ONLINE BACHELOR OF ARTS IN MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDIES DEGREE PROGRAM

The online multidisciplinary studies Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree program provides students the opportunity to explore two disciplines in one degree program. This program is ideal for students who have a large number of transfer credits or credit for prior learning.

A concentration in homeland security is available.

ONLINE MULTDISCIPLINARY STUDIES BA DEGREE CONCENTRATIONS

Homeland Security

This concentration prepares students for work in border security, terrorism prevention, counter- terrorism and basic disaster management.

WHAT IS A MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDIES BA DEGREE?

We all know the benefits and importance of earning a college degree, but many struggle in deciding what kind of degree to pursue. For some people, it takes completing courses in several subjects to determine what they like and what they don’t. Others look for a broad degree program that can be applied to a variety of paths. For these types of students who don’t necessarily have a clear pathway, a multidisciplinary studies degree is a great option.

In a multidisciplinary studies degree program, students can fully customize their course load to get exposure to multiple subjects and fields. The multidisciplinary studies major is typically reserved for undergraduate students, while graduate students generally enroll in interdisciplinary studies programs, which connect two or more disciplines.

While the multidisciplinary degree is customizable, students are still expected to take all general education topics, including at least one course in computer science, English, humanities, math and social sciences. In Grantham’s Bachelor of Arts in Multidisciplinary Studies program, students must complete a total of 120 credit hours. 42 of those credit hours are reserved for general education, 60 credit hours for customized electives (which include at least two disciplines), and 18 core program courses. There is a special concentration in homeland security for those interested in national security and protection.

WHAT WILL I LEARN FROM THE ONLINE MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDIES BA DEGREE PROGRAM?

This flexible degree program focuses on improving a wide range of professional skills. Subjects such as computer programming, economics and mathematics are slated as elective opportunities, allowing students to fully customize their course load to fit their interests and future path. The following are examples of core professional development courses that must be completed.

Personal Finance

Learn how to plan for a successful financial future. Students will explore a variety of personal financial planning topics, including budgeting, insurance plans, saving for retirement and taxes. The course is designed to help students understand the complexities of modern finance and evaluate their financial options through a formal decision-making approach.

Research Methods

This course presents a broad view of the methods and techniques used to conduct academic and professional research. Students will learn how to conduct interviews, determine the reliability of information, test hypotheses and more. Students are required to successfully complete an ethics certificate using the Collaborative Institution Training Initiative to pass this course and move forward in the program.

Fundamentals of Technical Writing

In nearly all professions, employees are expected to document and communicate information through writing. Fundamentals of Technical Writing introduces students to professional written communication, covering topics like standard conventions of written English, audience analysis and writing concisely for clarity and thoroughness.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF GETTING AN ONLINE BA DEGREE IN MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDIES?

A Bachelor of Arts in Multidisciplinary Studies allows undecided undergraduate to work toward an education while they decide on a path. This degree allows students to choose two disciplines to focus on during their program, even if those disciplines are completely different. For example, a student who is passionate about both criminal justice and business would be able to take classes in both subjects.

The multidisciplinary studies program also provides the best avenue for students looking to transfer substantial credit from another college or university. Transfer credits are more likely to be accepted into this program, making the path to your degree that much quicker.

WHY TAKE ONLINE MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDIES COURSES AT University of Arkansas Grantham?

There are a number of benefits to completing a college education online. Through Grantham, students can earn their degree as it fits with their schedule. Eight-week classes and no set class times allow you to complete coursework while still working your full-time job, taking care of your family or tending to other life responsibilities.

Completing this BA in multidisciplinary studies program will open up the door to better employment opportunities while providing an entry to graduate-level education. Grantham offers related master’s degrees in fields like business administration, healthcare administration and leadership that can help you achieve managerial or director status. There are no specific requirements for enrolling in a master’s program at Grantham, but students should have maintained a 2.5 cumulative GPA during their undergraduate study.

HOW LONG IS THE ONLINE MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDIES BA DEGREE PROGRAM?

At 120 credit hours, the multidisciplinary studies degree is designed to be completed in 38 months. It could take less time depending on how much transfer credit you receive and how many classes you take each term.

HOW MUCH WILL THE ONLINE MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDIES BA PROGRAM COST?

The undergraduate rate is $295 per credit hour—lower if you’re a member of the military, a veteran or part of a military family. Grantham also offers scholarship opportunities to those who qualify. This program is not approved for Federal Student Aid (Title IV) educational benefits.

ONLINE MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDIES BA PROGRAM START DATE

Courses begin monthly, so we’re ready when you are.

Call us at (888) 947-2684 to learn more about our flexible degree programs, financial assistance opportunities or enrollment process.

Multidisciplinary Studies (Bachelor of Arts)

Online Multidisciplinary Studies BA Degree Program Outcomes

After successfully completing your degree in multidisciplinary studies, you will be able to:

  • Effectively communicate, incorporate and synthesize knowledge from at least two disciplines
  • Demonstrate a theoretical and conceptual foundation in two disciplines included in the liberal arts degree
  • Demonstrate acquired skills in research, writing and presentation across two disciplines
  • Distinguish the differences in principles and methods between two disciplines
  • Use critical thinking skills to effectively solve problems

MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDIES Concentration in Homeland Security Outcomes

  • Effectively communicate, incorporate and synthesize knowledge from at least two disciplines
  • Demonstrate a theoretical and conceptual foundation in two disciplines included in the liberal arts degree
  • Demonstrate acquired skills in research, writing and presentation across two disciplines
  • Distinguish the differences in principles and methods between two disciplines; use critical thinking skills to effectively solve problems

MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDIES Core Professional Competencies

Grantham prepares students to succeed in a variety of civic and professional settings by incorporating these critical life skills into the Multidisciplinary Studies curriculum:

  • Communication – Formulating and expressing thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written and non-verbal communication skills in person, in writing and in a digital world.
  • Distributed Collaboration – Working effectively across distributed locations and asynchronously to achieve a common goal through relationship-building, shared responsibility, empathy and respect.
  • Professional and Social Responsibilities – Engaging in social responsibility through seeking justice, valuing diversity, respecting the environment; demonstrating professionalism through integrity, mutual accountability and ethical behavior. This includes considering the social and global impact of individual and organizational decisions and an awareness of and adherence to regulations, professional standards and industry best practices.
  • Critical Thinking/Problem Solving – Using analytical reasoning when gathering and evaluating relevant information to effectively formulate possible solutions for an issue, problem or a variety of issues. This includes the ability to recognize potential consequences of a decision.
  • Data Aptitude – Developing information literacy and the capacity to manage data with subsequent finding, structuring, evaluating and interpreting in order to provide meaningful analysis to accomplish a specific purpose.

Multidisciplinary Studies (Bachelor of Arts)

ONLINE MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDIES BA DEGREE CURRICULUM

University of Arkansas Grantham’s 100% online coursework is designed to help you prepare for success in your next challenges. While working toward your multidisciplinary studies Bachelor of Arts degree, core curriculum will include:

PROGRAM SNAPSHOT:
Program Core Credits: 18
General Education Core Credits: 42
Concentration Credits: 18
Electives Credits: 42
Electives Credits: 60
Total Credit Hours: 120
Accreditation(s): DEAC
Textbook Information
Textbook Pricing
Homeland Security: 18
Course: Title: Credits:
CJ450 Understanding Terrorism 3
  This course is an introduction to terrorist cults and personalities.Studies focus on a variety of aspects related to terrorist organizations and individuals, gaining an understanding of how various terrorist cults and personalities affect national security, how understanding terrorism personalities can aid the counterterrorism war and what the future looks like in the war against terrorism.
CJ451 Principles of Terrorism 3
  This course examines terrorism in the modern world with a review of the historical origins of terrorism. Topics include: patterns of terrorism, Latin American influences on terrorism, the origins of Middle Eastern terrorism, Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, U.S. domestic terrorism issues, counter terrorism and U.S. responses, homeland security, employment of national and domestic intelligence resources against terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and future issues on terrorism.
CJ452 Terrorism & US National Security 3
  This course examines the relationship between terrorism and U.S. national security. It focuses on a variety of aspects related to U.S. policy on terrorism, the threat of terrorism to U.S. national security and the problems inherent to U.S. counterterrorism. The student gains a comprehensive understanding of how the U.S. views terrorism, how various policies affect outcomes of counterterrorism, strengths and weaknesses in policy and strategies, threats to U.S. national security and suggestions for solutions to these threats.
CJ453 Border and Coastal Security 3
  This course is designed to teach the student to analyze the implications of September 11, 2001 and the new 'war on terrorism' for border controls, cross-border relations and economic integration in North America. This course also examines U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico relations in the wake of the terrorist attacks, the management of trade and migration flows and the reconceptualization of North America's borders in the post 9-11 world.
CJ454 Elements & Issues in Counterterrorism 3
  This course is a comprehensive review of issues and elements to be considered in the planning and organization of a counterterrorism program. It presents an examination of techniques and procedures, which can be applied to programs developed at both the national and local level. Such measures as financial investigations, technical defenses and counterintelligence activities are studied.
CJ455 Emergency Planning 3
  This course examines emergency planning as it relates to surviving natural and man-made disasters. Risk analysis and the formulation of a comprehensive plan, followed by a vigorous and continuous testing program, are essential elements to surviving an emergency. Topics include threat assessment, risk analysis, formulating the plan, staffing the emergency operations center (EOC), coordinating with supporting agencies and the importance of continuing liaison managing an actual incident and conducting an effective follow-up analysis. Various actual case studies are discussed.
Program Core: 18
Course: Title: Credits:
Course: HU260 Title: Strategies for Decision Making Credits: 3
  This course examines critical thinking and the analysis of arguments in terms of premises, reasons, and conclusions. Course topics include obstacles to critical thinking, diagramming arguments, belief and doubt, logical fallacies, inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning, inferences, and judging scientific theories.
Course: CO325 Title: Civility and Mass Media Credits: 3
  This course draws from theories in the fields of communication, sociology, and philosophy in order to provide a comprehensive overview of the concept of civility. The theories provide a lens through which communication in the digital age, and its impact on individuals and communities, will be examined. Practical tools and techniques offer an opportunity for the application of effective and appropriate civil communication in various social contexts.
Course: FIN210 Title: Personal Finance Credits: 3
  This introductory course provides the student with a basic understanding of personal financial planning. The course is designed to help students understand how to plan for a successful financial future for themselves and their families. The course offers a comprehensive treatment of financial planning to help students understand the complexities of today's financial world and evaluate their financial options through a formal decision-making approach.
Course: CA408 Title: Research Methods Credits: 3
  Research Methods presents a broad view of the methods and techniques for conducting academic and professional research. The course focuses on why and when research is performed, the methodologies involved and a description of the applied statistical tests most often used. Techniques and procedures are compared and contrasted so each student gains a firm understanding of what method or test to use and why. Topics include: the research enterprise, theory and research, ethics in research, research design, sampling techniques, questionnaires, interviews, observational techniques, secondary data, reliability and validity issues, data coding,hypothesis testing and sampling distributions. Students will be required to successfully complete the ethics certificate of completion using the Collaborative Institution Training Initiative (CITI) to advance further in the program.
Course: EN361 Title: Fundamentals of Technical Writing Credits: 3
  This course explores the fundamental principles of successful professional communication. Students learn how to write business correspondence, job search correspondence, public relations documents, and professional reports. Students also gain experience in defining their audiences and purpose, designing document layout, as well as writing, revising, and proofreading text. In completing the requirements of this course, students showcase and evaluate their own writing and design skills in a professional correspondence portfolio. Additionally, through a series of reflective journal exercises, students reflect on their learning and writing progress. NOTE: Credit may not be awarded for both EN261 and EN361.
Course: CA499 Title: Professional Strategies Credits: 3
  This course is designed as a senior-level capstone course to be taken at the end of the Multidisciplinary Studies degree program in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. This capstone course provides an opportunity for students to synthesize and articulate the theories and principles gained through their program of study, and to demonstrate mastery of the University's core professional competencies (critical thinking, communication, data aptitude, personal/social responsibility, career management, distributed collaboration).
General Education: 42
Course: Title: Credits:
Course: English Composition Credits: 6
Course: Math Credits: 6
Course: Natural/Physical Science Credits: 3
Course: Computer Science Credits: 3
Course: Oral Communication Credits: 6
Course: Humanities and Fine Arts Credits: 6
Course: Social/Behavioral Science Credits: 9
Course: General Education Credits: 3