Curriculum Overview: An Interdisciplinary Approach

In our fast-paced and ever-changing world, having an educational experience that emphasizes lifelong learning and intellectual flexibility is crucial to your success. That is why Brandeis focuses on an interdisciplinary educational approach that recognizes the importance of a broad-based, liberal arts background in helping you achieve your personal and professional goals. 

Our curricular offerings are extensive, offering students a wide range of courses that are both subject-based and combined across curricula. Examples of interdepartmental programs available to undergraduates include environmental studies, literary studies and Russian and East European studies. In addition, special courses are offered each semester that cross curricular boundaries to provide a holistic learning experience.

Students who wish to pursue a more defined but flexible program of study may create a curriculum through the Independent Interdisciplinary Major. This program allows students, in collaboration with three faculty members from two different departments, to develop a focused educational structure that fits their individual interests. 

So, if you want to design a major not already offered at Brandeis, the freedom is yours. Some past independent interdisciplinary majors include:

• Cultural Studies of Media and Marketing
• Communication and Media Studies
• Biological Anthropology
• Conflict Analysis and Resolution
• The Environment and Sustainable Development