Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies

Semester 1 | Fall 

BIS 1224 Introduction to Social Ecology (4 units) 

BIS 1225 Liberatory Education (4 units) 

BIS 1226 Senior Seminar: Learning, Cognition, and Writing (4 units) 

Semester 2 | Spring 

BIS 1227 Decolonizing Worldviews (4 units) 

BIS 1228 Theories of Justice (4 units) 

BIS 1229 Senior Seminar: Introduction to Research Methods (4 units) 

Semester 3 | Summer BIS 1230 Planetary Interconnections (4 units) 

BIS 1235 Movement Building and Social Change (4 units) 

BIS 1236 Senior Seminar: Senior Project (4 units)

Access the Academic Catalog 

A Bachelor's Degree Completion Program is an academic program specifically designed for students who started, but did not finish, their Bachelor's degree. Previously earned credits (a minimum of 54 credits) must be transferred in order to enter the program.

Online students will attend a two-day, in-person intensive to begin each semester. Following the intensive, all learning is done online via our online Learning Management System, Canvas. All online classes allow students to continue their learning, collaboration, and discussions that they began at the intensives.

Yes! The bachelor's-to-master's accelerated tracks allow students to complete graduate courses as undergraduates. The programs enable students to double-count the units for both degrees and pay undergraduate tuition. Students can save an estimated $20k in graduate tuition. Learn about the application requirements for accelerated bachelor's-to-master's tracks on our Accelerated Degree Tracks page.

The online classes are asynchronous, so they do not meet in real time. Asynchronous classes offer students the flexibility to study in a self-paced manner. While most asynchronous classes still have submission deadlines, students can connect with materials, peers, and instructors on their own schedules within the parameters of the instructor's syllabus. In most cases, this means that course activities and assignments can be completed at any time during a given week of the course, rather than at a specific class meeting time.

Online courses at CIIS are delivered through the school’s learning management system, Canvas. Course menus in Canvas usually feature links to the syllabus and course content like lecture materials, readings, documents, websites, discussion forums, and other learning tools. Throughout the semester, instructors post assignment grades to the Gradebook in Canvas.

Instructors may occasionally hold a synchronous session held virtually during the semester and is conducted over an online platform such as Zoom or BigBlueButton.

Hardware:

• Computer with fast processing speeds with at least 4 GB of memory, 128 GB of storage
• Reliable high speed internet connection
• The most recent browser release (Chrome and Firefox are recommended)
• Headset and microphone
• Webcam

Skills:

• Basic computer skills
• Ability to use email
• Ability to use Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
• Search engine skills
• Ability to attach and upload documents and materials

Yes, a student that wishes to request a disability-related accommodation in order to attain their education at the school, including any specific accommodation to participate in the online learning environment, may submit a request for the accommodation to Student Disability Services at sds@ciis.edu.

The Office of Student Affairs will investigate the feasibility of providing the requested accommodation(s) for the student and will require the student to provide documentation of disability status.

All reasonable attempts will be made to address a request to accommodate a recognized disability to support the requesting student’s ability to attain education at the school.

The minimum number of transferable units required to enter the program is 54 units.* CIIS accepts a maximum number of 84 transferable units, with up to 75 in the lower division and up to 40 in one subject area (potentially more than 40 for interdisciplinary studies).

Within the limits cited above, we accept as transfer credit:

• Work in college level classes completed at regionally accredited institutions of higher learning in the U.S. and Canada or from other foreign institutions provided that acceptable documentation and evaluation demonstrates that these institutions and their courses are equivalent to regionally accredited institutions. International applicants must submit foreign transcripts to a foreign credential evaluation service for a "course by course" evaluation. CIIS accepts evaluations completed by the World Education Service (WES) and J. Silny & Associates, as well as from current members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).
• Documented military training, granting credit based on the American Council on Education (ACE) guidelines.
• Test results from the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Advanced Placement Exams, and Excelsior College Exams (ECE) may provide a student with a total maximum of 30 units. The CLEP exam is administered by the College Board, a non-profit organization which is known for its SAT, PSAT, and Advanced Placement programs. Applicants must provide the Institute with official test results.

Further criteria for transferable credit include:

• College Level Work: Courses must be college level. This means that courses that are developmental or college-preparatory will not transfer. Graduate level courses may be accepted as transfer credit; students should understand, however, that credit can be counted towards only one degree and that graduate credit applied to an undergraduate degree cannot then be applied again for a graduate degree. Associate of Arts (AA) credits are acceptable except for developmental or college-preparatory courses.
• Grade Criteria: Students must have earned passing credit or a grade of C or better. Coursework marked by a grade of D, D-, F, or NP (No Pass) or incomplete work is not transferable.
• Physical Education: CIIS does not accept physical education credit except in specifically defined areas: dance, yoga, and some forms of martial art.
• Double Credit: Students cannot receive credit twice for the same course of study. This is most easily determined when courses are standardized mainstream college curricula and bear comparable or identical names. It may be less easy to determine in other circumstances. More specific courses, for example, "Modern European Art," are considered as fully separate from survey courses, such as, "Western Art Through The Ages," even though there may be some duplication of material. In certain cases, course descriptions may need to be procured to determine content overlap.
• Single Subject Limits: Because the BA completion degree is interdisciplinary, students must demonstrate some balance in their studies. A limit of 40 units, or 1/3 of the degree, has been set in this area. However, it is important to apply this criterion thoughtfully. Subjects which are inherently interdisciplinary such as Women's Studies or some ethnic studies may be viewed differently. Simply because some studies may share certain historical or theoretical background may not make them a single subject.
• Extension Credit: CIIS accepts a maximum of 12 units completed in university extension programs for professional development. These units are reviewed on a case by case basis. Students should be aware that there is no guarantee that these units will be accepted. Please note that Continuing Education Units (CEU) units are not transferable.

You can submit your transcript(s) to the Admissions Office for review. These do not need to be official transcripts, but students will need to submit official transcripts with their application. Students with outstanding official transcripts and/or work-in-progress can be accepted into the program on a provisional basis. The provisional status impacts the packaging and disbursement of a student's financial aid package; students will not be eligible for financial aid until they move to full admission status.

Yes, as long as they meet the criteria listed above and you can present an official transcript. The institution(s) you attended may need some extra time to retrieve your records, but the credits you earned do not expire. General education requirements may need to be repeated, especially in the field of science because scientific knowledge changes over time.

No, students can meet their GE units while in the program, including the math GE requirement.

The completion of the following fields is not a prerequisite to enter the program, but rather an assessment of general education requirements necessary for graduation. If you are lacking units in one of these fields, you'll be able to take them as elective courses while enrolled in the program here:

• 3 units of college level math
• 3 units of experiential art
• 6 units of natural sciences
• 6 units of expository writing
• 6 units of humanities
• 9 units of social sciences
• 3 units of oral communication

The exact length depends on a student's number of transfer units and what workload a student wants to carry per semester, which typically ranges between 12-18 units per semester. Students can graduate in as quickly as one year (68%), and most students complete the program in 3-4 semesters. To graduate, a student must earn 120 units and complete the core curriculum, as well as all general education requirements (if these haven't been met prior to entry into the program).

Only full-time study is available for BA degree completion students, but the program is designed for adults with busy lives. The program requires a commitment to attend all of the 18 cohort weekends throughout the year, plus whatever electives and/or general education courses a student might need to take (based on their number of transfer units). Based on the number of transfer units a student has, full-time course of study works out to 12-18 units per semester.

Beyond the 18 cohort weekends for the year, students entering the program with less than 84 transfer units and missing general education courses need to plan in additional class and work time to take courses. Students can take their elective courses either in the School of Undergraduate Studies, in select graduate courses offered in the School of Consciousness and Transformation, or public program workshops offered for academic credit. Elective and/or general education courses offered in the BA Degree Completion Program are typically offered in the following formats:

• 5 Friday afternoons of cohort weekends (1:00pm-5:30pm)
• 5 Sundays of cohort weekends (10:00am-2:30pm)
• 3-5 meetings on alternate Saturdays that are not cohort weekends (either from 9:00am-5:00pm or for a 4.5 hour time slot)

We also offer:

• 1-unit elective courses that typically meet one weekend, all-day Saturday and Sunday
• Intensives that meet for a compressed period of time intensely (for example, five consecutive days all day)

Every student is different and the amount of time they will spend on reading, writing, preparing, and working on projects may differ. A good rule of thumb, however, is to plan in 2 hours/week for each unit of credit for the coursework (in addition to the time spent in class). For example, if a student takes only the core curriculum of 12 units, they can expect to spend (12 x 2 =) 24 hours/week on coursework. Similarly, if a student takes the core curriculum, as well as a 3-unit math class, they can expect to spend (15 x 2=) 30 hours/week on coursework.

Yes, a fixed tuition rate will be set for a maximum of four consecutive semesters. Students need to remain in good academic standing to be eligible for the fixed tuition rate. Find more detail on our Policies and Procedures page (under the Student Learning Policies accordion).