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BDIC offers motivated and self-directed students the opportunity to design their own majors under faculty guidance. The program allows students to pursue their educational goals in areas not available within an existing departmental curriculum or traditional major at the university. Each student’s program of study or concentration is developed with the guidance of a faculty sponsor, as well as a BDIC faculty supervisor. Students confer with these faculty members on a regular basis as they progress through and continue to develop their programs.

BDIC concentrations are interdisciplinary, drawing courses from at least three departments. In planning their concentrations, students are encouraged to consider the resources of the Five College consortium. Domestic and international exchange experiences can greatly enhance many BDIC concentrations. In addition, internships offer BDIC students valuable hands-on experience in their fields. A maximum of six internship credits may be used toward the BDIC major.

BDIC students earn either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree. For the B.S., 60 credits are required from the sciences and mathematics. Because of the individualized nature of each student’s program of study, BDIC has as many concentrations as it has students in the major. To guide and assist this diverse group, BDIC has a staff of five faculty supervisors and several experienced advisers.

Admission to the Program
The first step in the application process is to meet with a BDIC adviser who will familiarize the student with BDIC requirements and discuss academic interests and career goals. In order to be accepted into the BDIC major, students must apply for acceptance to BDIC 396P, the one-credit proposal writing class. Applications to BDIC 396P are available in the BDIC office, as well as on its website, www.umass.edu/bdic. The application deadlines are November 15 for the spring semester and April 10 for the fall semester. Acceptance into the class is determined by a BDIC faculty committee and is based on a number of criteria, such as GPA and the viability of the concentration plan. During BDIC 396P, students complete a proposal outlining their prospective concentration. Final acceptance into the BDIC major comes with the approval of the student’s proposal.

Major Requirements
1. Completion of BDIC 396P and acceptance of the proposal compiled in that class.
2. Completion of at least 12 interrelated, upper-division, graded courses (numbered 300 or above) in the area of the student’s concentration, not including BDIC 396P or 496C. Each course must be passed with a minimum of C. Courses must be drawn from at least three departments and must be at least three credits each.
3. Completion of at least four semesters in the major (the semester in which the student is enrolled in the proposal writing class is considered the first semester).
4. Completion of BDIC 496C, Junior Year Writing in Interdisciplinary Studies, or a comparable Junior Year Writing course in another major.
5. Submission of a senior summary and abstract by November 15 for February graduation and April 1 for May graduation.
6. Completion of the intermediate level (240 level) of a foreign language if six or more courses in the student’s concentration are from the College of Humanities and Fine Arts and/or the College of Natural Sciences.