The benefits of implementing transdisciplinary programs: Opinion

In an article for University World News, University of British Columbia Professor Naoko Ellis, Assistant Professor Derek Gladwin, and PhD candidates Klara Aishwarya Ramachandran and Klara Abdi, discuss the value of transdisciplinary programs in higher education. Reflecting on a study on transdisciplinary graduate programs at UBritish Columbia, the researchers explain that these programs help students cultivate intellectual curiosity and openness, communicate with those outside their discipline, and participate in more professional activities. Based on their experiences, the authors provide a series of recommendations for universities looking to build transdisciplinary programming at their institution, such as creating the institutional infrastructure and providing resources to support transdisciplinary encounters, creating a unified set of degree requirements for transdisciplinary programs, and developing the programs with stakeholders to ensure they have relevance outside academia. University World News Note: Archived stories may contain dead links or be missing source links.