Integrative Studies is an important component of Michigan State University’s approach to liberal general education, offering a core curriculum that complements specialized work by students in their majors. Integrative Studies courses integrate multiple ways of knowing and modes of inquiry and introduce students to important ways of thinking in the three core knowledge areas: the Arts and Humanities, the Biological and Physical Sciences, and the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences. They assist students during their study to develop as more critical thinkers. They also encourage appreciation of our humanity and creativity, human cultural diversity, the power of knowledge, and our responsibilities for ourselves and for our world.
Courses in Michigan State University’s Integrative Studies Program are aimed at developing intellectual abilities, including critical thinking and interpretive skills. They help increase knowledge about other times, places, and cultures, key ideas and issues in human experience, and the scientific method and its usefulness in understanding the natural and social worlds. They are expected to enhance appreciation of the role of knowledge, and of values and ethics, in understanding human behavior and solving social problems. Finally, they help students recognize responsibilities and opportunities associated with democratic citizenship and with living in an increasingly interconnected, interdependent world.
The Center for Integrative Studies in the Arts and Humanities in the College of Arts and Letters has primary responsibility for the Arts and Humanities area of Integrative Studies at Michigan State University.
The Center for Integrative Studies in General Sciences in the College of Natural Sciences has primary responsibility for Integrative Studies courses in the Biological and Physical Sciences at Michigan State University.
The Center for Integrative Studies in the Social Sciences in the College of Social Science has primary responsibility for Integrative Studies courses in the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences at Michigan State University.