Multidisciplinary Studies is an individualized, student-designed degree that consists of courses, based on three-pathways/themes of study, that are multi-disciplinary, but which all lead to a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree.  

Essentially, you need to have an interest in several different fields, rather than just one that is customary for other degrees.  You use your time and effort to design a coherent plan of study that will help you earn a Bachelor of Arts Degree at graduation.  

Unlike other degrees where the academic plan of courses is pre-set for you, YOU select your core courses each semester based on your career plan.  You select from three (3) complementary, areas of knowledge from existing Penn State Greater Allegheny degree programs and courses.  These are the programs that align with your aspirations and the skills needed in the real world. 

It is a simple three-step process, and campus faculty and advisors will help you every step of the way.   

  1. First, meet with your advisor or, if you do not yet have an advisor, schedule a meeting with the Greater Allegheny Division of Undergraduate Advising.   

  1. Then you will formulate a theme or career pathway (a topic, idea or issue) that you wish to explore during your time here on campus. Share these aspirations with your advisor, a faculty member, and/or the MDS program coordinator to self-design a program of study that investigates that theme from the viewpoint of at least three different subject areas.  

  1. Finally, you develop your schedule each semester from a wide variety of courses that Greater Allegheny offers and which will form the basis for your earning a Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree.