Weekend College: Interdisciplinary Studies Program Offers Bachelor’s Degree Completion Program

Pat Kalayjian, chair and associate professor of interdisciplinary studies (IDS), is excited about offering an IDS/PACE (Program for Adult College Education) program at California State University, Dominguez Hills that will allow qualified transfer students to complete their bachelor’s degree in two years by attending classes only on Saturdays and Sundays.

“Interdisciplinary studies is a fascinating field, and PACE is a wonderful service to the community,” she says. “A lot of people have heard about PACE but don’t really know what the program does. The PACE mission is to help full-time working adults attain their B.A.s in as little time as possible by attending classes when they need them, in the evenings or on the weekends. While our regular program will continue as it has for the last 30 years, ‘Weekend College’ is a new concept that expands our ability to reach and serve our students well.”

The Weekend College program requires attendance for ten Saturdays and 15 Sundays per semester, earning 14-15 units for students who transfer with 60 units and have fulfilled their general education requirements. Taking a couple of summer school courses at three units each could lighten the semester load or shorten the time it takes to graduate. Kalayjian says that the program also prepares its graduates for many master's programs at CSU Dominguez Hills and another institutions, in fields as varied as public administration, English, humanities, sociology, psychology, negotiation, conflict resolution and peacebuilding, and environmental science.

“Interdisciplinary studies is a broad-based liberal arts and sciences major, where students get an outstanding education as they build transferable skills,” she says. “We emphasize good writing, critical thinking, and problem solving. You not only learn how to do research in biology, for example, but you also learn how to do research in history, English, and social sciences. We’re preparing [students] for any career they might choose, whereas some majors arguably often actually narrow student career choices.”

The interdisciplinary studies major is a combination of courses in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, with concentrations in American Studies, Global Studies Comparative Cultures, and Environmental Studies.

According to Kalayjian, CSUDH is poised to compete with proprietary colleges by offering a convenient, state-supported, and accelerated program for returning college students who are already in the workforce or wish to explore a new career option.

“In a world where it’s increasingly become a situation where you have to have at least a master’s to feel like you’ve reached your educational goals, to sample everything before you specialize is the best of all possible worlds,” she says.

For more information on Weekend College and the IDS/PACE Program, contact (310) 243-3640 or click here.

- Joanie Harmon