Complete Your Undergraduate Education at BU
There are many accomplished individuals who, for one reason or another, never finished their bachelor’s degree. For some, earning that credential could make a significant difference in their career advancement. For others it is an important milestone of personal growth, adding depth to life experience.
For students who have already earned a minimum of 40–80 transferable academic credits, the Online Undergraduate Degree Completion Program (UDCP) offers a unique and ambitious liberal arts curriculum that explores topics in the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences, as well as mathematics and computer science. A liberal arts education remains highly valued by employers, especially in business and technology, where success often depends on interpersonal awareness, analytical skills, and human factors, as well as the ability to think creatively.
In a fully online environment shared with other accomplished, motivated, mature students, the program’s flexible format allows participants to accomplish their goals without disrupting personal, family, and professional commitments. Students who complete the academic coursework that comprises the Online UDCP will graduate from Boston University with a Bachelor of Liberal Studies in Interdisciplinary Studies.
Curriculum
Hub Requirements
All BU undergraduate students, including transfer students, will pursue coursework in the BU Hub, the University’s general education program that is integrated into the entire undergraduate experience. BU Hub requirements can be satisfied in a number of ways, including coursework in and beyond the major as well as through cocurricular activities. Students in the Online UDCP will, through the program curriculum, satisfy all BU Hub requirements.
Courses
The Boston University online bachelor’s degree completion program consists of completing a minimum of 12 online courses (48 units).
MET IS 303 4 credits. Fall and Spring
Sports have come to play a central role within our culture and society. Athletes have come to be revered like god-like figures and have the salaries to prove it. For many people sports represent something very similar to a sort of religious devotion. But should sports play such a significant role in our lives? In this class we will consider the important role that sports play in shaping our culture and our values. In doing so we will also consider other questions: What counts as a sport? What is the point of sport? What happens when sports become more about money than competition and winning? Sports have come to play a central role within our culture and society. Athletes have come to be revered like god-like figures and have the salaries to prove it. For many people sports represent something very similar to a sort of religious devotion. But should sports play such a significant role in our lives? In this class we will consider the important role that sports play in shaping our culture and our values. In doing so we will also consider other questions: What counts as a sport? What is the point of sport? What happens when sports become more about money than competition and winning? Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Teamwork/Collaboration.
MET IS 308 4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
This introduction to philosophy revolves around selected films and related texts that provoke serious reflection on issues of knowledge, ethics, and personal identity. The main objective of the course is to provide an introduction to the nature of philosophical inquiry and analysis by exposing the student to specific philosophical problems and issues. By focusing on film as the visual and narrative medium in which these problems and issues emerge, the student will also consider the ways in which art can represent and embody philosophical questions, ideas, and positions. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
MET IS 311 4 credits.
This course is designed to help students use critical thinking about scientific information, including quantitative methods, to evaluate the truth and exaggerations in journalistic and popular media depictions of disease and disease outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Scientific Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
Section O2, FALL 2026 Oct 27th to Dec 14th
Hulbert
Independent
ARR
12:00:00 AM–12:00:00 AM
MET IS 312 4 credits. Fall and Spring
This course, we will explore biological principles in the context of food. It will focus on biodiversity, evolution, biochemistry, symbioses, and humans in the biosphere. Students will be encouraged to make their own connections about the world of food by learning about biological interactions and relationships. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Scientific Inquiry I.
Section O1, FALL 2026 Sep 1st to Oct 19th
Franklin
Independent
ARR
12:00:00 AM–12:00:00 AM
MET IS 325 4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 120 or WR 150) - The purpose of the course is threefold: first, to introduce students to a wide variety of essay forms, arranged historically and considered in historical context; second, to provide the opportunity to practice these forms and by imitating models to become more adept and polished writers of the essay, and finally, to explore the theory of the essay, by examining discussions among literary critics concerning the defining characteristics of the genre. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Writing-Intensive Course. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Creativity/Innovation.
Section A1, FALL 2026 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Parfitt
Independent
R
06:00:00 PM–08:45:00 PM
CAS 220
MET IS 327 4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry I
The course examines the philosophical underpinnings of what it means to be an American and the experiences of ordinary men and women in the making of modern America. It will look closely at the ideas of those who founded the nation and how this affected the idealism which became the American identity. The role of immigration, the change from agrarian to urban industrialized society, the growth and influence of labor unions, the shift of the U.S. from maker to buyer of goods and services, and how the ideological notion of what it means to be American evolved will be examined. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Research and Information Literacy.
MET IS 333 4 credits. Fall and Spring
This course will explore the science behind new technologies in biology, but it will also address the ethical questions that define and direct the application of these approaches, especially in humans. Students initially will be expected to master the basic biology of DNA, gene expression, and genomics. The course will require students to learn the basic components of ethical theory and apply them to living organisms in general and to human life in particular. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning.
Section O2, FALL 2026 Oct 27th to Dec 14th
Sommers Smith
Independent
ARR
12:00:00 AM–12:00:00 AM
MET IS 345 4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - This interdisciplinary course pairs well-known "classic" texts with more contemporary, perhaps lesser-known works that, in one way or another, respond to the earlier examples. The course focuses on traditions (literary, cinematic, and so forth) to emphasize genre and cultural history, and, as one of its goals, moves toward discussions of aesthetics. The course will examine the timeless quality of any work we consider a "classic" and also challenge the idea of timelessness by thinking about dialogues that exist between centuries and cultures and art. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking, Writing-Intensive Course.
MET IS 350 4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Writing-Intensive Course
Over time and throughout cultures, human understanding of a divine presence, of a god or gods, has been intimately connected to our relationship with nature. This course introduces students to some of the world's mythic traditions, applying them to the enduring cultural issues surrounding humanity's relationship to nature and our role as stewards of the environment. The course will cover the Bible and classical mythology through the writings of Emerson and modern works such as Ceremony by Pueblo author Leslie Marmon Silko, and will explore nature and religion in art from Europe and America. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course, Critical Thinking.
MET IS 360 4 credits. Fall and Spring
This course will examine the nature of the American Dream through fiction, essays, poetry, autobiography, historical documents, and art. It will follow the Dream evolving from the Puritan fathers' desire for religious freedom to the Revolution's emphasis on political liberty, the 19th century's focus on self reliance, and the quest for the good life characteristic of the 20th century. At the same time, such characteristic thematic elements as the desire for equality and the maturation of the soul will be examined in terms of their impact on different permutations of the American Dream. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, The Individual in Community.
MET IS 362 4 credits. Fall and Spring
In this course students will expand their knowledge of the mathematics of probability, algebraic thinking, geometry, and statistics, with a focus on contemporary developments and applications. The course will examine the applications of mathematics in contemporary contexts via readings and explorations. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Quantitative Reasoning II.
MET IS 367 4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Quantitative Reasoning II Social Inquiry I Teamwork/Collaboration
This course introduces fundamental concepts of micro and macroeconomics within the context of the labor market. In macroeconomics, we focus on the ability of the economy to create enough jobs to maintain full employment. In microeconomics, we focus on the supply and demand for labor, looking at trends in labor force participation, college attendance, and wage differentials. We will also cover recent topics related to the functioning of the labor market, including a discussion of the effects of the most recent recession, and the employment impact of international trade and outsourcing. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Social Inquiry I, Teamwork/Collaboration.
MET IS 370 4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
The course will assess whether China will remain a friend or become a foe for the U.S., argue whether China's road to modernization is an apt model for other developing nations, analyze China's past to discover patterns and traditions that still exist, and study the interaction between China and the world community to determine its future role as a world leader. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
MET IS 380 4 credits. Fall and Spring
This course will provide students with an introduction to environmental science with a dual focus in physical geography and climatology. Students will learn to interpret major themes in Earth History and human affairs through interactive lessons that include online lectures, outside reading, and extensive online maps, diagrams, and animations. We will discuss the interactions of climate, physical geography, and human activities in the formation of a dynamic, living Earth. We end with biogeochemistry and a look at the origin of life. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Creativity/Innovation.
MET IS 385 4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar - The indigenous people of North America have a unique experience of negotiating cultural boundaries, alien ideologies, and inscrutable behaviors that appear in everything from personal interactions to national policy, and their own cultural and religious traditions have survived despite a dominant culture that has sought to both annihilate and romanticize them. This course is about that cultural interaction and offers an opportunity to understand Native American cultures in their own terms through the voices of their people, expressing themselves through literature, film and venues. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course, Research and Information Literacy.
MET IS 419 4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Digital/Multimedia Expression Research and Information Literacy
Traditional American music is a dynamic cultural medium that defines identity and community. It is transmitted by long-practiced modes of observation and imitation, and it engages talented musicians who are part of a long-lived cultural continuum. It is based upon a collective understanding of what tradition is, but it is necessarily altered in each generation as new musicians bring their training, insights, talents, and instruments to the process. How traditional music has evolved into the current popular American musical forms, will be explored in lectures, musical examples and readings. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy.
Section O1, FALL 2026 Sep 1st to Oct 19th
Sommers Smith
Independent
ARR
12:00:00 AM–12:00:00 AM
MET IS 420 4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Writing-Intensive Course
This course will examine morality through three related yet different lenses: psychology, religion and spirituality. With war, terrorism, global climate change, geological disruptions, and other threats, humans tend to feel more vulnerable, more insecure, and to seek deeper understandings of themselves and their world. Accordingly, issues such as abortion, capital punishment, and stem-cell research take on new meanings as morality evolves with culture. How do we develop a moral understanding of what is appropriate behavior for ourselves and others around us' Is morality carved in stone or is it subject to change, depending upon life experience, religion, secular and social orientation, and other factors' The goal of this course is not to definitively answer questions but to generate them; not to agree on moral issues, but to facilitate understanding of others views; not to criticize, but to comprehend the strengths and limitations of each paradigm. Effective Summer 2026, this course fulfills a single requirement in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Writing-Intensive Course.
MET IS 421 4 credits. Fall and Spring
The art of rhetoric is one of the original liberal arts and is a part of the trivium that includes grammar and logic. Rhetoric is as old as human communication and as diverse as the human imagination. In the twenty-first century, rhetoric has new forms and meanings but retains some of the dynamics of the classical age of Greece and Rome. This course is a study of the art of rhetoric in everyday life and work from both theoretical and practical perspectives with an emphasis on writing and interpretation. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Critical Thinking.
MET IS 450 4 credits. Fall and Spring
Online offering. Introduces students to practical problems in botany with a dual emphasis on plant evolution and plants in human affairs. The course crosses borders in time and geography as we examine the broad sweep of plants and their role on Earth over the past 300 million years. Plant form and function, evolution of seed plants, plant ecology, ethnobotany (human uses of plants), endangered plant communities, and prospects for conserving plant biodiversity are highlighted in this interdisciplinary course designed for undergraduates. While its focus is rigorously scientific, the course incor Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Scientific Inquiry I.
MET IS 460 4 credits. Fall and Spring
This course explores various currents, paradoxes, and extensions of Romanticism, especially as this movement took shape in Europe and America, with a special focus on philosophical literature and the visual arts. We will begin with some central ideas and themes of German Romantic thinkers, exploring how these ideas and themes are also evoked by British and American writers as well as by European and American painters. We will identify and analyze Romantic themes and styles in early German expressionist films, in British gothic fantasy movies, and in American motion pictures about western front Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration.
MET IS 470 4 credits. Fall and Spring
From the Egyptian Pyramids to the recently discovered enigma of Göbekli Tepe in Turkey, this course examines archaeological highlights through the ages, focusing on humanity's most enduring ancient mysteries. Beginning with the historical roots of the discipline, and culminating with an analysis of the emergence and spread of civilization in both the Old and New Worlds, this course critically evaluates conventional paradigms and explores how newly discovered or reinterpreted sites fit into, or challenge the current framework. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Social Inquiry I.
MET IS 480 4 credits. Fall and Spring
Mechanics is the study of the motion of objects and the forces acting on objects. It is hoped that the student will share some of the excitement felt by great scientists such as Galileo and Newton when they discovered many of the principles on which the physics of motion are based. The course assumes that the student has a working knowledge of algebra, but the emphasis will be on a conceptual understanding of physics rather than on advanced mathematics. Many demonstrations and animations will be presented in the course. Students will become familiar with the physics of everyday situations. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Scientific Inquiry I.
View BU MET’s academic calendar for online programs, including important dates and deadlines.
Learn about application requirements for BU MET’s undergraduate programs.
How You Benefit from a
A BU credential can help lay the foundation for career advancement and personal success.
Study under highly qualified faculty who draw from active research and substantial professional achievements to help develop your interdisciplinary skills in analysis, creative thinking, and communication across media. BU MET’s Online UDCP program provides practical, hands-on education that you can apply on the job and in everyday life. The unique online curriculum of MET’s BLS in Interdisciplinary Studies explores classical and contemporary areas of the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences, and is designed for you to self-direct your bachelor’s degree education—pick your own courses and choose your own interdisciplinary focus. Students acquire an understanding of literature and history through focused themes, and gain full proficiency in writing through individual and collaborative work. Courses take a creative and manageable approach to academic subjects, like Food Stuff: A Taste of Biology ; Exploring Philosophy through Film ; and China, the Emerging Superpower: A Model for Development? Graduate with a Liberal Arts Expertise
Students who complete the bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies will be able to demonstrate:
A broad understanding of the liberal arts (that may be considered complete in itself or as suitable preparation for graduate studies), along with college-level rhetorical acumen through exposure to the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, including mathematics and computer science. Critical thinking skills via analysis and material studied in the classical and contemporary liberal arts using the interdisciplinary study method of particular themes and disciplines. Preparedness for active citizenship by means of a strong foundation in the liberal arts and an understanding of the connectedness of knowledge and learning as an interdisciplinary phenomenon.
Bachelor’s Degree Completion Program Faculty
Jennifer Alpert Lecturer, Metropolitan College
Associate Professor, Natural Sciences & Mathematics, College of General Studies
Senior Lecturer of Humanities, College of General Studies
View All Faculty
Seena Eftekhari
Christy Franklin
June Grasso
Regina Hansen
John Mackey
Matthew Parfitt
Robert Schoch
Sally Sommers-Smith
Kevin Stoehr
Megan Sullivan
Andre Switala
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