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Determining the right college major can be a daunting task for students who struggle to choose a single field of interest. However, Utah Tech University graduate Rebecca Goates found the solution through integrated studies.
"The Integrated Studies program is an excellent choice," Goates said. "It is designed to help you look beyond the normal scope, and because of that, my horizons were broadened."
Goates, who recently graduated from UT's Integrated Studies program with emphases in dance and English, is just one example of how the program can provide a pathway for students to accomplish their career goals.
Utah Tech's Integrated Studies program allows students to combine two areas of emphasis to create a custom degree that uniquely suits their personal and professional goals.
"Integrated Studies students may have a love of two different subjects, and they don't want to give up either one," Nancy Ross, Ph.D., chair of Utah Tech's Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences Department, said. "Other students in the program may have a goal or a particular career in mind and they want to combine skills to be as prepared as possible."
With more than 30 emphases to choose from — ranging from ASL to Economics to Software Development — Integrated Studies helps students understand the relationship between two fields while they gain knowledge and skills specific to a particular professional pursuit.
Additionally, the program prepares students to solve real-world problems by integrating theories from diverse perspectives, conducting relevant research and completing original work. As a result, students come to understand that learning is interdisciplinary and integrative in nature and take greater responsibility in assuming ownership of their education.
For Goates specifically, she knew pairing an education in English with dance would make her more marketable to school districts that may not have full-time art teacher positions available.
"I want to establish a valid intersection of study and specifically look at the piece I am most interested in, which is the psychologically therapeutic benefits of the crossover of English and dance," Goates said.
Goates, who is currently working on earning a master's degree in Dance Studies from Texas Tech University, is planning to earn a doctorate next and conducting more research on the relationship between her two fields of study. However, before she ever stepped foot into grad school, her undergrad experience in Utah Tech's Integrated Studies program rigorously prepared her for the future. In fact, some of the required readings in her courses at Utah Tech were also required readings for the courses in her master's program.
"I was easily one of the most-prepared students for graduate school in my current cohort," Goates said. "I was so prepared, that when I interviewed for a Ph.D. program, they were shocked to discover that I did not already have a master's. Few schools have a dance program that requires you to take more scholarly courses."
On the other side of her Integrated Studies degree, Goates' English classes prepared her to write graduate-level papers in her master's program. She walked into the program having already written a thesis, something many others in her cohort had not done.
"I have the academic programs and faculty at Utah Tech to thank for the help with my research," Goates said. "I would not be where I am today on my academic journey if I had not gone there. It was perfect for me, and it was so helpful moving forward."
For more information, visit ias.utahtech.edu/integrated-studies-program.
