A minor in Multidisciplinary Studies enables students to discover and apply ways of knowing encountered outside of the major discipline, to enhance educational experiences and develop critical skills in multidisciplinary ways, to experience and practice new ways of thinking, to grow as individuals, and to engage as global citizens over the course of a lifetime.

Student Learning Outcomes

• In oral and written communication, students will demonstrate the ability to shape a central thesis, organize an argument, and formally support that argument.
• Students will be able to understand and interpret creative expression based on knowledge of the forms and principles of various media.
• Students will be able to understand and develop arguments supported by quantitative evidence, clearly communicate those arguments in a variety of formats (using words, tables, graphs, statistical inference, mathematical equations and functions, etc., as appropriate), and apply mathematical or scientific methods to solve problems from a wide array of contexts and everyday situations.
• Students will gather information from experience, observation, reasoning, reflection and communication. Students will explore and synthesize related ideas, connect them to prior knowledge, and apply them to new contexts.
• Students will develop greater intercultural awareness and respect through study of economic, religious, political, geographic, linguistic, historic, environmental, and social aspects that define cultures throughout the world.

This minor requires a minimum of 15 credit hours, consisting of at least 3 credit hours from each of the following areas, historically defined as core foundational areas of knowledge and study: (1) Humanities; (2) Creative and Performing Arts; (3) Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Statistics; and (4) Social Sciences. A list of disciplines in each area follows. No more than 3 hours should be taken in one discipline. A minimum of 6 hours will be at the upper division level. Students must have a grade of “C” or better in each course. A minimum of six hours used to meet the minor requirements must be earned in residence at Washburn University. Students may include courses designated as General Education. However, they may not count courses for both general education and this minor. Students may request alternate coursework be accepted toward the minor. Students should make these requests prior to completing coursework.

Disciplinary Areas:

• Humanities
  • Communication
  • English
  • History
  • Honors Humanities-designated courses
  • Mass Media
  • Modern Languages
  • Philosophy
  • Religion
• Creative and Performing Arts
  • Art
  • Music
  • Theatre
• Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Statistics
  • Astronomy
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Computer Information Science
  • Geology
  • Honors Natural Science-designated courses
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
• Social Sciences
  • Anthropology
  • Economics
  • Geography
  • Honors Social Science-designated courses
  • Kansas Studies
  • Kinesiology
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sociology