Interdisciplinary Studies Program

Program Director and Director of Graduate Education: Elizabeth Freeburg, Ph.D.

McKusick Center, Room 210
414 East Clark Street
Vermillion, SD 57069
Phone: 605-658-6140
Toll-Free: 800-233-7937
http://www.usd.edu/graduate-school

DEGREE

Master of Arts

Program Description

The Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies degree at the University of South Dakota is designed to allow flexibility in program design and course selection for students who have identified special interests or career goals not met by other degree programs.

One of the unique elements of the degree is that students design their own programs of study in tandem with their advisor by choosing coursework from differing academic disciplines to create a coherent theme to meet individual educational and professional goals. Students seeking admission to the program must explain in a statement of purpose how their program of study will specifically meet their personal and professional goals.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Completed Graduate Application form found at: https://usd-web.usd.edu/apps/grad-app/login.cfm and a non-refundable application fee of $35.
One official transcript verifying receipt of an undergraduate degree and previous graduate credit (in English or with translation) must accompany an application. Official transcript of all academic work at the undergraduate and graduate levels are required for international students. The USD Graduate School and/or academic departments retain the right to require an Educational Credential Evaluators/World Education Services (ECE/WES) evaluation for a student if such an evaluation is deemed necessary.
Baccalaureate degree must be from an institution with full regional accreditation for that degree. A minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 2.7 on conferred degree and/or graduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better, based on a 4.0 scale, on all graduate coursework is required for full admission. Each graduate program may admit students on provisional status per university policy.
Applicants with degrees from countries other than the United States who have obtained an undergraduate or graduate degree from a regionally accredited American college or university are not required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score. For all other applicants, a minimum score of 79 on the Internet-Based TOEFL (iBT) or 550 on the Paper-Based TOEFL (PBT), a minimum IELTS score of 6.0, or a minimum PTE score of 53 is required for graduate admission. Applicants from or who have obtained an undergraduate or graduate degree from these English-speaking countries (UK, Australia, Canada [except Quebec], Ireland, or New Zealand) are not required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score if their academic records indicate that English was the classroom language for the majority of their schoolwork.
Applicants are required to submit a statement of purpose or goal statement. Personal Statement should reflect why their program of study will specifically meet their personal and professional goals.

Additional Program Admission Requirements:

Three (3) professional letters of recommendation are required.

Subject to faculty approval, those who do not meet all of the above criteria may be admitted on a provisional basis.