A foundation for acquiring skills in other disciplines

Interdisciplinary graduate programs provide comprehensive education and training for career-driven students. The programs cross traditional college and department lines, encouraging a multi-disciplinary approach to solving problems.

Interdisciplinary mathematics and science education, as well as broad biosciences programs, cross traditional disciplinary boundaries and expose graduate students to additional areas of knowledge, in addition to their core discipline.

Students have the freedom to add a graduate minor or graduate certificate while pursuing their M.S. or Ph.D. degrees in a different discipline. Some interdisciplinary programs also offer M.S. and Ph.D. degrees.

List of interdisciplinary graduate programs

Biological Data Sciences (minor)

The graduate minor in Biological Data Sciences housed in the Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing will familiarize M.S. and Ph.D. graduate students in the life sciences with research concepts and methodologies in quantitative sciences, and those in the quantitative sciences with research concepts and methodologies in life sciences.

The disciplinary learning goals of the minor are by nature foundational. Thus, for example, students with advanced expertise in life sciences would receive foundational training in computer science, statistics and/or mathematics. Students with advanced expertise in computer science would receive foundational training in life science, statistics and, if needed, mathematics.

Math or Science Education

OSU is a recognized leader in STEM education with its unique partnership between the Colleges of Science and Education that leads to cutting edge research and programs that are designed to prepare highly qualified teachers equipped to thrive in today’s classrooms.

Professional Teacher Education in Mathematics or Science Master's Program (PTE-M.S.)

This program is at OSU's main campus in Corvallis and is designed for students with strong backgrounds and degrees in their subject area. Students earn a Master’s in Science (M.S.) degree, authorizations at both middle and high school levels, and one or more authorizations in mathematics or science. This is a unique program focusing solely on mathematics and science teaching taught by content specialists.

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OSU-Cascades MAT in Science or Mathematics (M.A.)

This graduate program, taught entirely at OSU-Cascades in Bend, is designed for students with strong backgrounds and degrees in their subject area. Students earn a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree, authorizations at both middle and high school levels, and endorsements in either advanced mathematics or integrated science.

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Graduate Certificate in College and University Teaching

The 18-credit Graduate Certificate in College and University Teaching (GCCUT) at the Graduate School is designed to provide advanced course work and experiential learning opportunities to students who plan to pursue careers in teaching in higher education settings, or who plan to pursue careers in other fields that may require similar facilitation skills. Students completing the Graduate Certificate in College and University Teaching will receive a formal, transcript-visible credential. The certificate will be granted through the Graduate School.

Comparative Health Science (Ph.D., M.S., Minor)

The program of Comparative Health Sciences in the School of Veterinary Medicine is a multi-disciplinary program offering graduate training towards M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. The program encourages applicants with interest in complex contemporaneous issues that require multi-disciplinary approach to be addressed. Faculty involved in the program have interests ranging from microbiology, ecology, immunology, nutrition, food science, bio-engineering, veterinary medicine, public health, human health, bioinformatics, mathematical modeling, microbiome, neuroscience and others.

Environmental Sciences (Ph.D., M.A., M.S., PSM, Minor)

Environmental sciences are central to the mission of Oregon State University - a university with extensive programs related to the environment and wide use of natural resources. Strong academic units closely related to environmental sciences span the university and can provide resources to students. OSU offers comprehensive instructional programs in agriculture, engineering, public health, forestry, biology and the oceanic, atmospheric and earth sciences, and social sciences. Research centers provide focal points for those faculty and students interested in interdisciplinary topics.

Graduate Certificate in Data Analytics

Examine the role statistics play in the collection and interpretation of data in Oregon State University's online Graduate Certificate in Data Analytics. You will explore real data problems that are interesting and challenging as you equip yourself with the quantitative tools needed to gather, analyze and interpret data on a massive scale. This is an 18-credit certificate program that consists of five statistics courses.

Gerontology (Minor)

Gerontology refers to the study of aging, and also includes adult development. The existence of large numbers of individuals over the age of 65 is unprecedented in the history of humankind.

To address these challenges, students, researchers, and practitioners in the field of aging will need to take a multidisciplinary approach to solving these challenges, which will require an understanding of biological, psychological, sociocultural, and design and engineering factors. Accordingly, we have designed a multidisciplinary minor, drawing upon faculty across campus, which is tailored to individual student needs.

Interdisciplinary Studies (M.A.)

The Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (MAIS) degree program provides an opportunity for OSU graduate students to formulate a program of study that integrates work from three separate disciplines to address a particular issue or problem, leading to an integration or synthesis of all three fields. The MAIS program at its most effective makes possible syntheses of intellectual traditions, faculty interests and expertise, and departmental resources from across the OSU campus. The objective of the program is to allow flexible opportunities for advanced study in an integration of multiple fields and disciplines appropriate to the specific needs of the individual student.

Marine Resource Management (M.S., Minor)

Marine Resource Management (MRM) is a science-based, interdisciplinary master's program based in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Astmospheric Science (CEOAS). The program provides students with the multidisciplinary training necessary to function confidently and effectively in professional resource management positions. The curriculum includes courses in natural and social sciences, environmental law, policy, education, economics, ecology and management.

Materials Science (Ph.D., M.S., Minor)

The discipline of materials science is inherently interdisciplinary, involving fundamental aspects of chemistry, physics, biology, geoscience, agricultural science, mathematics, and engineering. The materials science program is spread over nine different departments spanning three colleges. This allows students to earn M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in materials science in many different areas of concentration, including all classes of materials, and in a wide range of materials behavior.

Public Policy (Ph.D., MPP)

The Master of Public Policy (MPP) specifically prepares students for careers in domestic and international organizations and offers training for "in-service" students (already employed) desiring professional growth and advancement. The Ph.D. in Public Policy prepares students for academic or non-academic research careers in the public, private, and nongovernmental sectors. The Public Policy Graduate Program accepts students with backgrounds in related academic disciplines. The degrees are designed to provide individuals with analytic skills, an understanding of public policy processes, and substantive knowledge in a specific policy area.

Water Conflict Management and Transformation (Certificate, Minor)

The graduate certificate in Water Conflict Management and Transformation is an 18-credit interdisciplinary program. It is designed to provide graduate students, non-degree students, water professionals and decision-makers with the required specialized resources and skills to address the water demands and challenges of the 21st Century.

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The graduate minor in Water Conflict Management and Transformation is designed to accommodate the needs of professionals and graduate students. It offers an integrative approach that explicitly integrates human and policy dimensions of water resources within the framework of scientific and technological solutions. This minor is a flexible, coherent program that offers critical and underemphasized skills essential to preventing and resolving water conflicts.

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Water Resources Engineering (Ph.D., M.S., Minor)

Students enrolled in this degree will be broadly trained to undertake life-long careers in water resources system design, and will have the option to focus on groundwater, surface water, or watershed engineering. Students will be required to take a minimum of 12 (M.S.) or 15 (Ph.D.) credits of graduate level engineering courses, and at least 6 (M.S.) or 9 (Ph.D.) credits of water science courses to support the engineering analysis.

Water Resources Policy and Management (M.S., Minor)

Students enrolled in this program will be broadly trained to undertake careers in managing water resources and in guiding or making water resource policy decisions. Graduates will be trained in public administration, policy theory, and will have practical experience in the professional arena, either through internships conducted as part of the degree program or (in some cases) through previous work experience.

Water Resources Science

The Water Resources Science Program is designed to train students broadly in water resources while maintaining an intellectual affiliation with a secondary field. Allied fields include ecology, forest science, geology, oceanography, atmospheric sciences, climatology, geomorphology, soil physics, environmental science, geochemistry, public health, and microbiology.