Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies

The Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies is an upper-division transfer degree program designed for students with at least 30 credit hours of prior college coursework or its equivalent in eligible military or professional training. The program consists of four curriculum areas:

• Elective courses are taken by all students who enter the program with fewer than 60 credits.
• Core curriculum is comprised of six academic areas.
• A concentration in a specialized area or discipline must be completed by all students.
• Capstone project is the culminating synthesis of learning.

General Education

Students who enter the program with between 30 and 59 credits of prior coursework or the equivalent must complete general elective courses to reach the 60-credit threshold before moving into the core curriculum. Elective options are listed below.

• Ethics in the Modern World

  PHLS210 3 credit hours

  This course is a study of ethics and its application to problems in everyday life, society, and the broader world. The course examines the principal moral theories and ethical systems that have shaped our personal values and behavior, including consequentialist and non-consequentialist theories, virtue ethics, and feminist ethics. Students explore the connections between ethics and religion and examine the challenges to morals posed by relativism, subjectivism and emotivism, egoism. Students also evaluate positions, theories, and arguments as they apply them to concrete matters of personal, socio-political, and global concern.

• Technology-Mediated Communication

  COMM315 3 credit hours

  A study of human communication and the effect of modern technology on it. Students review basic communication theory, including non-verbal and intercultural communication, and then evaluate the impact of technology on the effectiveness and efficiency of communication. Topics include: spoken vs. written communication; synchronous vs. asynchronous communication; the status of world languages on the internet; the impact of social media; modern workplace communication; and trends in the development of communication technology.

• Socio-Economic Studies

  ECON310 3 credit hours

  In this course, you will explore tenets and characteristics of various economics systems, analyze economic indicators, conceptualize problems, and recommend possible solutions. Economic factors are explored in the context of the U.S. Army’s Political-Military-Economics-Social Infrastructure-Information Systems framework.

• English Composition

  ENGL101 3 credit hours

  This course is devoted chiefly to the principles of written organization, exposition, argumentation, and research.

• Crime in Literature

  ENGL250 3 credit hours

  In this course, students read and discuss works of literature that explore the ethical, social, and philosophical implications of criminal behavior and society's response to it.

• History of the U.S. Constitution

  HIST210 3 credit hours

  A study of the political, economic, and social contexts of the creation of the Constitution and the significant amendments to it. Emphasis is on the role of the judicial branch in constitutional matters; the effects of social change in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries; and the impact of technology on contemporary constitutional issues.

• Historical Studies

  HIST310 3 credit hours

  In this course students will identify strategic considerations which have influenced the outcome of political and military conflict. Topics including the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, the campaigns of Alexander the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte, the Anglo-Afghan wars of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the rise and fall of empires around the world.

• Liberal Arts Mathematics

  MATH102 3 credit hours

  An investigation of mathematical concepts and methods with emphasis given to their impact on current and ancient problems. Topics include mathematics of voting systems, basic graph theory including Euler circuits and the traveling salesman problem, the mathematics of population growth, statistics, and finding fair shares. Emphasis is on techniques of problem solving.

• Elementary Statistics

  MA232 3 credit hours

  This course covers the study of frequency distributions, averages and standard deviations, normal curve, probability, decision-making, sampling techniques, testing hypotheses, chi-square, students-t and F-distributions, correlation, and linear regression. Prerequisite: A college level mathematics course or equivalent as determined by departmental placement testing.

• Leadership

  MNGT315 3 credit hours

  In this course, you will learn key theoretical models of leadership and strategies for applying them in a range of situations, both military and non-military. You will identify key functions and skills of effective leaders, explore leadership styles through study of selected leaders, and evaluate the role of communication, negotiation, strategy, purpose, and ethics in leadership. You will evaluate your own leadership effectiveness and develop a leadership tool kit.

• Comparative Religion

  RELG300 3 credit hours

  Based upon myth and built upon ritual, religious thought affects politics, economics, international relations, and security. In this course, you will explore and analyze the similarities and differences among world religions to better understand the impact of belief systems and religious themes on culture, human history, and current affairs. Prerequisites: none.

• Environmental Science

  SCIE301 3 credit hours

  Most of the world’s crucial environmental issues and many regional conflicts are related to the degradation and/or overuse of the Earth’s basic resources, including air, water, soil, and energy. This course focuses on the physical and chemical processes associated with the degradation of these resources, as well as an examination of potential solutions. The course addresses and integrates into scientific studies two themes that underlie all environmental issues: sustainability and human population dynamics.

• Military Sociology

  SOCI330 3 credit hours

  This course provides a sociological perspective of the military as both an institution and as an occupation. It examines the social structure and functions of the military and the social factors that influence behavior in and of the military. In terms of function, it examines the changing purposes of the military in view of changing national and international conditions. In terms of structure, it examines the norms, values, traditions, organizations, and culture of the military. The course will provide insight into the routine life within the military and contemporary issues confronting the military.

• Introduction to Cultural Competence

  SOCI335 3 credit hours

  This course presents key concepts in the study of cultures and explores how culture and cultural contexts and language influence values, expectations, behavior, communication styles, and conflict resolution.

• The Partridge Seminar

  INTD 200 3 credit hours

  Utilizing an exposure to Norwich University’s unique history, mission, and guiding principles students will develop skills in information literacy, crafting a research paper, and scholarly ethics. Students will explore concepts such as leadership, community service, and citizenship in order to practice skills that are both embedded in the educational vision of Alden Partridge, Norwich’s founder, and that are essential to succeeding in college, post-graduate careers, and volunteer activities.

• The Cold War Revisited: The Sullivan Seminar

  HIST 430 3 credit hours

  In this course students will gain a deeper understanding of the Cold War and its impact upon American and world history. Topics include the diplomatic relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union, the various crises of the Cold War such as the Berlin Airlift and Cuban Missile Crisis, the efforts to end the Cold War made by various presidential administrations, and significant events in Russo-American relations over the last quarter century. The views and experiences of General Gordon R. Sullivan are incorporated into this course.

Core Curriculum

The core curriculum is comprised of six academic areas and can be successfully completed with the following selection of courses:

Epistemology & Critical Thinking (6 credits)

• INTD 310

Science & the Scientific Method (6 credits)

• INTD 320 or SCIE 301 and SCIE 310

Qualitative Research in the Social & Behavioral Sciences (6 credits)

• INTD 321* or SOCI 209 and one of the following: ECON 310, POLS 306, POLS, 318, SOCI 335

Critical Theory in Literature & the Humanities (6 credits)

• ENGL 250 or ENGL 270 and RELG 300

Human Communications & Technology (6 credits)

• COMM 315 and COMM 301 or COMM 302 or COMM 305 or INTD 305

Political, Social & Economic History (6 credits)

• Any two HIST 3xx or HIST 4xx courses available by the College of Graduate and Continuing Studies

• Epistemology & Critical Thinking

  INTD310 6 credit hours

  This course introduces students to both historical and contemporary theories of knowledge acquisition and validation. Special emphasis is placed on newer theories of information handling arising from neuroscience and the study of human-computer interaction. The course covers the role of formal and informal logic as a tool for the validation of knowledge.

• Quantitative Research & The Scientific Method

  INTD320 6 credit hours

  A study of the principles goals and techniques of quantitative research. Topics covered include the espistemology of science; the origins and charateristics of the scientific method; research design and statistical tools; and science and public policy. Emphasis is placed on the ability to recognize valid scientific reasoning and to interpret reports of scientific research in a non-specialist manner. Prerequisite: None.

• Environmental Science

  SCIE301 3 credit hours

  Most of the world’s crucial environmental issues and many regional conflicts are related to the degradation and/or overuse of the Earth’s basic resources, including air, water, soil, and energy. This course focuses on the physical and chemical processes associated with the degradation of these resources, as well as an examination of potential solutions. The course addresses and integrates into scientific studies two themes that underlie all environmental issues: sustainability and human population dynamics.

• The Scientific Basis of Sustainability

  SCIE310 3 credit hours

  Students examine how Sustainability Science has emerged in the 21st Century as a new academic field defined by the problems it addresses rather than by the individual disciplines it includes. They learn that, by addressing the complexity of the problems that threaten the survival of life on this planet, sustainability science combines the study of environmental, human and engineered systems to provide solutions to problems such as climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. Students examine how evidence-based, quantitative data is collected and used to define and monitor sustainability-related issues and problems, and discuss how critical thinking skills can be applied to an interdisciplinary understanding of problems and solutions, as well as how information networks can both supply important data and serve as a medium for communicating with other interested parties on a global basis. The course concludes by examining how sustainability science relates to an ever-widening range of decisions, strategies and activities in the private, public and military worlds, illustrating how an understanding of sustainability science will be critical to every future leader's toolkit of competencies.

• Qualitative Research in the Social & Behavioral Sciences*

  INTD321 6 credit hours

  The course introduces students to the methods and goals of qualitative research. Emphasis is placed on techniques of qualitative data collection and analysis, with particular focus on ethnographic research and methods of coding data. The course includes an in-depth discussion of biases and the use of triangulation.

• Methods of Social Science Research

  SOCI209 3 credit hours

  This course examines the methodological foundations of the social sciences; the logic and technique of empirical inquiry; the nature of social facts; the operationalization of concepts and the construction of hypotheses; research designs including questionnaires, interviews, experiments, observation, and evaluation; the organization and analysis of data; graph and table construction and interpretation; the common problems of empirical and social research; and research ethics. Pre-requisites: none.

• Socio-Economic Studies

  ECON310 3 credit hours

  In this course, you will explore tenets and characteristics of various economics systems, analyze economic indicators, conceptualize problems, and recommend possible solutions. Economic factors are explored in the context of the U.S. Army’s Political-Military-Economics-Social Infrastructure-Information Systems framework.

• Comparative Politics

  POLS306 3 credit hours

  This course introduces the basic methods, concepts, and substance of comparative politics and focuses on institutions and behaviors as well as development and modernization theories. Issues covered include: the nature of political systems; the different varieties of democracies and authoritarian regimes; and the impact of geography on the political, economic, and social development of a region.

• Technology-Mediated Communication

  COMM315 3 credit hours

  A study of human communication and the effect of modern technology on it. Students review basic communication theory, including non-verbal and intercultural communication, and then evaluate the impact of technology on the effectiveness and efficiency of communication. Topics include: spoken vs. written communication; synchronous vs. asynchronous communication; the status of world languages on the internet; the impact of social media; modern workplace communication; and trends in the development of communication technology.

• Business & Professional Writing

  COMM301 3 credit hours

  A writing-intensive course that focuses on critical business and management documents including organizational and personnel performance reports; business proposals; communications with stakeholders; and marketing instruments. Emphasis is on proper use of the business register; audience analysis; and technology-mediated professional communication. Prerequisite: ENGL101 or its equivalent.

• Data Analysis and Writing

  COMM302 3 credit hours

  Professional literature regularly includes results that are based on statistical analysis. This course is designed to strengthen students’ analytical and communications skills as preparation for a career in law enforcement, intelligence, and security. The course will cover predictive analysis and modeling as well as analytical tools with which to deal with changing events. This course will also help to establish definitions for particular words and concepts and how they might be applied in various situations. Pre-requisite: SOCI209.

• Strategic Communications

  COMM305 3 credit hours

  This course introduces the principles of strategic communication and provides a detailed understanding of the important role of participatory Web media in strategic communication. Topics include understanding and defining strategic communication, public diplomacy, with whom responsibility lies in conducting strategic communication, challenges of U.S. strategic communication, improving strategic communication, and the future of strategic communication. You will apply the tenets of strategic communication by reviewing and critiquing high-profile cases from the war in Iraq and other significant events. Prerequisites: none.

• Human-Computer Interaction

  INTD305 3 credit hours

  In this course, students examine the basic principles of good User Interface Design. The focus will be on what managers and executives must know and understand about how people use and interact with technology. Topics covered include the psychopathology of everyday things, which is a way of understanding tools; how people think about those tools, and the affordances of those tools; user interface design principles; human error including the predictability of error and how it can be prevented; and system design thinking and its implications for usability.  Pre-reqs: none. 

• The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

  HIST402 3 credit hours

  A unique feature of the course is its attention to diversity within both the Israeli and Palestinian political communities. This course provides an engrossing exposure to the themes and complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Its focus is historical and conceptual, and requires students to apply their learning through critical evaluation of contemporary events and conditions. Participants learn the conflict’s history and grapple with recurring obstacles to peace, including practical issues of security as well as abstract issues of culture, identity, and religion. Students are required to view the conflict from both national communities’ perspectives and to critically analyze different models for resolving the conflict.

• American Foreign Policy in the Twentieth Century

  HIST425 3 credit hours

  In this course students will gain an understanding of America's rise as a global power in the twentieth century. Topics include the strategic elements of American foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere, American neutrality and subsequent involvement in World War I and II, and challenges faced by the United States during and after the Cold War. Students will examine the diplomatic, political and military aspects that determined the foreign policy of the United States as it has participated in and shaped world history. Through discussions, readings and research assignments, students will have the opportunity to think critically about the major foreign policy issues of the time period.

• Historical Studies

  HIST310 3 credit hours

  In this course students will identify strategic considerations which have influenced the outcome of political and military conflict. Topics including the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, the campaigns of Alexander the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte, the Anglo-Afghan wars of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the rise and fall of empires around the world.

• History of Diplomacy I

  HIST411 3 credit hours

  This course provides students with a comprehensive overview and analysis of diplomacy and international relations from 1648 to 1914. The course focuses on the historical foundations of the modern state system and on the effects of globalization and its influence on decision-making in diplomacy. The course is offered three times per year and is eight weeks in length.

• History of Diplomacy II

  HIST412 3 credit hours

  This course provides students with a comprehensive overview and analysis of diplomacy and international relations from 1914 to the present. The course builds on the material covered in HIST 411 – History of Diplomacy I and focuses on the historical foundations of the modern state system and on the effects of globalization and its influence on decision-making in diplomacy. The course is offered three times per year and is eight weeks in length. Prerequisite: HIST 411.

Leadership Studies

The Leadership Studies concentration allows you to explore the fundamentals of leadership, help define leadership styles, as well as the ways in which leaders drive and manage change. Strong attention is paid to the impact of technology and media on leadership.

• Seminar in Leadership I: Fundamentals

  MNGT401 6 credit hours

  This course focuses on differentiating the conceptual and theoretical aspects and models of leadership and leadership studies. The fundamentals of leadership are taught within the context of present and past leaders, with an emphasis on how to practice these fundamentals in an ethical manner.

• Seminar in Leadership II: Leadership Styles & EQ

  MNGT402 6 credit hours

  This course provides information about evaluating emotional intelligence, or EQ. Students are given the tools and the opportunity to evaluate their capacities to think about work through the lens of reflection and introspection as a guide to understanding the behavioral aspects of working together and providing customer service.

• Leadership of Change

  MNGT403 3 credit hours

  A study of change management principles and best practices from a leadership vantage point. Emphasis is on the process of planning for change and the critical role of communication before, during, and after change. Students develop instruments for measuring the impact of change on human and financial resources within organizations.

• Leadership in a Technology-Driven World

  MNGT404 3 credit hours

  This course focuses on the application of leadership principles toward efforts to manage the impact of modern information and communication technologies on organizations. Topics include: creating and leading a remote workforce; human behavior in technology-mediated work relationships; and ethical issues arising from the use of technology.

Justice Studies

The Justice Studies concentration introduces you to the principles of criminal justice and the relationship between the police, the courts and corrections. Students will explore concepts such as procedural due process, criminology and ethics in criminal justice.

• Foundations of Criminal Justice

  CRMJ201 3 credit hours

  This course provides a general survey of the principles, systems, and processes of criminal justice. Students will explore conceptions and definitions of crime, criminal law, due process, and the organization and operation of the three basic components of the criminal justice system – the police, the courts, and corrections – both individually and in relationship to one another. Pre-requisites: none.

• Procedural Due Process

  CRMJ306 3 credit hours

  This course examines the principle that the government must respect all of the legal rights that are owed to a person according to the law. Students will explore and examine procedural due process as it relates to the procedure of arresting and trying persons who have been accused of crimes. Students will also examine specific government actions that may deprive an individual of life, liberty, or property. Overall, the course will address the applications and administration of due process as well as potential abuse. Pre-requisites: none.

• The Study of Crime

  CRMJ303 3 credit hours

  This course covers the various biological, psychological and sociological types of theory that have been offered to explain the incidence of crime in society. Various types of crime, including violent, property, corporate, political and victimless crimes, methods of studying crime, and characteristics of criminals are also examined.

• Domestic Terrorism

  POLS316 3 credit hours

  This course traces the history, emergence, and growth of domestic terrorist and extremist groups within the United States. Students will assess various groups' intentions, capabilities, and activities within contexts of and ramifications on political, national security, and legal paradigms. Topics include current and active domestic groups and their organizational structure, philosophies, and networks.

• Criminal Justice Ethics

  PHLS324 3 credit hours

  This course provides a short introduction to general ethics, with applications to practices and problems in the criminal justice field. It uses the case study method to focus on immediate decisions that involve common, ethical dilemmas faced by criminal justice professionals in the police, courts, and corrections. It also studies a selection of more general issues involving the criminal justice system that are of common public concern, as well as the deeper question of why certain forms of behavior should or should not be criminalized.

• Immigration Law and Policy

  POLS325 3 credit hours

  This course touches upon the major policy debates currently swirling around immigration reform and policy. Students will examine social changes and the development of immigration law over the last few decades, including the emergence and role of social change movements. Other topics to be explored include undocumented immigration, international coordination on migration, judicial review and due process, refugee and asylum policy, immigration and employment, border security, state and local enforcement of immigration law, and the relationship between immigration law and crime.

Strategic Studies

The Strategic Studies concentration focuses on issues of national security policy, the global intelligence community, international conflict and more. Students who choose this concentration are obligated to closely follow current international events and learn how to discuss them analytically and objectively.

• Ethics in the Modern World

  PHLS210 3 credit hours

  This course is a study of ethics and its application to problems in everyday life, society, and the broader world. The course examines the principal moral theories and ethical systems that have shaped our personal values and behavior, including consequentialist and non-consequentialist theories, virtue ethics, and feminist ethics. Students explore the connections between ethics and religion and examine the challenges to morals posed by relativism, subjectivism and emotivism, egoism. Students also evaluate positions, theories, and arguments as they apply them to concrete matters of personal, socio-political, and global concern.

• Global Security and Intelligence

  INSC313 3 credit hours

  This course examines a range of contemporary international issues – from questions of realism versus idealism in foreign affairs to changes in the nation-state, the rise and influence of member states in the Pacific Rim, and overall global security objectives. It will explore the uses of strategic intelligence by world leaders in shaping policy and the effects of strategic intelligence on world events. Students will be required to closely follow international developments and learn how to discuss them objectively and analytically. Areas of emphasis include science, technology, and globalization as the environment in which concepts of international security evolve and change over time. Pre-requisites: none.

• National Security Policy

  POLS302 3 credit hours

  This course introduces the issues and institutions of national security policy. Students gain an appreciation of strategic thought and strategy formulation, the ability to assess national security issues and threats, and an understanding of the political and military institutions involved in the making and execution of national security policy.

• International Terrorism

  POLS318 3 credit hours

  This course addresses the effects of a variety of forms of sub-state violence on world affairs. Topics include sources of terrorism, its major characteristics, the problems it poses for global peace and stability, responses to terrorism by countries and international organizations, and the problem of balancing public safety and personal freedom in dealing with terrorism.

• Insurgency and Conflict

  SSDA315 6 credit hours

  In this course students compare and contrast selected insurgencies and counter-insurgencies from across the globe. Students acquire both broad knowledge and in-depth understanding of the practice of insurgency in various regions and nations.

• Comparative Politics

  POLS306 3 credit hours

  This course introduces the basic methods, concepts, and substance of comparative politics and focuses on institutions and behaviors as well as development and modernization theories. Issues covered include: the nature of political systems; the different varieties of democracies and authoritarian regimes; and the impact of geography on the political, economic, and social development of a region.

Capstone (6 credits)

All students are required to draw upon at least two different academic disciplines for research methodology, seminal literature and sources, and intellectual frameworks in order to bring an interdisciplinary perspective to this culminating program activity.

*Courses are under development

Norwich University, in compliance with Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, or physical handicap in any of its policies, practices, or procedures.

Our first graduates of the Interdisciplinary Studies program graduated in 2017. Below are graduates from our bachelor's programs.

My motivation was to be competitive in the workforce following my active duty retirement and to leverage Air Force tuition assistance to help pay for my Norwich degree.

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William Seaman
Class of 2015

Bachelor of Science in Strategic Studies and Defense Analysis

One of the key things to me for having a Norwich education is the name that comes with it; there’s pride and tradition that comes with having a Norwich University diploma. It’s finishing what I started here many years ago and I wanted something I can be proud to hang in my office.

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Julie Scribner
Class of 2015

Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice

I have always dreamed about graduating from Norwich University. Going to college was always on my bucket list and this was my motivation.

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Kelley Lawrence
Class of 2016

Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice

Norwich has developed online programs that provide a gateway, not a barrier, to maximize your career potential. Get to know a few graduates -- with busy schedules -- and how they made their education fit.