Option II At UMBC, a self-designed, interdisciplinary major

Option II At UMBC, a self-designed, interdisciplinary major

Initially UMBC was a branch campus of College Park, and the curriculum mimicked what was available at the flagship campus. By fall 1967 UMBC’s own academic identity had begun to emerge. A divisional structure was established instead of colleges, including the four Divisions of Humanities, Mathematics, Science, and Social Sciences. Students could readily take courses in the various departments within a division, often crossing disciplinary boundaries. With this interdisciplinary structure already in place, the Faculty Senate approved the implementation of Option I and Option II in April 1969. Option I, the traditional approach to higher education, offered some flexibility in the courses of study and classes required for the B.A. degree; Option II offered almost complete flexibility in designing a course of study, with approval by an appointed faculty committee. Option II was quite experimental both nationally and within the University of Maryland. Renamed in 1979, the department of Interdisciplinary Studies is still a valued alternative for UMBC undergraduates.

University Publications

ca. 1979

brochures; booklets; 7 x 6 in.

UPUB A11-003