Bachelor’s Degree Scheme in Interdisciplinary Studies (BDSIS)

Q1: What are the unique features of this prorgramme?

Answers:

1. This is a prestigious programme specially designed for top-performing students. The programme helps students to form and consolidate their academic identity and pride.
2. Under the guidance of the Academic Advisor (Personal Coach), a student has the freedom and flexibility to design his/her own programme of study. This makes the study more in line with the interests and aspirations of the student.
3. Interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary focus helps to nurture the systems thinking, intrapersonal skills, interpersonal competences, and holistic development of the students.
4. The programme helps students to develop an enhanced understanding of important local, social and global issues, particularly with reference to the Social Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.
5. Each student is assigned an Academic Advisor (Personal Coach) who is an expert in his/her field of study. Only students in this programme are assigned a designated Personal Coach who will help each student to explore their academic study path and interests in an intensive manner.
6. Many valuable opportunities (such as offshore Work-Integrated Education, offshore Service-Learning, training programmes, and paid summer research internship) will be provided to the students to enrich their holistic development.
7. Depending on the choice of study of the students, the desired graduate attributes of this programme can enable students to work in different sectors, such as the Government, multi-national corporations, public policy think tanks, and local, regional and multi-national social enterprises.
8. The programme will be hosted under the College of Undergraduate Studies (CUS) with Professor Daniel Shek as the Head of the College. Professor Daniel Shek is an internationally renowned expert in Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, Education and Public Health who has obtained 2 Gold, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze QS Reimagine Education Awards. In the 2024 edition of the Research.com Top 1,000 Scientists in Psychology, Professor Shek ranked #3 in China. According to ScholarGPS (2023), Professor Shek was ranked first among social work scholars in the world. In 2024, he was named an inaugural Highly Ranked Scholar by ScholarGPS (top 0.05% of all scholars worldwide).

Q2: Is this degree right for me?

Answers:

The programme aims to provide a unique educational opportunity for top-performing students, offering them flexible learning pathways and curriculum options, personalised coaching, and in-depth mentorship. This initiative is designed to nurture and support exceptional individuals, allowing them to excel in their academic pursuits with free options across disciplines and guaranteed outside-classroom and non-local learning opportunities. It also serves to inspire students to adopt an innovative, interest­driven and inspiring approach in their academic journey. If you are invited for the interview, it is already an indication that you are a top-performing student. If you wish to study in a flexible manner to solve some significant human, social and global problems through an interdisciplinary approach, this is definitely a suitable programme for you.

Q3: What can I choose under this programme?

Answers:

Interdisciplinary Studies programme is flexible and individualised. You could choose subjects upon your interests, experiences and goals, to create a self-determined programme. For example, you can consider studying biomedical engineering and psychology subjects to help physically disabled people. You can also consider how to use computing knowledge to understand the needs of Africans through social programming.

Q4: What are the credit requirements and curriculum of the programme? 

Answers:

A brief summary of the credit requirements is as follows:

For details about the curriculum, please refer to the below Tables 1 and 2.

Table 1: Programme curriculum

Table 2: Self-determined curriculum of Major

Q5. Why is interdisciplinary learning important in preparing students for their future study or careers?

Answers:

     Interdisciplinary studies offer students a comprehensive understanding of subjects from multiple perspectives, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills valued by employers. By encouraging creativity, innovation and integration across disciplines, students can develop novel solutions to complex problems. Interdisciplinary skills enhance adaptability in rapidly changing world nowadays, providing students with a competitive edge in the job market and facilitating personal growth and self-discovery through the exploration of new interests and expanded worldviews. Interdisciplinary programmes encourage students to think in a more systemic and holistic manner, and these skills are highly valued by employers. Similar programmes are popular in overseas universities, including Australia, Canada and the US.

Q6: What if I plan to attend graduate school?

Answers:

Interdisciplinary Studies offers a high degree of flexibility towards building a plan of study that includes those required subjects or programmes of a specific discipline. If you are interested in continuing on to postgraduate-level studies, you should work with your Academic Advisor/ Personal Coach and the relevant Department/School to develop a plan of study that is geared toward admission into a particular postgraduate programme as early as possible. Academic Advisors/ Personal Coaches can also help you identify which postgraduate programmes are best suited to reaching your goals. There are many opportunities to nurture the research aspirations and skills of students in this programme.

Q7: Can I still complete a minor programme?

Answers:

Yes. If you are interested in pursuing a Minor programme, you should contact your Academic Adviser/ Personal Coach for more information about your study options.

A Minor programme is a collection of subjects totalling 18 credits with at least 50% (9 credits) of the subjects at Level 3 or above. The subjects under a Minor should have a coherent theme introducing students to a focused area of study.

Students interested in a Minor must submit their applications via the College and obtain approval from the Minor Programme Offering Department (i.e.,  Minor Department), at the start of the second year of study during the designated application period. No late application will be considered. To be eligible for enrolment in a Minor, a student must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above at the time of application for Minor enrolment. The Minor Department may set a quota and additional admission requirements apart from the above GPA requirement.

Q8: Who can assist me in decisions regarding my study, coursework and Work-integrated Education?

Answers:

You will be assigned a knowledgeable and resourceful Academic Advisor (Personal Coach) who is an accomplished expert in his/her field of study. They will guide you through decisions about degree study plans, areas of focus, graduation requirements, class scheduling and all other questions related to your academic journey. As Interdisciplinary Studies degree programme is flexible and individualised, our Academic Advisors/ Personal Coach will give you special attention to help you navigate the programme. This arrangement is unique to the BDSIS prorgramme. Your Personal Coach will meet with you regularly (at least once a month) providing intensive guidance to you.