Degree Requirements
Students who major in Integrative Studies may receive either a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. The B.A. degree requires third-semester proficiency in a foreign language. The B.S. degree requires the following courses: STA 215, INT 301, and one of the following: AHS 301, GPY 300, HST 290, PLS 300, STA 216, STA 314, STA 318, STA 340, STA 345.
Core courses (18 credits). All majors are required to take the following courses:
- INT 100 Reflect, Connect, Engage (formerly Introduction to Liberal Education)
- INT 311 Meaning or INT 312 Collaborative Communication (formerly Dialogue, Integration and Action)
- INT 400 Global or INT 401 American Visionary Leadership (formerly Thinkers) or INT 402 Feminist Visionary Thinkers
- INT 201 Diversity in the United States
- INT 301 Interdisciplinary Research Methods (also serves as B.S. cognate course - formerly US 300)
- Choose one of the following Ethics Courses: MKT 375, MGT 340, PHI 102, PHI 325, COM 438, BIO 328, BIO 338
Area of Focus/Emphasis Area (18 credits, at least 15 of which must be upper-division courses). Students in Integrative Studies may tailor their area of focus within the major. In preparing their study plan, students should select courses organized around an academic field, an area of professional preparation, or a problem, issue, or theme in human experience. Some examples of recent areas of focus include:
- American Studies
- Sustainability, Food, and Culture
- Sports and Business
- Sacred Spaces and Community
- The Self and Its Commitments
- Childhood Development and Literature
- Writing in a Variety of Disciplines
- Oppression and Human Rights
- Cultural Studies
- Social Relations
- Business and Society
- Scientific Culture and the Humanities
- Health and Culture
- Health and Business
- Technical and Scientific Communications
- Peace Studies
- Humanities
- Community Studies
- Pre-law and premed could also be merged into a Lib major
Integrative Studies Contextual Electives. All majors are required to select a body of at least 3 elective courses (9 credits total). Students may select their electives from across the entire Grand Valley curriculum. The department recommends that students in the lower levels of study consider structuring their electives as a career component of their study plan, including areas such as business, computer science, and international study.
Application and Synthesis (5 credits or more)
- INT 490 Internship - A supervised work experience through which students can relate integrative studies principles, academic work, and practice. Student, faculty, and advisors agree on the scope of the study, its components, and methods of evaluation. Prerequisite: Senior standing and a 3.0 GPA in the major. Variable credit. Offered every semester.
OR
- INT 491 Practicum - Two or more credit hours during which the student's emphasis area is considered in a public or community setting. This might take the form of an internship, a case study, field involvement, or attendance at a conference, and should result in a statement evaluating the theory and practice of the liberal arts in this context. Variable credits.
AND
- INT 495 Senior Seminar - Research and investigation from an interdisciplinary perspective, conducted in a seminar format. This will result in an integrative paper on the subject of the student's Integrative Studies emphasis. Three credits.