Center for Interdisciplinary Studies

Director: Professor Kelly (Educational Studies)
Advisory Faculty:  Professor Hales (Biology), Assistant Professor Fernandez (Writing), Professor Ramirez (Psychology)

The Center for Interdisciplinary Studies (CIS), housed in the Carolina Inn on Main Street, offers a number of interdisciplinary majors that are not offered by an academic department or program. Please see the current CIS web pages for a list of available majors and instructions for how to apply.

CIS majors require careful planning, especially in working with advisers to plan their required senior capstone. Applicants must show that the necessary courses will be available; they must find two willing and available capstone and major advisers; they must propose a workable research project that will lead to a thesis or capstone project.

There is no guarantee that a student can major through the CIS; interested sophomores apply by the Friday before spring break and are notified of the results three weeks later. It is strongly recommended that students interested in pursuing a CIS major meet with the Director sometime during their first-year spring or sophomore fall semester.

Candidates for honors must graduate with a grade point average of at least 3.2 overall and an average of at least 3.5 in courses counted toward the major.  To receive honors, you must demonstrate mastery of the course of study you have followed, write a thesis of highest quality, present it publically in a sophisticated manner that speaks to all members of the audience, and defend it before faculty with distinction.  Honors in the CIS is a true mark of distinction and is necessarily rare. Final decisions concerning honors will be made by the director, after consultation with faculty advisers and the CIS Faculty Advisory Committee. Announcement of honors is made only after all honors candidates have defended their theses, normally at the CIS banquet in late April.  In the case of a thesis of the highest quality, together with an exceptional academic record, the CIS may confer high honors.