About the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Arts
The Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Arts (BIA) is a unique program for students who wish to study multiple fields in equivalent depth. As an interdisciplinary liberal arts degree, it requires similar but slightly different general requirements as the Bachelor of Arts degree. Instead of a major and minor, the student selects three fields of concentration, each of which meets the minimum requirements of a departmental or interdisciplinary minor. Together, the three fields form a coherent concentration of interest to the student that is unavailable elsewhere in the university as an organized program of study. The student chooses the three fields in consultation with the J.T. & Margaret Talkington College of Visual & Performing Arts (TCVPA) academic advisor and, as necessary, the departmental or program advisors overseeing those areas. Any academic minor may be used as a field of concentration in the BIA, but at least two of the three fields must reside in the TCVPA. Additionally, students can pursue self-designed fields of concentration provided they obtain approval from the academic areas housing the included courses.
Each field consists of a minimum of 18 hours in the chosen discipline, for a total of 54 hours minimum across the three concentrations. Through these self-selected fields, which combine to form an integrated concentration and liberal arts foundation, the BIA degree can prepare a student to pursue intellectual and/or artistic interests, career goals, or further study at the graduate or professional level. The degree may be of particular interest to students with interests in several arts areas who are preparing for new career opportunities that integrate technology with art, producing work that crosses boundaries between fine art and design, or exploring how the arts impact social behavior. Outside the TCVPA, BIA majors can select from over one hundred minors in a wide diversity of fields, including psychology, sociology, computer science, anthropology, restaurant and hotel management, communication studies, dramatic writing, or media strategies. Admission is by interview, written justification, and/or audition administered by or submitted to the appropriate TCVPA associate dean and faculty, to be completed before matriculation or by the end of the second semester of study.
The first and second fields of concentration are chosen from existing minors in art, music, or theatre and dance. Some minors require auditions/portfolios for admission. The third field of concentration is selected from available minors within or outside the college that support the student’s broader interdisciplinary interests, or it may be self-designed with the assistance and approval of the college and appropriate academic units. The student determines the third field in close consultation with the TCVPA lead advisor and the TCVPA Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Curricular Issues.
A unique feature of the degree is an interdisciplinary core required of all students, consisting of VPA 2310 , VPA 1302 , and VPA 2301 within which the juxtaposition, integration, and synthesis of all the arts are specifically addressed. The BIA culminates in a one-credit capstone course, VPA 4110 , taken concurrently with two credits in an appropriate 4000-level independent study with a faculty mentor.
Declaration of Major. Students declare the interdisciplinary arts major in the TCVPA just as they do any major. A visit with the academic advisor (806.742.0700 or cvpa.advisors@ ttu.edu) is the best place to start, followed by visits to program advisors representing the three intended fields of concentration.
Graduation Requirements. Requirements for the BIA degree in the TCVPA are as follows:
- Minimum total of 120 credit hours
- Minimum total of 40 junior/senior hours
- Interdisciplinary core consisting of VPA 1302 , VPA 2301 , VPA 2310 , and VPA 4110 , plus 2 credits of 4000-level independent study
- Three fields of concentration to total at least 54 hours, each comprising an existing departmental or interdisciplinary minor of at least 18 hours each; minimum 6 junior/senior hours in each field; courses may be credited in only one field of concentration; at least two of the fields must come from the TCVPA.
Specified general core degree requirements as shown:
- English: 6 Semester Hours
- Oral Communication: 3 Semester Hours
- United States and Texas Government: 6 Semester Hours
- United States History: 6 Semester Hours
- Mathematics: 6 Semester Hours
- Life and Physical Sciences: 8 Semester Hours
- Social and Behavioral Sciences: 3 Semester Hours
- Language, Philosophy, and Culture: 3 Semester Hours (could be filled by VPA 2301 )
- Creative Arts: satisfied in concentrations
- Personal Fitness and Wellness: 0 Semester Hours
- Foreign Language: 0-10 Semester Hours. Entering students are expected to have completed four semesters credit of a single foreign language in high school. Students who do not meet this requirement will be required to complete one year (or the equivalent) of a single foreign language taken at the college level. For more detailed information, refer to the “Foreign Language Requirement” listing in the Academic Requirements section of this catalog.
- Multicultural Requirement: 3 Semester Hours (could be filled by VPA 2301 )
- Communication Literacy Requirement: For information on courses meeting the CL requirement for the BIA, please see an advisor.
- Elective Hours necessary to reach a minimum total of 120 hours
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