What Are the Different Types of Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs?

Many universities offer interdisciplinary graduate programs that permit students to complete coursework in two or more disciplines in order to earn a degree. In some cases, these programs are deliberately designed to offer a general education in the liberal arts and sciences so as to provide enrichment to individual students or a basis for more advanced and specialized doctoral studies. In other cases, interdisciplinary graduate programs offer training in an area of study that draws on one or more disciplines. In addition to interdisciplinary graduate programs that offer a single degree, some programs combine disciplines such that an individual may earn more than one degree during his or her course of study.

Some universities offer interdisciplinary graduate programs that allow students to undertake coursework and research in several different academic departments. These programs are often best suited to adult students who are already established in a career and who may not be well served by a single-discipline program of study. If a student wishes to investigate a particular area of research that incorporates several different academic disciplines, he or she may be permitted to design a program that suits his or her needs. The student's thesis may be evaluated by multiple faculty members from the various disciplines in which he or she completed research.

Some areas of study are by their very nature interdisciplinary. For example, nutritional studies in biochemistry typically incorporate research and expertise from different scientific disciplines. Schools that offer graduate studies in these areas coordinate between academic departments to ensure that students have access to the coursework and research facilities that they need while they earn their degree.

In some ways similar to interdisciplinary graduate programs, dual degree programs allow students to complete two separate graduate degrees during a specific period of study. This period of study is typically shorter than the student would have to undertake if he or she were to complete the two degrees separately. These dual degree programs often provide a student with training in one area, usually a professional degree, while also completing another professional or purely academic degree at the same time. For example, a journalism graduate student who wants to write about religious issues may complete degrees in two disciplines: one in journalism, the other in religious or theological studies. Another common option is for a student who wishes to be a medical doctor or dentist to enroll in a degree program that allows him or her to earn a medical or dental degree while also pursuing a doctorate in a related field of research interest, such as microbiology.