Below you will find detailed descriptions, requirements and sample syllabi for both required and optional BIS courses. These courses are designed to be taken in a sequence as part of degree completion.

Required Courses:

** Note: A grade of C/2.0 or better is required in all courses listed below.

BIS 300 Understanding Interdisciplinary Studies (3 credits)
Prerequisite: Open only to pre-BIS students and BIS majors.

Through this course, students explore the literature relevant to adult learners and interdisciplinary studies. Students develop and gather feedback on the individualized concentration proposal, and learn about timely program information. The course content and approach is designed to facilitate a better understanding of the opportunities BIS offers and to help each student develop a challenging and rewarding program of study that best suits his/her individual needs.

• BIS 300 sample syllabus

BIS 390 The Research Process (3 credits)
Prerequisites: C/2.0 or better in BIS 300 and ENGL 302. Approved BIS contract. BIS degree students only.

** It is strongly recommended that BIS 390 be taken near the end of your academic program. Ideally, no more than 6 semester hours should be left in your concentration when you take BIS 390. See the BIS 390 Student Testimonial below for a first-hand look at the course demands.

This course provides a basic understanding of the research process and explores how knowledge is created through investigation and inquiry. Topics covered include framing a research problem, using resources, and supporting arguments with evidence. Students will complete a portfolio of research assignments and a final draft of a research proposal. The research proposal is applied to BIS 490, our senior project capstone course.

• BIS 390 Sample Syllabus

BIS 391 The Research Process for Honors (3 credits)
Prerequisites: BIS 300. 3.5 or better in ENGL 302. Approved BIS contract. Admission to Honors in BIS program.

The Honors in BIS program is intended to provide well qualified students the academic opportunity to develop an honors-level proposal of original, empirical research involving data collection.  Creative projects that include empirical research also are eligible.  The honors-level research proposal is created in BIS 391, The Research Process for Honors.  Honors students implement this research via BIS 490, taken as an individualized section with their faculty mentor.  BIS 391 students are in the same class as BIS 390 students, with the same instructor.

Students must apply for Honors in BIS the semester before they intend to enroll in BIS 390/391 (The Research Process).  To graduate with honors, students must complete a sequence of two courses, BIS 391 and BIS 490 (individualized section) with at least a 3.5 GPA in those courses, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher, and present their research during the Senior Capstone Project presentations (BIS 491).

A student must have an approved proposal at the end of BIS 391 to be retained in the honors program.  Students may rewrite their BIS 391 proposal to meet the honors program expectations, but this revision must be submitted and approved by the first day of class of the semester in which the student plans to enroll in BIS 490.

For more information and application information, please visit the Honors in BIS page.

BIS 490 Senior Project (3 credits)
Prequisite: C/2.0 or better in BIS 390. Departmentally approved research proposal.
Corequisite: BIS 491

* Students may not register for BIS 490 and 491 until all but 6.0 semester hours in their concentration have been completed.

Students pursuing the degree through the Bachelor of Individualized Study (BIS) program are required to complete a final capstone project. The purpose of this evidenced-based project is for students to demonstrate their ability to critically analyze a problem related to their interdisciplinary concentration/major. The BIS 490 Capstone Course represents the culminating and integrating educational activity of BIS students. Using a research process, students acquire significant knowledge in areas directly related to their educational goals. By means of an investigative or creative project (see below), students in BIS 490 synthesize knowledge gained from the student's interdisciplinary program of study.

INVESTIGATIVE: The investigative option allows students to design and implement a critical analysis of a problem, issue, or topic that cannot be addressed adequately by just one discipline. When applicable, this type of 490 project could be conducted with the research agenda of the faculty mentor. The following components are expected in this type of project: problem or need statement, research questions, methodology/approach, analysis/interpretation of findings, conclusions/recommendations. This type of project reports on research conducted by others via an extensive research paper (5000-word minimum).

CREATIVE: This option allows students the latitude to actually create a product that is closely connected to their core concentration. Products might be a multimedia presentation (CD ROM or Web-Based), sculpture, musical score, theatrical production, novelette, to name a few. As with both options, the student poses a problem/issue or need statement and develops research questions that will be answered in the development of the product. These creative projects still require a minimum of a 3500-word written component that include citations from time-appropriate literature, excerpts from journal entries written while completing the project, references to observations of and/or interviews with people who have expertise related to the project topic, feedback from other individuals relative to the on-going development of the product, etc.

• BIS 490 sample syllabus

BIS 491 Senior Project Presentation (1 credit)
Corequisite: BIS 490

* Students may not register for BIS 490 and 491 until all but 6.0 semester hours in their concentration have been completed.

Focuses on preparation and delivery of a formal presentation of student's BIS 490 project. Includes review of basic presentation techniques.

• BIS 491 Sample Project Presentation
• BIS 491 Sample Syllabus

Optional Courses:

BIS 489 Directed Readings (1-3 in term; 6 max. in career)
Prerequisite: Open only to degree students in the BIS program. Individualized sections by arrangement.

Directed Readings/Research is an individualized course of readings or research that may be done by the BIS student under the direction of a GMU faculty member. Students may register for 1, 2, or 3 semester hours. BIS 489 is not repeatable. BIS 489 explores a subject that is not available in the regular university course offerings. It may be taken as part of the student's BIS concentration, or in preparation for BIS 490 (the final project).  However, it MAY NOT replace the research component of BIS 490.  Registration must be approved by the BIS Director prior to the start of the intended semester.  Students must submit the required permission form no later than 10 days prior to the start of the intended semester for consideration.

• Sample of BIS 489 Description
• Information and Guidelines for BIS 489

BIS 495 Internship (1-6 in any one term; 9 max. in career)
Prerequisite: permission of instructor and BIS director. Supervised experience in application of specified area.

Structured appropriately, internships provide an exceptional opportunity for "learning by doing". Students are expected to take an active role in establishing structure by developing a learning plan with the faculty mentor and the internship site supervisor. This learning plan--which becomes a formal Internship Contract after being approved and signed by the student, the faculty sponsor, site supervisor and BIS Director-should describe your academic objectives for the internship and the strategies or methods for accomplishing the objectives.

Please visit the Internship page for more information.