The Bachelor of Arts in Multidisciplinary Studies at the University of Montana is intended for students seeking to complete a flexible Bachelor’s degree with coursework from departments across the university, providing each student an opportunity to reach beyond disciplinary boundaries and to create a degree program that is tailored to meet their unique education and career goals. The multidisciplinary nature of the program is designed to develop students’ ability to combine different fields into a structured format and is meant to encourage and support creativity, innovation, critical thinking, and integrative and experiential learning.

Declaration Eligibility

The Bachelor of Arts in Multidisciplinary Studies is intended for students who have completed enough college-level coursework to develop a coherent, individualized degree plan. Students must have earned at least 40 college-level credits before they may formally declare the Multidisciplinary Studies major.

Students who have not yet earned 40 credits may consult with an academic advisor about future eligibility and degree planning; however, the major will not be declared until the credit threshold has been met.

General Degree Requirements

To earn a baccalaureate degree, all students must complete successfully, in addition to any other requirements, the University of Montana General Education Requirements. Please refer to the General Education Requirements page for more information. 

Additional requirements for graduation can be found on the Degree/Certificate Requirements for Graduation page. 

Unless otherwise noted in individual program requirements, a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in all work attempted at the University of Montana-Missoula is required for graduation. Please see the Academic Policies and Procedures page for information on how your GPA is calculated.

Courses taken to satisfy the requirements of a major, minor, or certificate program must be completed with a grade of C- or better unless a higher grade is noted in the program requirements.

Bachelor of Arts - Multidisciplinary Studies

As part of the curriculum, students must develop a degree plan tailored to their academic and professional goals. Students will initially meet with an academic advisor who will assist the student in identifying or developing a proposed curriculum which must satisfy each of the following requirements:

• Complete an area of study or individualized degree pathway customized to connect academic disciplines in pursuit of educational outcomes not offered in an existing major or degree with: 
  • a minimum of 15 upper-division credits in one of the chosen disciplines;
  • a minimum of 3 of the upper-division credits in a senior-level capstone experience to be determined in consultation with an academic advisor (i.e. capstone, internship, applied research project, thesis, etc.)
• The track must be approved through one of the following: 
  • at least 3 faculty representatives from the academic disciplines integrated into the individualized degree pathway; or,
  • a pre-approved Multidisciplinary Studies area of study that has been developed in consultation with faculty from multiple disciplines and approved by the appropriate dean(s).
• A grade of C- or higher must be earned in all courses in an area of study or individualized degree pathway.

Degree Plans

Each degree plan must be designed around a defined set of program learning outcomes with outcomes mapped to courses where they are introduced, developed, and mastered—typically one outcome per 9 to 15 credits. There are two types of degree plans:

Areas of Study

An area of study is a structured group of courses designed by faculty and grounded in a specific academic discipline, methodology, or professional practice. It provides depth in a coherent subject area while allowing for complementary coursework from related fields. Areas of study are intended for students seeking to build on a focused knowledge base to advance their academic and professional goals.

Individualized Degree Pathway

An individualized degree pathway is a student-designed academic plan that integrates courses from two or more disciplines to explore a theme, question, or career goal that cannot be addressed through a traditional major. These pathways emphasize intellectual coherence, academic rigor, and purpose-driven design. Students work with an academic advisor to ensure the plan meets catalog requirements and convene faculty mentors representing the disciplines involved. The faculty mentors review and approve the proposed curriculum to ensure it fulfills the expectations for a bachelor’s degree and aligns with the student’s educational and professional goals.

Four Year Plan

Students interested in pursuing Multidisciplinary Studies (MLTD) should focus on General Education Requirements and explore courses until they have earned 45 credits — then begin developing an MLTD plan for approval.

Plan of Study Grid

Freshman
Autumn		Hours
General Education Requirements		6
WRIT 101	College Writing I	4
Modern or Classical Language (first semester)		4
COLS 101	First Year Seminar	2
	Hours	16
Spring
General Education Requirements		6
Modern or Classical Language (second semester)		4
Electives		6
	Hours	16
Sophomore
Autumn
General Education Requirements		9
Intermediate Writing Course		3
Elective		3
	Hours	15
Spring
Approved Multidisciplinary Studies Upper Division Courses		6
General Education Requirements		9
	Hours	15
Junior
Autumn
Approved Multidisciplinary Studies Upper Division Courses		9
Electives		6
	Hours	15
Spring
Approved Multidisciplinary Studies Upper Division Courses		9
Electives		6
	Hours	15
Senior
Autumn
Advanced Writing Course		3
Approved Multidisciplinary Studies Upper Division Courses		6
Electives		6
	Hours	15
Spring
Approved Multidisciplinary Studies Upper Division Courses		6
Upper Division Elective		3
Electives		6
	Hours	15
	Total Hours	122

Last updated Autumn 2024