COURSE CURRICULUM

The New College Interdisciplinary Studies program at The University of Alabama is designed to give students a highly flexible and individualized academic experience that allows them to shape their education around their own interests and long-term goals while still meeting structured degree requirements. Students may earn either a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS), depending on their chosen area of depth study, and must complete a total of 120 semester hours along with all University and College requirements. A central feature of the program is the individualized depth study, which requires 33 to 39 credit hours, including at least 15 upper-level (300–400 level) courses, allowing students to combine courses from different disciplines to create a customized academic focus. In addition to this, students complete New College core requirements, including NEW 200 Idea Lab and NEW 495 Capstone Seminar and Senior Project, along with four interdisciplinary seminars drawn from themes such as environment and sustainability, creativity and culture, and social problems and social change. These seminars ensure that students engage with broad intellectual areas while still pursuing specialized interests. Students must also complete 18–23 credit hours of seminar coursework, with at least one 200-level seminar and multiple upper-level seminars, all requiring a minimum grade of C-. For BS students, mathematics requirements such as Calculus I are also included. A distinctive feature of the program is its emphasis on experiential and independent learning, including out-of-class learning contracts and independent study opportunities that allow students to design research or applied projects in collaboration with faculty. While New College students are not required to complete a minor, they must maintain academic progress standards, including a 2.0 GPA and a third-year program review. Overall, the program emphasizes academic independence, interdisciplinary thinking, and real-world application of knowledge.