Interdisciplinary Studies
Interdisciplinary Studies Initiative
Manhattanville’s Interdisciplinary Studies Initiative (ISI) integrates the liberal arts with practical, career-ready skills. Through its innovative interdisciplinary core and four dynamic majors, ISI equips students to navigate complexity, think critically, and thrive in the modern workplace.
Interdisciplinary Studies Overview
Manhattanville’s Interdisciplinary Studies Initiative (ISI) reimagines the liberal arts for the 21st century. Rooted in the humanities and social sciences, ISI prepares students for success in career and life through four majors—Criminal & Social Justice, Global Justice & Human Rights, Public Health, and Environmental Studies & Global Sustainability. All ISI students complete a shared four-course core focused on problem-solving, data and information analysis, storytelling, and project management—skills employers consistently seek. Students who complete the core earn the Creative Problem-Solving Certificate, signaling to future employers their ability to think critically, collaborate effectively, and adapt with purpose in a changing world.
Interdisciplinary Studies Majors
Explore Criminal & Social Justice
Manhattanville’s BA in Criminal and Social Justice combines rigorous, skills-based
study with a focus on ethics and equity. Drawing on multiple disciplines, the program
prepares students to understand the law, challenge injustice, and help build safer,
more just communities.
The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Global Justice and Human Rights at Manhattanville prepares students to engage thoughtfully and effectively with issues of inequality and human dignity around the world. This interdisciplinary major equips graduates for meaningful careers in international development, government, law, community advocacy, and research.
Manhattanville’s BA in Public Health gives students the tools to understand and improve community health on local and global scales. Through an interdisciplinary, skills-based curriculum, students learn to analyze data, shape policy, and tackle real-world challenges in health and wellbeing.
Manhattanville’s BA in Environmental Studies and Global Sustainability is for students eager to confront today’s environmental challenges. Blending science, policy, and the humanities, the program equips students to understand the forces driving climate change and to design informed, effective solutions for a sustainable future.
Creative Problem-Solving Certificate
Introduction & Overview
The four-course Creative Problem-Solving certificate, offered through Manhattanville’s Interdisciplinary Studies Initiative (ISI), equips students with essential skills to tackle complex, real-world challenges across disciplines. This interdisciplinary program integrates insights from the humanities, social sciences, and design thinking to foster innovation, critical analysis, and collaboration. Blending creativity with analytical thinking, the program takes a holistic approach to problem-solving. Students will develop the ability to think critically, collaborate effectively in teams, address complicated problems, recognize and manage bias, and engage empathetically with diverse perspectives—preparing them to navigate an increasingly complex world.
Required Courses
IDS 1001: Ways of Knowing
How do we come to know what we know? Ways of Knowing invites students to explore different ways humans seek understanding across the arts, sciences, and social sciences. Through an ever-changing interdisciplinary theme, students learn to connect ideas, question assumptions, and approach complex problems from multiple perspectives—building the habits of mind that define lifelong learners and engaged thinkers.
IDS 1002: Thinking Well
What does it mean to think clearly in an age of information overload? Thinking Well teaches students how to question sources, interpret data, and recognize bias across everything from scholarly work to social media. Through hands-on inquiry, students learn to evaluate evidence, draw meaningful conclusions, and consider the ethical dimensions of how information is used and shared.
IDS 1003: 21st Century Storytelling
Stories shape how we understand ourselves and the world around us. In 21st-Century Storytelling, students explore how narrative takes form across media—from words and images to data and voice. Through projects that blend personal reflection and social awareness, they learn to craft compelling stories, identify audiences, and use storytelling as a tool for connection, persuasion, and change.
DES 2050: Designing for Change
How can creativity drive meaningful change? Designing for Change introduces students to design thinking as a collaborative, human-centered approach to solving complex problems. Working on challenges from campus life and beyond, students learn to define issues, generate ideas, and prototype solutions—while cultivating empathy, imagination, and a sense of agency. The course invites students to see design not just as innovation, but as a practice of social responsibility.
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Contact Us
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David Gutman
Director of Interdisciplinary Studies
School of Arts and Sciences
