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Integrative Studies Program

Student in Lab

Keene State believes in the value of a liberal arts education—that the best way we can prepare you for the future is to teach you to think critically and creatively, to communicate effectively, and to experience the connections between the different branches of knowledge.

Yes, you’ll develop the skills you need to be proficient in your major, but you’ll also understand how those skills are connected by studying the arts and the sciences. That way, if the specific skills you learn, or the career you’ve prepared for, become replaced by something new down the road, you’ll have the flexibility and creativity to adapt to a changing world.

Program Overview

Puzzle piece

Every Keene State College student is required to complete a total of 40 ISP credits, including a minimum of two courses (eight credits) in residence at the 300 or 400 level. More about Program Overview

Foundations

Pencil and Ruler

Students begin with introductory courses in Integrative Thinking and Writing (ITW) and Integrative Quantitative Literacy (IQL) and move on to ISP courses within specific disciplines or to interdisciplinary subjects. More about Foundations

Perspectives

Atom

The Perspectives component of the ISP consists of courses in the arts and sciences (arts, humanities, social and natural sciences). More about Perspectives

Interdisciplinary

Arrows running counter to one another

Courses taught in the Integrative Studies Program under the II-prefix provide students and faculty with opportunities to approach complex questions and discuss difficult subjects from an interdisciplinary perspective. More about Interdisciplinary

Overarching Themes of ISP

You’ll develop an understanding of and an appreciation for (and may even develop a passion for!) a number of social issues, including diversity, ethics, global issues, and the interplay of the environment and society. More about Overarching Themes of ISP

ISP News

Keene State College Students Take a Hike
May 11, 2016 –

Webster Massingham couldn’t resist the temptation to take Dr. Brian Green’s ISP sociology class entitled A Walk on the Wild Side this semester. “I’m a computer science major, and I spend a lot of time indoors at a desk,” said the senior from Dover, NH. “I always liked hiking and…

The Amazing Science of Olive Oil
January 21, 2016 –

This story of a brilliant idea to make the olive the center of a liberal arts study, conceived by a professor from Turkey and taking root as a new Honors class at Keene State, actually starts at Amherst College, in Massachusetts. That’s where KSC Chemistry Professor Richard Blatchly’s wife, Patricia…

Andrew DiCristina ’14: From Acton, MA, to Anchorage, AK
October 9, 2015 –

Who knows how many commencement speeches advise graduates to step boldly into the world and seize the adventure that awaits them? And some grads, such as Andrew DiCristina ’14, do just that. “In my senior year at Keene, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in the immediate future…

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Integrative Studies Program

Mark C. Long
Director
603-358-2695

"We see that students are developing stronger skills in writing, are more challenged and more confident in their ability to meet new challenges, and are getting a better sense of what is happening in the world around them."

Dr. Gordon Leversee
A Liberal Arts Education:
One Father’s Experience