Interdisciplinary studies is an expanding, exciting academic area in which students study, conduct research, and do creative work in subject areas that span multiple traditional academic disciplines. It has developed out of recognition that responses to complex problems and challenges require a combination of the intellectual tools available from a wide range of academic disciplines. Students with interdisciplinary studies backgrounds are well-prepared for the fluidly changing realities of the professional world as well as future study in an ever more interdisciplinary academic arena.
The Interdisciplinary Studies Department provides a number of major, minor, and concentration programs for students interested in subjects that span multiple traditional academic disciplines. The growing list includes the following options:
- Self-designed interdisciplinary major of Liberal Studies
- Minors (18 credits) in African and African Diaspora Studies; Asian Studies; Ethnic Studies; and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
- Concentrations (15 credits) in Environmental and Sustainability Studies; Ethnic Studies; Global Studies; and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Some courses in these areas are offered by the Interdisciplinary Studies Department, while many other courses are offered in other departments across the university’s curriculum. Worcester State’s Student Planning platform allows students to search for all courses offered in a given semester in a specific program.
Student Stories
Liberal Studies at Worcester State
Unfiltered Femininity exhibition curated by alumna Jennessa Burks opens at campus gallery
Unfiltered Femininity, an open-call exhibition curated by Jennessa Burks with artworks juried by Worcester artists Amora and Rixy will open June 5 at the Mary Cosgrove Dolphin Gallery at Worcester State University. The opening reception will take place that same day from 4-7p.m. and is free and open to the community. Unfiltered Femininity, which features […]
Worcester State Students Advocate for Financial Aid in Washington
Four Worcester State University students were among 25 students from seven local colleges and universities who recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate for federal student financial aid programs with members of Congress. The students, many of whom are from out-of-state districts represented by Republicans, discussed the importance of preserving key aid programs like Pell […]
Pen Pals Field Day Brings Worcester State University Closer With May Street School
On Friday, May 2, Worcester State University hosted Pen Pals Field Day, celebrating the end of this year’s student-athlete correspondence program with May Street School’s fourth-grade class. After exchanging monthly letters throughout the academic year, the college students and their elementary school pen pals met in person for the first time on the university’s turf […]
Local high schoolers learn about education careers at Worcester State conference
Nearly every seat was taken in Eager Auditorium as Worcester State University welcomed more than 100 high school students to the Call to Education Conference held April 4. Coordinated in partnership with Worcester Public Schools, this teacher-led panel offered students firsthand knowledge into the various careers in education. Caleb Encarnacion-Rivera, director of recruitment, cultivation, and […]
Breaking Down Barriers: Worcester State’s Brotherhood and Sisterhood Leadership Conference Empowers Youth
Worcester State University’s Third Annual Brotherhood and Sisterhood Leadership Conference recently brought together nearly 300 high school and university students from across Massachusetts to learn from distinguished speakers and panelists. The conference was designed to empower high school students and college students through team-building workshops and to foster a connection to a network of first-generation […]
Entrepreneurship will continue to flourish at Worcester State thanks to $250,000 gift from O’Brien family
WORCESTER, MA – Worcester State University today announced the establishment of a new $250,000 endowment that will ensure the long-term future of the Robert K. O’Brien Next Big Idea Contest, an entrepreneurship competition originally launched in 2013 thanks to a gift from the late Bob O’Brien, a 1958 Worcester State alumnus. The endowment has been […]
Worcester State to offer self-defense and sexual violence awareness programs this spring
Worcester State University is equipping students with the tools to stay safe on campus by offering a number of programs for self-defense and sexual violence awareness this spring. Offerings include the Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) program, workshops by Worcester State’s Sexual Assault and Violence Education (SAVE) program, and a 5K race to support the One Love […]
Unlocking the Diverse Voices of Latine Poetry in America
In an insightful presentation at the Jacob Edwards Library in Southbridge, Mass., recently, Associate Professor of Latin American and Latinx Literature Naida Saavedra of Worcester State shed light on the groundbreaking Latino Poetry, an anthology published by the Library of America. Saavedra, highlighted the rich tradition of Latine poetry in the United States, which has […]