Bachelor’s Degree Scheme in Interdisciplinary Studies (BDSIS) - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

This is a prestigious programme specially designed for top-performing students. The programme helps students to form and consolidate their academic identity and pride.
Under the guidance of the Academic Advisor (Personal Academic Supervisor), a student has the freedom and flexibility to design his/her own programme of study. This makes the study more in line with the interests and aspirations of the student.
Interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary focus helps to nurture the systems thinking, intrapersonal skills, interpersonal competences, and holistic development of the students.
The programme helps students to develop an enhanced understanding of important local, social and global issues, particularly with reference to the Social Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.
Each student is assigned an Academic Advisor (Personal Academic Supervisor) who is an expert in his/her field of study. Only students in this programme are assigned a designated Personal Academic Supervisor who will help each student to explore their academic study path and interests in an intensive manner.
Many valuable opportunities (such as offshore Work-Integrated Education, offshore Service-Learning, training programmes, and paid summer research internship) will be provided to the students to enrich their holistic development.
Depending on the choice of study of the students, the desired graduate attributes of this programme can enable students to work in different sectors, such as the Government, multi-national corporations, public policy think tanks, and local, regional and multi-national social enterprises.
The programme will be hosted under the College of Undergraduate Studies (CUS) with Professor Daniel Shek as the Head of the College. Professor Daniel Shek is an internationally renowned expert in Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, Education and Public Health who has obtained 2 Gold, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze QS Reimagine Education Awards. In the 2024 edition of the Research.com Top 1,000 Scientists in Psychology, Professor Shek ranked #3 in China. According to ScholarGPS (2023), Professor Shek was ranked first among social work scholars in the world. In 2024, he was named an inaugural Highly Ranked Scholar by ScholarGPS (top 0.05% of all scholars worldwide).

The programme aims to provide a unique educational opportunity for top-performing students, offering them flexible learning pathways and curriculum options, personalised coaching, and in-depth mentorship. This initiative is designed to nurture and support exceptional individuals, allowing them to excel in their academic pursuits with free options across disciplines and guaranteed outside-classroom and non-local learning opportunities. It also serves to inspire students to adopt an innovative, interest-driven and inspiring approach in their academic journey. If you are invited for the interview, it is already an indication that you are a top-performing student. If you wish to study in a flexible manner to solve some significant human, social and global problems through an interdisciplinary approach, this is definitely a suitable programme for you.

Interdisciplinary Studies programme is flexible and individualised. You could choose subjects upon your interests, experiences and goals, to create a self-determined programme. For example, you can consider studying biomedical engineering and psychology subjects to help physically disabled people. You can also consider how to use computing knowledge to understand the needs of Africans through social programming.

A brief summary of the credit requirements is as follows:

Minimum credit requirement for graduation	120 credits (with at least 50% at Level 3 or above)
Major (self-determined curriculum)	Min. 54 credits
Including the following Interdisciplinary Core:	18 credits
(i) Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies (ii) Interdisciplinary Research Methods (iii) Reflections on Contemporary Issues I/II (iv) Interdisciplinary Capstone	(3)
	(3)
	(6)
	(6)
General University Requirements (GUR)	27 credits
Free Electives	Min. 6 credits
Internship (Work-Integrated Education)	3-6 training credits

For details about the curriculum, please refer to the below Tables 1 and 2.

Table 1: Programme curriculum

Interdisciplinary core	Flexible Major	Common UG core

CUS101 Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies (3 credits)	Self-determined curriculum (minimum 54 credits)	GUR (27 credits)
Students will learn about the idea of interdisciplinarity, explore the kinds of issue that require an inter-/trans-disciplinary approach to solve, and develop a study plan.

CUS202 Interdisciplinary Research Methods (3 credits)
Students will learn about a variety of research methods and start working towards a proposal for their capstone project.	Build the curriculum following one of three pathways (See Table 2). Students will keep a learning portfolio to be submitted along with the capstone project.

CUS201/301 Reflections on Contemporary Issues I/II (6 credits)		Internship (3-6 training credits) (fulfil WIE requirement)
Student-led forums in which local, national, regional and global issues of significance are discussed, with input from students, staff and external stakeholders. Students will write reflection assignments.

CUS401 Interdisciplinary Capstone (6 credits)		Free Electives (Min. 6 credits)
An interdisciplinary project that addresses a local, national, regional and/or global issue of significance, with inter-sector partnership. In addition to the project report, students will write reflection assignments.		Free Electives (Min. 6 credits)

Table 2: Self-determined curriculum of Major

Self-determined curriculum

Start without a focus and work towards one			Start with a focus and build the study around it

Choose from 1-3 strands			Integrating known fields	Solving world problems

Cultures and societies	Sciences and Engineering	Health and Environment	Integrated study of 2-3 existing subject disciplines	Tailor-made study of a major local/national/regional/global issue (e.g. UNESCO SDG)

Select subjects in consultation with Programme Leader / Personal Academic Supervisor			Select subjects from 2-3 disciplines (In consultation with Programme Leader / Personal Academic Supervisor)	Select subjects from any department (can include a few from other universities) (In consultation with Programme Leader / Personal Academic Supervisor)

Work towards a specific focus to be tackled in Interdisciplinary Capstone

Interdisciplinary studies offer students a comprehensive understanding of subjects from multiple perspectives, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills valued by employers. By encouraging creativity, innovation and integration across disciplines, students can develop novel solutions to complex problems. Interdisciplinary skills enhance adaptability in rapidly changing world nowadays, providing students with a competitive edge in the job market and facilitating personal growth and self-discovery through the exploration of new interests and expanded worldviews. Interdisciplinary programmes encourage students to think in a more systemic and holistic manner, and these skills are highly valued by employers. Similar programmes are popular in overseas universities, including Australia, Canada and the US.

Interdisciplinary Studies offers a high degree of flexibility towards building a plan of study that includes those required subjects or programmes of a specific discipline. If you are interested in continuing on to postgraduate-level studies, you should work with your Academic Advisor/ Personal Academic Supervisor and the relevant Department/School to develop a plan of study that is geared toward admission into a particular postgraduate programme as early as possible. Academic Advisors/ Personal Academic Supervisors can also help you identify which postgraduate programmes are best suited to reaching your goals. There are many opportunities to nurture the research aspirations and skills of students in this programme.

Yes. If you are interested in pursuing a Minor programme, you should contact your Academic Adviser/ Personal Academic Supervisor for more information about your study options.

A Minor programme is a collection of subjects totalling 18 credits with at least 50% (9 credits) of the subjects at Level 3 or above. The subjects under a Minor should have a coherent theme introducing students to a focused area of study.

Students interested in a Minor must submit their applications via the College and obtain approval from the Minor Programme Offering Department (i.e., Minor Department), at the start of the second year of study during the designated application period. No late application will be considered. To be eligible for enrolment in a Minor, a student must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above at the time of application for Minor enrolment. The Minor Department may set a quota and additional admission requirements apart from the above GPA requirement.

You will be assigned a knowledgeable and resourceful Academic Advisor (Personal Academic Supervisor) who is an accomplished expert in his/her field of study. They will guide you through decisions about degree study plans, areas of focus, graduation requirements, class scheduling and all other questions related to your academic journey. As Interdisciplinary Studies degree programme is flexible and individualised, our Academic Advisors/ Personal Academic Supervisor will give you special attention to help you navigate the programme. This arrangement is unique to the BDSIS prorgramme. Your Personal Academic Supervisor will meet with you regularly (at least once a month) providing intensive guidance to you.

Generally speaking, dual degree programmes allow students to earn two distinct degrees from two different majors concurrently. In contrast, Interdisciplinary degree programme integrate two or more disciplines into a unified programme of study. It equips students to focus on multiple fields, nurturing them to excel in their desired career path. The enhanced flexibility is perfect for students with diverse interests in solving problems by integrating knowledge from different disciplines.

Obviously, we hope students will stay on the programme for four years. However, we also understand that students may change their academic pathways in their undergraduate study. In fact, students can select and declare a single Department/ Faculty/ School for their Major application, provided they meet the minimum entrance requirements of that programme after their first year of study. The first-year curriculum of BDSIS includes general subjects that align with those offered in other Departments/ Faculties/ Schools, ensuring that students who switch Majors will not face significant credit deficiencies after their first year. We aim to offer flexibility for students admitted to BDSIS, allowing them to change their minds after discovering their true interests during their first year of study. The Personal Academic Supervisor assigned to each student and the Academic Advising team of the College of Undergraduate Studies will help students to explore this option.

You can earn a BA, BBA, BEng, or BSc (Hons) in Interdisciplinary Studies (with a focus on XXX), depending on your area of interest and career goals. Students must fulfill all degree programme requirements, including the University's minimum standards and the specific requirement for their chosen programme. Some examples are as follows:

a student will earn a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (with a focus on Health Economics) if he/she studies Economics and Social Policy on health
a student will earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (with a focus on Gender Studies) if he/she studies Chinese History and Sociology on gender issues
a student will earn a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (with a focus on Environmental Sustainability) if he/she studies subjects in Engineering and Tourism
a student will earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (with a focus on Health) if he/she studies subjects in Science and Health