The Bachelor of Integrative Studies (BIS) degree is a university-wide degree program that enables students to custom design their own plan of study integrating coursework from multiple disciplines to prepare for academic and professional goals in a world that increasingly bridges academic disciplines.

The program weaves flexibility and decision making into an opportunity for students to achieve unique personal and career goals. Students in the program have clearly identified educational goals and academic needs that can be achieved better through the BIS degree than through a traditional major. The goals of the program are as follows:

• Offer students with cross-departmental interests the opportunity to develop their own curricular programs.

• Offer students a baccalaureate program that integrates past course work with present career and personal goals.

• Prepare students for post-baccalaureate education in cross-departmental fields.

• Encourage students to take responsibility for educational and career planning.

• Assist students in educational and personal development.

 

 

 

 

INTEGRATION: the process of collecting and weaving the concepts, ideas, information, methods, and data from two or more disciplines to form a new, more comprehensive, understanding of the topic, which ultimately leads to what he describes as a “cognitive advantage.” The result is the creation of something completely new, distinct from the disciplines from which it originated. The enhanced knowledge gained from this integrative process can then be used to formulate new policies, approaches, research questions, and products (Repko, 2012).

 

Integration is used to challenge the complex problems, issues, and questions that arise within disciplines. The foundation of the integrative process is found within the common ground that links the participating disciplines, through the insights that they share. Once this common ground has been established, the integrative process of weaving the disciplinary insights then begins. 

 

Integration is used when there is a need to move beyond talk to the action phase, and the disciplinary insights that outline chronic disease prevention are at that phase. 

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that, in order to target major risk factors, and to enhance disease prevention an integrated approach is needed.