Interdisciplinary Studies A.A. [Online]
Centered on Christ and His Word, the online A.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies program enables you to craft your education around your interests and passions. In this program, you create an individualized path to graduation that is aligned with your unique personal career goals.
Why Interdisciplinary Studies?
Today’s college graduates are more likely to work in multiple fields and hold a variety of jobs. This shift necessitates that college students possess a broad skill set and a high level of adaptability. Interdisciplinary studies is a program that allows students to study two or more academic disciplines under one degree — taking the knowledge of one discipline and applying it to another for a broader perspective. This puts the student in charge of their learning to fulfill their plans for a future career and makes them more marketable in the workforce.
Create a degree tailored to your specific goals
You’re equipped with a wide range of knowledge as well as the critical and analytical skills needed to be successful in the workforce. You’ll be empowered to blend courses from multiple disciplines, providing you with boundless opportunities to explore and discover what inspires you.
Curriculum Intro
The A.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies program has been designed with input from our expert faculty in the School of Business, Divinity and Liberal Arts and Sciences, ensuring you graduate with the in-demand skills and knowledge that employers are looking for. The program requires 30 credits from the core curriculum and 30 credits from courses that interest you. View a sample curriculum sheet to give you clearer picture of the courses you will complete.
A.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Cairn
Biblical Integration
Cairn University is committed to the centrality of Christ and the Word of God and is reflected in the curriculum and instruction. At Cairn, faith and truth do matter. We teach our students accordingly, challenge you to think deeply on these things, and strive to make you ready to serve Christ in the church, society, and the world as biblically minded men and women who not only give assent to truth but think and live in light of it.
Committed Support Team
Our student support team and advisors will guide you throughout your studies. They are here to help you figure out your path, working with you to select an interdisciplinary set of courses that meet you where you are, and help you get where you want to go.
Experienced Faculty
Our online courses are taught by faculty who are committed to your professional and spiritual growth. In addition to the carefully crafted learning activities, our faculty are substantively engaged throughout the course delivery. You don’t just have professors, you have mentors who invest in you throughout the program and often remain connected long after graduation.
Academic Opportunity
If you choose to remain at Cairn for further study, this program integrates seamlessly into the B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies and in most other online bachelor’s degree programs.
Personalized Education
Customize your degree by choosing courses from one or more disciplines. Take charge of the the education you receive and start preparing for your dream career. Our advisors will guide you every step of the way.
Affordability
There's quite a bit of talk these days about the cost of higher education and the question of value. Many assume that you can't have both value and affordability, so they settle for lesser options or assume that the costliest options must have the most value. But when Cairn talks about walking a different path, value is no exception. It's possible to get a college education that is both affordable and valuable.
Campus Community
Community is about more than simply taking classes together. It's more than having a similar experience. Community is powerful, instructive, encouraging, and biblical. And at Cairn, community is intentional. It's attended to closely as an outworking of the University’s biblical commitment and understanding that in Christ, we are one.
Career Preparation
Because of the mix-and-match nature of interdisciplinary studies, students have a wide number of academic paths to pursue. Graduates from the program have forged careers in management, entrepreneurship, marketing, ministry, criminal studies, psychology, just to name a few.
more Details
Get an inside look at our Interdisciplinary Studies Program
There are over 70 unique programs at Cairn to choose from! Not sure if this is the best program for you? Here are some more details to help you decide.
Required Credits: 60
Curriculum Highlights:
- BIB 202 Narrative of Redemption
- BIB 204 The Old Testament
- BIB 203 The Pentateuch
- SOC 202 Sociocultural Studies
Because of the mix-and-match nature of interdisciplinary studies, students have a wide number of academic paths to pursue. Graduates from the program have forged careers in management, entrepreneurship, marketing, ministry, criminal studies, psychology, just to name a few.
Cairn Online has been approved to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), which regionally oversees postsecondary online education.
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An Affordable Education
While the cost of a Cairn University education is competitive with similar institutions, we realize you may need financial assistance to take this journey. You are not alone. 97% of our full-time undergraduate students receive some form of financial assistance.
Meet Our Faculty
Charlotte Gleason
Chair, Humanities Department; Assistant Professor, School of Liberal Arts & Sciences
After graduating from Cairn University in 2000, Charlotte taught high school English in public schools both in Pennsylvania and New York. Her high school students inspired her to reconsider the place of adolescent literature in the classroom, and in 2006 she completed her thesis on how to integrate both the classics and YA literature in the classroom.
The birth of her first son led her to pursue higher education, and in 2007 she accepted a position as a part-time faculty member at Cairn University. During the last two decades, Charlotte has taught in a variety of classrooms and developed curriculum for private Christian schools and home school families, including her own. Recently, Charlotte transitioned to a full-time role at Cairn. She teaches a variety of literature, composition, and education courses and serves as the Chair of the Humanities Department in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Outside of Cairn, Charlotte spends time with her family and her church community. She met her husband, Jamie ’00, at Cairn’s Wisconsin Wilderness Campus. Together they have three children.
Ruth Kuchinsky-Smith
Co-Chair, Sciences Department
Dr. Kuchinsky-Smith teaches on a variety of topics across psychology and research, including probability and statistics. Dr. Kuchinsky-Smith has taught at the university level for more than 30 years across the disciplines of education, special education, music, and psychology. In addition, her professional experience has taken her from the Pennsylvania Department of Education in Harrisburg to the Philadelphia Prison Systems to the School District of Philadelphia to the Milton Hershey School to freelance writing at Patch.com to Lehman Memorial United Methodist Church in Hatboro, PA, where she currently serves as music director.
In addition to significant work in the field of school psychology, Dr. Kuchinsky-Smith published “Effectiveness of the MMPI-A to Differentiate between Counseled and Non-Counseled Students” at Temple University under the supervision of Leslie Skinner, PhD She also worked in child advocacy and psychological abuse in children at Temple University under the supervision of Irwin Hyman, EdD Before her academic work in psychology, she worked on deaf history and advocacy in education at Albert Einstein College of Medicine with Oliver Sacks, MD and infant development and vocalization at Child Development Research Center, Sands Point, New York with Judith S. Kestenberg, MD.
What Our Students Have To Say
Derian Bradford
Pursuing Interdisciplinary Studies has given me the opportunity to explore a wide range of courses Cairn has to offer. It has also given me the opportunity to connect with a variety of professors and provide me with a larger scope of knowledge to prepare me for my future career.
Cairn Online Frequently Asked Questions
The tuition for post-secondary education has become expensive in general. However, Cairn Online programs rank amongst the most affordable online bachelor’s and master’s programs. While the tuition costs vary by program level, the rate is typically $425 per credit or 12K per year for A.A. and B.S. programs and $300-$725 per credit for graduate programs.
The current tuition rates are available from this page. Scholarships and financial aid are also available.
Currently there are over 6 million online learners in the United States, and those numbers are growing every day. Online degrees that have regional accreditation are held to the same standards as traditional universities, ensuring that students earn a valuable degree that will prepare them with the skills and credentials for their career. Do research to find an online degree that is accredited and reputable, such as those offered at Cairn University.
Cairn Online courses based on Cairn’s 100+ years tradition of excellence in biblical education. Our on faculty has carefully designed them taking into consideration what works best for the online learner. The modular design and asynchronous delivery enable you to complete your studies while you pursue your career, ministry and spend time with your family.
Courses typically contain seven units and are delivered in 7-week terms*. Each unit contains 5-7 modular activities. Each learning activity includes instructional videos accompanied by reflections, quizzes, discussion forums and other assessments. Courses also utilize adaptive learning technologies such as Cerego for long-term retention of concepts and VoiceThread for enhanced collaboration.
The asynchronous delivery provides flexibility around your daily busy schedule. In most courses, interactive activities are typically due by Wednesday while the rest of the unit’s work is due by Sunday night. The MBA, M.A. in Music and Criminal Justice programs use the 7RD2 process and require the completion of certain activities daily to optimize learning.
Our own Cairn faculty intentionally participate in the course throughout the week to provide you with an incarnational experience.
*Few capstone courses are intentionally offered in 14 weeks to optimize student learning.
A.A. programs usually take 2 years and B.S. and B.A. programs typically take 3-4 years to complete.
Graduate programs vary in length by program. As an example, Cairn’s traditional MBA typically takes 20 months to complete but then there is also the accelerated One-Year MBA that you can complete in 12 months.
If you are looking to complete your program sooner, you can consider taking more 7-week courses at a time.
All courses are developed by one or more course developers and taught by our own faculty. The instructors are also intentionally involved in the course throughout the week by providing direction in the course activities, participating in the forum discussions, grading the student work and providing substantive feedback. Most courses also offer optional office hours weekly via Zoom or similar video conferencing tools.
Our instructional design team works very closely with the course developers and carefully plans the courses to balance the technology requirements. Most courses use the eLearning platform for hosting the course materials, Panopto for video capture and storage, VoiceThread for enhanced discussion forums, and Cerego for adaptive learning. Zoom is used at times for virtual office hours. These sessions are optional.
Except for the Hebrew and Greek language courses for the B.S. in Biblical Studies program, typically there are no required meeting times for the completing the course activities.
The course transfer depends on where you are transferring from, and what program you are transferring to. If you are coming to Cairn Online from another institution, it is very likely you will have some credits that will transfer. Because there are so many options, we encourage you to talk to an enrollment counselor. If you are transferring out, Cairn is a regionally accredited school and some credits should transfer with relative ease. Each college sets their own transfer criteria, so be sure to check their policies for specifics.
Cairn Online offers a variety of options for prior learning and experience. You can receive up to 6 credits for prior learning for graduate programs. At the discretion of the program advisor, three to six credits for prior learning (CPL) can be awarded for students with extensive background in areas addressed by specific courses. Additionally, advance standing may be granted for Bible or theology credits earned at an accredited Bible college, Christian liberal arts college or university, or seminary. Credits will be granted on a course by course basis.
Cairn is approved to offer financial aid because of its regional accreditation. There are many options available and typically students qualify for at least one type of federal aid. Many students receive scholarships and grants that make earning their degree even more affordable. Cairn offers a variety of scholarships and discounts in addition to options for loans and grants. Please refer to this page for details.
The requirements depend on the program you are considering. Please refer to this page for details.
