On the Growth and Value of Interdisciplinary Studies

In fall 2016, there were 61 undergraduate students majoring in interdisciplinary studies at our university. By the fall of 2020, that number had risen to 315. This spring the program lists 460 majors. During the entire 2016–2017 academic year, we saw 55 students graduate with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies. This semester, spring 2021, we are on track to graduate approximately 100 students, who will join the 70 who graduated in the fall and the likely 30–40 who will graduate during summer 2021—nearly four times the number five years ago.