 212, 213 or RELS 340
Science and Technology
	4	BIO 102 GOL 105 or 106 CHM 111, PHY 121	BIOL 101, 103 CHEM 110, PHYS 107 and lab
Visual and Performing Arts
	2-3	MUS, ART, PHT	ARTF, ARTH, CRAF, PAPR, PHTO, MHTS, APPM
Humanities and Social Sciences and Interdependence
	9	Choose 1 course from each of the following 3 areas:
Social Science		A: PSY 201-202 SOC 201-202 PLS 211-212 ECO 201-202	A: 3 hours in Social Sciences: PSYC, SOCY, SOCS, ECON, POCI, AFAM, ANTH, GEOG, SLWK
Culture		B: HIS 101-102 HIS 121-122 HIS 141-142	B: 3 hours in American European, Nonwestern Culture
Humanities and Interdependence		C: a semester of a Foreign Language PLS 241 REL 231	C: 3 hours in Humanities, Literature RELS, HIST, PHIL, Foreign Language
			One course from A-C must include a global or international emphasis
Focus Area
	Academic concentration consisting of courses from 2 or more goal-related disciplines. Minimum of 36 hours; 24 must be upper level. A minimum of 12 hours in the focus area is required AFTER admission.

 

 

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