Learning Goals for Students Completing the MIS Degree

The Master’s program in Integrated Sciences provides a rigorous and focused interdisciplinary curriculum at the graduate level in disciplines spanning the natural and physical sciences, mathematics, and engineering. We are committed not only to a strong content-based graduate education but also to the exploration of independent research studies that integrate this content into experiential training. This commitment is grounded in the traditional liberal arts and sciences philosophy, which emphasizes critical and creative thinking and problem-solving skills, but it focuses on explicitly bridging traditional disciplinary domains and mastering their integration, as is both natural and required at the highest level of scientific exploration. The Master’s program in Integrated Sciences supports the University of Colorado Denver’s and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ mission to provide interdisciplinary educational and research opportunities for both students and faculty.

In this context, upon graduating, students of the Master’s program in Integrated Sciences will:

  • Understand the scientific method and the role of ethics in scientific endeavors
  • Be able to critically analyze a range of scientific literature that utilizes interdisciplinary techniques and methods
  • Attain foundational content knowledge in two STEM disciplines appropriate to the individual student’s program goals
  • Develop an individualized research question that embodies integration of the content knowledge from these disciplines
  • Design, plan, and execute a research project or thesis that answers this question
  • Present and defend the results of their work in written and oral form

 

There may be additional student-specific goals, in keeping with the individually structured nature of the program.