Explore your interests, gain professional skills
Where most degrees restrict you to a specific academic plan, our 2-year Multidisciplinary Studies program allows you to take a variety of courses that align with your interests, ambitions, and educational goals.
Working with an adviser, you will select courses to build expertise in areas in business, social sciences, or the humanities to prepare for careers in those fields or to continue studies in a 4-year major at Penn State Shenango and other Penn State campus locations.
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Check out our selection of open houses, application workshops, and personalized visits to discover why Penn State Shenango is the perfect place for you.
You’ll love the 2-year Multidisciplinary Studies major if…
- You have specific career goals and want to create a major to match
- You want to become an entry-level professional
- You want to switch career paths
- You want to earn a 4-year degree in the future
- You are an adult or non-traditional student who wants a college degree but is not ready for a 4-year commitment
2-year Multidisciplinary Studies career opportunities
You will be in a unique position to be prepared for jobs of your choosing upon completion of your Multidisciplinary Studies degree. As the list of possible careers is nearly endless, you might explore possibilities in the fields of:
- Business
- Communications
- Health care
- Manufacturing
- Media and public relations
- Nonprofit
- Retail or service
- Sales
- Government organizations
- International affairs
Continuing your education
Upon completion of the 2-year Multidisciplinary Studies major, you may also choose to proceed seamlessly to a 4-year Multidisciplinary Studies or another major at Penn State.
What to expect in the 2-year Multidisciplinary Studies major
Penn State’s Associate of Arts in Multidisciplinary Studies supplies you with a broad liberal arts education that helps you develop skills like critical thinking, communications, and creative problem solving.
You will work with your academic adviser to align designated courses in your academic plan with special interests of career goals.
While this program is a 2-year option, many students choose to apply the credits they earn to a 4-year bachelor’s degree at Penn State, like our baccalaureate degree in Multidisciplinary Studies.
Credentials for your interests
Beyond Penn State Shenango’s expanding list 4-year and 2-year degree options, the campus also offers dynamic minor and certificate programs to compliment your major and career goals. Explore our academic programming options.
Get ready to meet your success team
Designed as your one-stop-shop, our Academic and Career Planning Services suite houses the offices of Academic Advising, Career Services, and Registration in one convenient location. Your personal adviser will guide you during academic planning and career counseling during orientation, all the way to your final semester when it’s time to land an internship and file your graduation forms.
A culture of collaboration
There’s something special at Penn State that converts the “I” to the “we” and ignites our passions to collaborate on meaningful impact. Shenango is rooted in supporting each other in the classroom, in the community, and beyond. In the 2-year Multidisciplinary Studies major, you can expect to collaborate on unique projects outside of your direct area of study to learn new ways to problem solve and expand your skill set.
Start your Penn State story
We're excited you're ready to become a Penn Stater! Now's the perfect time to get started on your application. If you need help getting started, check out our guides to apply for first-year, transfer, or adult students.
2-year Multidisciplinary Studies program structure
Review the full 2-year Letters, Arts, and Sciences course listing for additional requirements and a sample of the program’s structure.
You will work with an adviser to schedule classes that compliment your theme and help you build both core skills and knowledge of your areas of study. To accomplish this pathway, you will take a broad offering of courses that include:
- One art course
- One humanities course
- One social and behavioral sciences course
- One physical, biological, or earth sciences course
- Three additional courses in the areas mentioned above and/or the natural sciences, quantification, and foreign language
