Degree Requirements

2006-2007 Catalog - MA-IS Section

A minimum of 36 semester hours of approved graduate course work is required for the degree, 24 hours of which must be taken in the College of Liberal Arts. See details of the two and three field plans below.

To complete their degrees, students may choose from among the following options:

  • a written and oral comprehensive exam based on the competencies and goals described in the degree plan.
  • a 3 hour Interdisciplinary Project and an oral examination.  One requirement for the project is a paper that explains the project's significance and its interdisciplinary nature.  The paper must include a discussion of the contribution of themes, methods and theories from at least two of the fields in the project.  The paper must also include a bibliography that includes a substantive number of entries from at least two fields.
  • a 6 hour thesis and an oral examination. The thesis must contain a bibliography which includes a substantial number of citations from at least two fields.  The thesis must be interdisciplinary in nature.


MAIS Pie Chart

      Applications & Admissions
      Degree Requirements
      Degree Committee
      MA-IS Courses
      Example MA-IS Programs

MA-IS Contact Information

  The Two Field Plan
  • A student choosing this option is required to take 18-24 hours in a major field and 9-15 hours in a minor field.
  • A methods class will be taken in the major field area.
  • The major field must be housed in the College of Arts and Humanities and one for which the College currently offers a graduate degree, such as English, History or Studio Art.
  • If one of the minor fields lies outside the College, then the major field must contain 24 hours.


  The Three Field Plan
  • Course work for this plan must be distributed among at least three academic fields of study. A maximum of 18 hours is the minimum necessary to constitute a major field. Six semester hours is the minimum necessary to constitute a minor field in this program.
  • Each student must successfully complete a methods course in the major field as determined by the degree committee. Students for whom a social science is the major field must successfully complete either IDSY 5311 or another methods and research course as identified by the degree committee.


Students must have completed at least 6 semester hours of upper-division undergraduate course work in a field and the specific course prerequisite to enroll in 5000-level courses in that field.  These undergraduate hours are considered "stemwork" and will not be counted toward the 36 hour degree requirement.

All courses included in a degree program should be relevant to the competencies specified in the degree plan.

All courses counted towards the degree must be approved by the MAIS Graduate Coordinator and the student's degree committee.

At least 24 semester hours must be earned in courses at the 5000-level.

                                                  | MA-IS Home | CLA Home | TAMU-CC Home |