undergradly.
Major · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies

A self-designed degree built around a theme, not a single discipline

Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General covers programs that draw from two or more distinct fields and integrate them around a unifying theme — most commonly offered as a student-designed or individually tailored major. About 8,996 degrees are awarded annually across 398 colleges, at both the associate's and bachelor's levels.

Schools offering
398
Annual completions
8,996
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$51k

About this major

Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General covers undergraduate programs that derive from two or more distinct fields and integrate them around a unifying theme — one that, by definition, cannot be housed within a single discipline or occupational category. The CIP definition is precise on this point: the integration has to be genuine, built around a theme, not simply an accumulation of electives from different departments. The canonical example listed for this code is "Student Designed Major," which tells you a great deal about how this program typically works in practice. Students at institutions that offer this pathway propose a coherent interdisciplinary focus — environmental law, computational humanities, health policy and communication — and design a curriculum that reflects it with advisor sign-off.

The major is available at both the associate's and bachelor's levels across 398 colleges, with about 8,996 completions recorded annually. The top completers are predominantly large public universities: University of Central Florida (747 completions), Florida Atlantic University (360), Florida International University (325), Florida Gulf Coast University (267), University of Houston-Downtown (256), and University of Arizona (210). Brigham Young University-Idaho leads overall with 983 completions, including a mix of both degree levels. That institutional profile — primarily large public state universities — suggests this major is often the administrative home for self-designed degree programs within schools that support individualized undergraduate paths.

Because no single occupational cluster is tied to this CIP code, the careers array in the data is empty. Five-year median earnings sit at about $51,114 — $51,237 for bachelor's completers and $47,255 for associate's completers. The narrow gap between degree levels ($3,982) is a signal worth taking seriously: it suggests that the degree title, by itself, does not open a differentiated job market. Graduates tend to fare best when the interdisciplinary theme they designed has clear relevance to their intended field — or when this credential serves as preparation for graduate or professional study.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

No federal crosswalk data available for this major yet.

Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$51k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$47k

Bachelor's

$51k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you have a specific interdisciplinary focus that doesn't fit any named major at your institution and your school supports student-designed degree programs, if you are comfortable building your own academic narrative and advocating for it in job applications and graduate school essays, or if your undergraduate goal is genuine integration across fields — not just flexibility for its own sake — and you can articulate the unifying theme clearly. You may also fit here if this credential is a vehicle toward a specific graduate or professional program and your coursework is building toward a defined next step; the five-year earnings data of $51,114 reflects graduates who have dispersed widely, but those who pair this degree with purposeful specialization or post-baccalaureate study tend to look different from the median.

Think twice if your primary goal is a terminal bachelor's that creates direct access to a specific job market — the $3,982 bachelor's/associate's earnings gap is unusually narrow and signals that this credential does not generate differentiated career access the way named programs do. Think twice if you expect employer recognition of the degree title to carry weight on its own; hiring managers unfamiliar with self-designed interdisciplinary programs will want you to explain what you actually studied, so the burden of articulating the credential falls on you. And think twice if you're choosing this major primarily for flexibility without a defined theme — undirected coursework across departments is more likely to produce a diluted transcript than a coherent credential, and the related programs in the same family (General Studies at 103,103 completions, or a named concentration in the 30.xx family) may serve that flexibility goal with less ambiguity.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Brigham Young University-Idaho Rexburg, ID 248 735 983
University of Central Florida Orlando, FL 0 747 747
Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL 0 360 360
Florida International University Miami, FL 0 325 325
Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL 0 267 267
University of Houston-Downtown Houston, TX 0 256 256
University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 0 210 210
The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX 0 191 191
University of Mississippi University, MS 0 174 174
The University of Tennessee-Martin Martin, TN 0 163 163
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

General Studies

103,103 completions/yr

Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other

22,721 completions/yr

Art/Art Studies, General

13,626 completions/yr

Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary (CTP) Program

24 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What does a Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General program actually look like?
The CIP definition frames it as a program that derives from two or more distinct disciplines and integrates them around a unifying theme that cannot be subsumed under a single field. In practice, that most often means a student-designed or individually structured major — the packet lists "Student Designed Major" as the canonical example. The specific content depends heavily on the student's chosen theme and the institution's advising structure. Two students under this label at the same university may take almost entirely different courses. The connective tissue is the integrative theme, not a fixed curriculum.
Does getting a bachelor's in Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies pay off more than an associate's?
The earnings gap here is unusually narrow. Five-year median earnings for bachelor's completers run about $51,237, versus $47,255 for associate's completers — a difference of roughly $3,982 per year. That gap is far smaller than career-specific fields, where the bachelor's premium commonly runs $20,000 to $40,000 or more annually. The narrow split suggests that most graduates under this label, regardless of degree level, are landing in similar undifferentiated roles rather than an occupational track that rewards the additional years of school. If credential return is the primary concern, that gap should be weighed carefully against the time and cost of a four-year degree.
What kinds of jobs do graduates in this field end up in?
The data packet does not list direct career destinations for this major, which is itself informative. Unlike Computer Science or Mechanical Engineering, where a clear occupational cluster follows the degree, graduates here disperse broadly depending on what interdisciplinary combination they chose. Five-year median earnings sit at about $51,114 — below the national median for bachelor's degrees overall. Graduates who generate strong outcomes typically combine this credential with relevant work experience, professional certifications, or graduate study in a more defined field. The degree functions best as a foundation, not a pipeline.
Which institutions offer this major and what does that tell me?
The largest completers are Brigham Young University-Idaho (983 graduates, a mix of associate's and bachelor's), followed by large public state universities — University of Central Florida (747), Florida Atlantic University (360), Florida International University (325), Florida Gulf Coast University (267), University of Houston-Downtown (256), and University of Arizona (210). The concentration of large public universities among the top programs suggests this major is often an administrative home for students designing individualized degrees within a flexible general-education framework. BYU-Idaho's dominance likely reflects an institutional policy on how self-designed programs are classified.
How does Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General differ from General Studies or related programs?
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General (8,996 completions) is nominally more structured than Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (22,721 completions) — it represents a named program rather than a residual category. But it differs from General Studies (103,103 completions) primarily in its explicit interdisciplinary framing: where General Studies is undifferentiated coursework, Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General is supposed to integrate two or more disciplines around a unifying theme. In practice the distinction matters more at some institutions than others. If you want flexibility plus recognized structure, this label is a step above "Other" or undeclared, but a step below purpose-built interdisciplinary programs in fields like Systems Science or Data Analytics.
What's a realistic earnings picture after completing this degree?
Five-year median earnings sit at approximately $51,114 across degree levels — $51,237 for bachelor's completers and $47,255 for associate's completers. These figures are below the national median for bachelor's degrees and well below career-specific programs, which frequently land between $65,000 and $105,000 at the same five-year mark. The credential itself does not appear to drive a strong earnings premium over time, based on the degree-level gap data. Graduate study, professional school, or a defined specialization built within the self-designed curriculum tends to reshape the earnings trajectory more than the degree title alone.