At the UWW Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, we believe that learning is a basic human function that occurs throughout the life cycle. Students have an opportunity to further develop a broad range of skills that are necessary for learning in any situation: the ability to understand what they read, hear, and see; to write clearly and expressively; to think critically and objectively; and to pursue independent research. In addition, they will better understand their own background and experiential learning.
The UWW Department of Interdisciplinary Studies also believes in the importance of integrating theoretical learning with practical experience, and we try to view students within the wider context of their overall lives. Students find that studying, learning, and completing a degree have positive impacts on many aspects of their lives for years to come.
To graduate from the University of Massachusetts Amherst University Without Walls Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, students must fulfill both university and UWW Interdisciplinary Studies requirements. We represent the educational mission and standards of the university by ensuring that students receive a general education spanning a variety of disciplines and build on that foundation with a more specialized and extensive understanding of a particular field, often incorporating learning gained through experience. A student's particular field is known as their area of concentration (AOC).
To graduate from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, students are required to fulfill specific general education requirements depending on the date they entered the university. Requirements can be viewed at Gen Ed @ UMass. General education requirements can be fulfilled by coursework completed with UMass Amherst, transferred in through other colleges and universities (a minimum of 3 credits is required), or taken via CLEP or exemption exam (prior approval may be required).
Unless both are already completed via transfer credits, students are required to complete at least one of the diversity requirements (Global Diversity or United States Diversity) within their first three semesters in the UWW Department of Interdisciplinary Studies.
Because the UWW Department of Interdisciplinary Studies views adult learners as people who have been and will be learning throughout their lives, our curriculum emphasizes the following two categories of skills that are crucial to any educational effort:
Communication skills, including competence in expository or analytical writing, oral expression and/or audio and visual forms of communication.
Critical thinking, including the ability to identify and critique the assumptions and values upon which arguments are based and conclusions premised, to gather and evaluate information, to make connections between seemingly unconnected thoughts or ideas, and to use these capabilities to address problems.
Concepts in Learning Integration is the study of how experiential learning theory contributes to the process of designing an academic area of study. Utilizing research skills, self-reflection, critical analysis, and knowledge acquired through previous coursework, students will connect theory and practice by doing research that demonstrates an ability to use primary and secondary sources, solve problems and communicate effectively. Peer and instructor feedback will be integral to the learning process. Students will construct a degree plan that incorporates past coursework and experience. This course meets the interdisciplinary (I) general education requirement.
Goals: To help students:
Writing About Experience is an advanced writing course designed to help students enhance their writing skills, using their own experience and reflections as the subject matter. The students enrolled in the course develop a prior learning portfolio based on experiential learning that may later be evaluated for academic credit. Portfolios written in this course may be submitted for up to fifteen credits. Those seeking more credits may write one additional chapter after the course is completed. Not all students elect to submit their portfolio for prior learning assessment. Details about the portfolio process are included within the Prior Learning Portfolio Handbook. The academic credits awarded for the prior learning portfolio are evaluated separately from the course. This course meets the Junior Writing (JW) general education requirement.
Completion of the College Writing general education requirement, UWW 305, and one of the following Experiential Reflections courses (UWW 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, 360). It is recommended that the second required Experiential Reflections course be taken simultaneously with UWW 370.
In addition to the creation of a prior learning portfolio, the course will also teach students to:
Completion of two Experiential Reflections courses is required for UWW Interdisciplinary Studies students, and at least one must be taken before UWW 370. Students may select two from the following six topics:
Expand All Collapse All UWW 310 Experiential Reflection of the Technological World (4 credits)In this course students will examine the principles and frameworks of technology as a way to better understand their professional and other life experience. This course meets the Integrative Experience (IE) general education requirement. Prerequisite: UWW 305 taken prior or concurrently.
Students will examine the principles and frameworks of leadership from both the perspective of leaders and those serving leaders within their professional and other life experience. This course meets the Integrative Experience (IE) general education requirement. Prerequisite: UWW 305 taken prior or concurrently.
Students will examine the principles and frameworks of public policy and its impact on their professional and other life experience. This course meets the Integrative Experience (IE) general education requirement. Prerequisite: UWW 305 taken prior or concurrently.
Students will examine the principles and frameworks of organizations as key elements in their professional and other life experience. This course meets the Integrative Experience (IE) general education requirement. Prerequisite: UWW 305 taken prior or concurrently.
Students will examine the principles and frameworks of health as a way to better understand their professional and other life experience. This course seeks to address and understand varying responses to the questions “What is health?” and “How do we define ‘quality of life’?” These questions will be addressed through the use of reference material housed in the disciplines of public health, sociology, philosophy, anthropology, political science, communication, history, medicine, humanities, education, and economics. This course meets the Integrative Experience (IE) general education requirement. Prerequisite: UWW 305 taken prior or concurrently.
Students will explore formal, informal/incidental, and non-formal learning across the life span, beginning with early childhood and continuing into adulthood. Learning is defined as “the way in which individuals or groups acquire, interpret, re-organize, change or assimilate a related cluster of information, skills and feelings. It is also the primary way that people construct meaning in their personal and shared organizational lives” (Marsick, 1987, p. 4). Education is the delivery system for some, though not all, of this learning; much learning is acquired directly or indirectly through experience. Readings for this course will draw on a number of disciplines including education, technology, psychology, anthropology, history and sociology. This course meets the Integrative Experience (IE) general education requirement. Prerequisite: UWW 305 taken prior or concurrently.
UWW Interdisciplinary Studies students have entered the University of Massachusetts Amherst with knowledge acquired through work and other life experiences. In the world outside the classroom, they have acquired skills for organizing and interpreting important information. Options to earn credit for prior work/life experience include the prior learning portfolio and special transcript.
UWW Interdisciplinary Studies students will write a portfolio as part of the UWW 370 Writing About Experience course. Developing a portfolio can help accomplish the following:
In order to have your completed portfolio evaluated for Prior Learning Portfolio credit, you also need to sign up for UWW 296Y. UWW 296Y has no work associated with it, as it is not a “real” course, but a placeholder for the number of prior learning credits you receive after the evaluation of your experiential learning.
Most students complete this process during their second semester, though they may choose to enroll in a later semester. Students may submit the portfolio completed in UWW 370 for up to fifteen credits (Stage I portfolio), but have the opportunity to earn more credits by writing one additional chapter (Stage II portfolio). Once credits have been awarded for the portfolio on a student’s transcript, the portfolio process is complete and no additional credits can be earned by portfolio.
Developing a portfolio is addressed in a separate handbook, specifically about prior learning assessment: the Prior Learning Portfolio Handbook. It is distributed in the UWW 370 Writing About Experience courses, but can also be accessed from the Student Headquarters.
When you register for UWW 296Y, two charges will appear on your bill.
Then, if you submit a Stage II Prior Learning Portfolio (16–30 credits), the Prior Learning Assessment Fee II of $600 will be added to your bill.
The cost of the portfolio counts as part of the cost of attendance when you are packaged for financial aid. However, it is likely that if you submit a Stage II portfolio, the Prior Learning Assessment Fee II will be assessed well after financial aid packaging. Given this, if you are planning to submit a Stage II portfolio, we suggest you plan on saving money so that you are prepared to pay this fee when it hits your bill. In certain circumstances, it may be useful to contact Financial Aid Services to increase your cost of attendance for the Prior Learning Assessment Fee II. If you would like to pursue exactly 16 credits for your portfolio (1 credit as part of Stage II), please consult your faculty advisor about your options and potential savings.
The special transcript process provides the opportunity for college credit to be awarded for work conducted outside of an accredited environment. The work must have been completed prior to entering the UWW Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, and it must reflect an integrated and sustained curriculum that directly relates to students’ area of concentrations. This work can include trainings, certifications, licensures, and workshops (internship and practicum work is excluded). The work done to earn special transcript credit cannot be a topic included in the portfolio.
The work is evaluated by UMass Amherst faculty, and possibly outside professionals in the field. A $450 fee is charged for each special transcript approved and any credits awarded are considered transfer credits.
During the degree planning process, students will need to submit the Special Transcript Request form, along with official documentation of their previously completed work that includes: identification of the training sponsor, official verification of topic, training dates, and contact hours). College-level trainings are generally awarded one credit for every sixteen verified contact hours, although there are exceptions to this formula depending on the type of training.
If a training/certificate title is repeated, the student will only be allowed to include it once. For example, if a student completes a 4-hour training in 2020 and again in 2021, the student would add the contact hours to the Special Transcript Request form once (a total of 4 hours).
However, if a student has completed a 4-hour training in 2020 and another in 2021 that has the same title, but differing content, both could be added (a total of 8 hours) only if documentation is provided proving the content was not duplicated. Without proper documentation, contact hours for one training would be entered on the form.
A student may be able to receive UMass Amherst credits for demonstrating that they are proficient or fluent in a language other than English.
If you grew up speaking Spanish or German, or if you are proficient or fluent in any language other than English, Spanish, or German, you should complete the Request for Foreign Language Proficiency Test form and contact Kara Eich-Richardson, Assistant Dean and Director of Advising. Please check your email regularly, as you have to schedule the testing appointment once your request has been processed. If you attempted this process, but are proficient or fluent in a language that UMass Amherst cannot test for, please speak with your academic advisor to discuss your options.
If you did not grow speaking Spanish or German, but became proficient or fluent later, the first step is placing into the intermediate level or higher. Next, you should schedule a meeting with Sheila Brennan, Associate Director of Student Success:
UWW Interdisciplinary Studies students typically take two courses per semester, but can take more credits if they think their schedule allows (a minimum of 6 credits is required to utilize financial aid). Students can expect to spend 6 to 9 hours per course per week (this number increases for intensive courses). Read more about how to prepare for online courses in the Student Orientation and Resource Area.
On occasion, students are unable, for scheduling or other reasons, to take one or more of the specific courses listed on their degree plan. Students should contact their academic advisor to discuss and receive approval for a substitution. In selecting substitutions, it is important that all key components of the concentration continue to be well-represented and departmental requirements are being met.
As graduation approaches, you should make a final review of your degree progress by reviewing your degree plan, unofficial transcript, and Academic Records Report (ARR) to be certain all requirements have been met. Your academic advisor will help you with this task and will clear you for graduation. February, May, and September graduates within the current year celebrate with UWW Interdisciplinary Studies faculty and staff at the annual UMass Amherst Commencement in May, and all graduates of that year are eligible to attend the UWW Senior Recognition Ceremony, also in May. Review the Graduation Checklist and Ceremony Details for more information.
The University Without Walls Department of Interdisciplinary Studies is an official academic department at UMass Amherst. Students who graduate will receive a diploma that identifies a bachelor’s degree earned in Interdisciplinary Studies. Students will also receive a certificate indicating they have successfully completed an area of concentration. The diploma and the certificate will be mailed separately to the address indicated in SPIRE, so it is important to keep information up-to-date.
Make sure your Expected Graduation Term (EGT) is accurate in SPIRE: Academics > Graduation > Expected Graduation Term.
All graduating seniors are eligible for Latin Honors designations on diplomas and transcripts if they have completed at least 45 graded residence credits (courses taken Pass/Fail are not considered graded) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In addition, students must meet one or more of the following criteria:
At the start of the fall semester, the University Registrar will post the GPA needed to secure a place in the top 5, 10, and 25 percent in each school or college based on the average of the previous three years’ graduating classes.
Because the Latin Honors requirement of 45 graded residence credits may not be within reach for many UWW Interdisciplinary Studies students, including those with large numbers of transfer credits or portfolio credits, our department offers its own award to recognize students with outstanding GPAs. All UWW Interdisciplinary Studies students graduating with a UMass Amherst GPA of at least 3.750 will be recognized for UWW Academic Achievement, consisting of a letter of recognition and a cord that can be worn at commencement ceremonies.
A maximum of 75 credits can be transferred into UMass Amherst from outside accredited institutions, by special transcript, or by exam credits; 45 credits must be completed at UMass Amherst (considered residence credits). Residence credit includes credits earned through the prior learning portfolio, as well as all other coursework or independent studies completed through the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Courses with a grade of C- or higher are eligible for transfer. Credit is not awarded for developmental courses.
Students who return to the university after an absence of at least three years may have their prior work not included in their cumulative grade point average subject to the following conditions:
Students wishing to enroll pass/fail in any course must do so by the mid-semester date and are strongly encouraged to discuss this option with their academic advisor. Students can only enroll pass/fail in one course per semester.
Students may not enroll pass/fail in the courses they count toward their General Education requirements, or the courses they count toward their upper-level Area of Concentration requirements. Courses taken on a pass/fail basis will not satisfy either requirement, regardless of whether a P (pass) grade is earned.
Students may only enroll in a UWW Interdisciplinary Studies course pass/fail if they have extenuating circumstances and have received permission from the instructor and the Chief Undergraduate Advisor. If a student wishes to pursue this option, they should reach out to their academic advisor.
No course for which a grade of C or higher was earned may be repeated. A course for which a grade of C-, D+, D or F (or CD before 2004) was earned may be repeated one time without permission. A course may be repeated a second time, for a total of three times, only with prior permission of the undergraduate dean of the school or college in which the student is enrolled. Under no circumstances may a student take a course more than three times. Successful registration for a course does not constitute permission.
All enrollments and all grades will appear on the transcript; only the most recent grade will be calculated in the GPA.
Students’ academic standing is determined by their cumulative grade point averages (GPA). Students are in good academic standing when their cumulative grade point average is 2.000 or above. For more information on grading, students can refer to Grading System & GPA Calculation. If a student’s grade point average falls below a 2.000, one of the following will occur:
In special circumstances, students may petition for a variance to a specific university policy by sending an explanatory letter to the Committee on Admissions and Records or General Education Variance Committee. UWW Interdisciplinary Studies students may also petition for a variance to a specific departmental academic policy by sending a letter to the UWW Department of Interdisciplinary Studies Academic Matters Committee. The letter should clearly indicate the nature of the request and the reasons why an exception is warranted. Before submitting the petition, students are encouraged to speak with their academic advisor, who can help you evaluate the strength of cases.