Bachelor of Integrative Studies

University Advisement and Enrichment Center, Suite 180
MSC06 3680
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
(505) 277-0122

Faculty and Administration

Dean
Catherine Krause, J.D., Stanford University; Ph.D., University of Wisconsin

Associate Dean, Curriculum and Program Development
Sonia Gipson Rankin, J.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Associate Dean, Liberal Arts and Integrative Studies
Tracy John Skipp, Ed.D., University of New Mexico

Director, Research Service Learning
Dan Young, Ph.D., University of Washington

Academic Advisement Specialists
Mariah Harrison, M.C.R.P., University of New Mexico
Stephanie Heikkinen, B.A., University of New Mexico

The faculty of The University of New Mexico offers the degree of Bachelor of Integrative Studies (B.I.S.). This program, approved in 2013, is administered through University College.

The focused nature of the B.I.S. degree specifically engages students who would benefit from closer collaboration with a faculty mentor(s) through experiential research and/or participation with faculty-led problem solving teams. Students are encouraged to design an individualized program that will prepare them for unique or advanced learning experiences – including international, cooperative or professional schools. It may be used as part of a dual degree or as a second degree, and an existing departmental minor is required.

Strict compliance with B.I.S. requirements is mandatory for admission to and continuation in the program. Changes to approved Plans of Study may be made only in consultation with an advisor. Students in the Integrative Studies program must meet the general academic regulations of the University for admission, academic standing, and graduation found under the University Catalog headings of Admissions and Undergraduate Programs. Students who have not been continuously enrolled for three consecutive terms must follow the requirements of the current University Catalog upon readmission.

Questions regarding any aspect of the program should be addressed to an advisor in the LAIS office.

Courses for Which Degree Credit Is and Is Not Given

Credit toward a degree is given for:

1. Up to 4 credit hours of Physical Education-Nonprofessional (PENP); and up to 4 credit hours of music ensemble.
2. Up to 30 credit hours of correspondence course work.
3. Any approved course work from an accepted Baccalaureate degree program.

Credit toward a degree is not given for:

1. Any course numbered 100 (e.g., ISE 100, ISM 100).
2. Any credit hours in a course that exceed the maximum number of credit hours the originating department stipulates for that course in this Catalog.

Bachelor of Integrative Studies Grade Point Average

The B.I.S. grade point average is based on all attempted University of New Mexico courses that are acceptable to the Integrative Studies program, as defined above.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Integrative Studies program for the current term must take place before the end of the third week of classes. After that deadline, admission is for the following term (Fall, Spring or Summer). Please see an advisor for more information on LAIS admission requirements.

Minimum requirements to transfer into the Integrative Studies program are as follows:

1. Completion of the University Writing and Speaking Core.
2. Completion of the University Mathematics Core.
3. Completion of the University Foreign Language Core.
4. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher.
5. Twenty-six or more earned credit hours applicable to this program.

Application Process

Application to the Integrative Studies program includes a preliminary advisement session with an LAIS academic advisor. The meeting provides students with an opportunity to discuss their ideas and goals for their degrees, and ask any questions they may have before admission to the program.

Students must then submit the following to an LAIS Advisor:

1. Plan of Study. This comprehensive Plan of Study must list all course work taken, including transfer work, and all remaining courses that the student intends to take to complete their B.I.S. degree. In preparing a Plan, students must consult The University of New Mexico Catalog to find courses appropriate for their interdisciplinary plans.
2. Project Proposal.  The proposal should:

•   Establish a faculty mentor and include the mentor's name, department, and contact information;
•   Explain the motivation for the project (rationale, goals, time frame);
•   Discuss the intellectual merit, including how the project will address a “problem” through distinctiveness and/or creativity;
•   Demonstrate the feasibility of the project (student's qualifications, needed resources, etc.).

Note: Application is not accepted unless all components are submitted together (plan, project proposal), and is signed by both the student and faculty mentor.

Graduation Requirements

Students must see an advisor in the LAIS office to apply for graduation one year prior to that in which they plan to graduate.  An “apply to graduate” hold appears on students' accounts after 100 credit hours are earned as a reminder of the requirement. At that time, students and the Advisor view a LoboTrax Degree Audit specifying the remaining requirements to be completed for graduation. It should be noted that students are solely responsible for knowing and completing all requirements for graduation from the Integrative Studies program. Students must know how to run and read their LoboTrax Degree Audits in order to check progress to graduation. It is recommended that students run and save (or print) an audit each time a change is made to their schedule as audits are not saved in LoboWeb.

In addition to adherence to approved plans of study, specific graduation requirements are as follows:

1. Completion of the University Core curriculum.
2. A minimum of 120 credit hours of earned credit acceptable to the program as defined above.
3. A minimum cumulative UNM grade point average of 2.00.
4. A minimum of 51 credit hours earned in courses at the upper-division level (courses numbered 300–499). Transfer courses in which credit hours were earned at a lower-division designation cannot be transferred as upper-division to count towards a B.I.S. degree.
5. A minimum grade-point average of 2.00 on all upper-division course work completed at The University of New Mexico.
6. A minimum of 36 credit hours of academic work earned while enrolled in the Integrative Studies program (department residency requirement). These may not include: credit by exam, transfer credit and/or concurrent enrollment, nonprofessional-physical education and/or music ensemble, or independent study/problems courses unless specifically approved by an LAIS Advisor.) They must include the final 36 credit hours of enrollment prior to graduation from the program.
7. A minimum of 15 credit hours of Integrative Studies core courses: LAIS 150, 310, 311, 399 (x3), and 499; and an additional 21 credit hours of approved elective courses acceptable to the Integrative Studies degree must be included in the Plan of Study.
8. Completion of a capstone project (LAIS 499 Senior Seminar) approved by the faculty mentor.
9. Fulfillment of the University residency requirement (30 credit hours, including the "15 after 92 rule").

Major Study 

A comprehensive Plan of Study must be approved by an LAIS academic advisor before admission to the program is complete. 

This Plan must incorporate all courses for the program of study, including the minimum final 36 credit hours, and any additional courses a student may need to be prepared for further or advanced study. 

Requirements

Minor Study

The Minor in Integrative Studies allows creative students who are not in an interdisciplinary major to broaden their academic experience while obtaining a bachelor’s degree in their chosen discipline.

Requirements

Completion of 21 credit hours in courses approved by an LAIS Advisor including:

• LAIS 150 Foundations of Integrative Thought (3)
• LAIS 310 Investigations in Research: Methodologies and Techniques (3)
• a minimum of 6 credit hours of the remaining 15 credit hours at the 300- or 400-levels.

This minor specifically targets students who require or would benefit from closer collaboration, including research projects, with a faculty mentor or faculty-led problem-solving teams, but have chosen a traditional major in another Department or College. 

Departmental Honors

A separate departmental honors designation is not available for a B.I.S. degree. However, students who meet all requirements may receive baccalaureate honors as specified in the UNM Catalog.