What Are Interdisciplinary Studies?
Interdisciplinary studies are the product of integrating two or more academic disciplines. As science and technology advance, complex problems that cannot be solved by a single discipline emerge, demanding greater collaboration across economic, scientific, and technological domains.
Most interdisciplinary fields use one discipline as a tool to address problems in another. Interdisciplinary talent is better equipped to solve boundary-spanning issues, thus gaining a stronger competitive advantage in employment.
How to Choose the Right Program?
According to the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) published by the U.S. Department of Education, here are some popular STEM interdisciplinary fields in recent years:
Mathematics and Statistics Track
Data Science
Business Analytics
Financial Engineering
Financial Mathematics
Risk Management
Biostatistics
Physical Science Track
Electrical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Medical Engineering
Chemistry Track
Chemical Engineering
Material Science and Engineering
Nanoengineering
Biology Track
Biostatistics
Biomedical Informatics
Genetic Counseling
Health Data Science
Biomedical Engineering
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
For applicants with STEM backgrounds or some work experience, applying to programs closely aligned with their expertise is generally not overly difficult.
Here are some tips to help you choose the right program:
1. Career Goals + Personal Interests
Students seeking cross-disciplinary applications are often dissatisfied with their current major or have new ideas for their career development. Pursuing further education abroad is a pivotal turning point that requires rational judgment.
You can visit overseas university websites or connect with current students via LinkedIn to gain insights into post-graduation career trends and opportunities.
Also, honestly assess your interest in the field. Avoid excessive romanticism and don’t let passion be the sole deciding factor.
2. Understand Interdisciplinary Fields Related to Your Area
Start by talking to your professors—share your concerns and ideas; they can offer professional advice.
Then do some research via Google and academic databases like CNKI, Wanfang, or Google Scholar to explore interdisciplinary studies related to your field. Next, begin checking the websites of highly ranked schools one by one to find suitable programs.
3. Assess the Feasibility of Your Application
When applying, students must rationally evaluate whether they possess the required professional knowledge background for the new major.
The match between the applicant's personality and the target major is also important. For instance, marketing requires strong creativity, judgment, and decision-making skills; data analysis roles heavily emphasize analytical and quantitative logical abilities.
When assessing feasibility, refer to past admission records and actual cases, carefully compare the courses you’ve taken with the core curriculum of the program, and see if there is any overlap. It’s best to seek advice from professional counselors or seniors who have successfully applied.
If your coursework shows no obvious alignment, check whether there is any wiggle room. For humanities applications like Education, there is often great flexibility—some students with no formal background but extensive work experience can still gain admission.
Introduction to Popular Programs
Financial Engineering: Finance & Economics + Mathematics + Engineering
Financial Engineering programs are jointly taught by business schools, math departments, and engineering faculties. Most are applied master's degrees, emphasizing practice and lasting 1 to 2 years.
Who Is It For?
Financial Engineering is best suited for students from mathematics, statistics, CS, physics, engineering, and similar fields. Many programs also accept backgrounds in finance, economics, actuarial science, biology, chemistry, and accounting analysis.
Common prerequisite courses include calculus, linear algebra, probability theory, probability and statistics, ordinary/partial differential equations, matrix algebra, and quantitative statistics.
Some schools also expect strong algorithm, programming, C++, Java, Matlab, and computer analysis skills.
Overall, admission is highly competitive. You'll need excellent GRE/GMAT scores, and GPA is a very important indicator. Relevant work experience can also strengthen your application.
Business Analytics: Business + Computer Science + Statistics
Business Analytics (BA) is an emerging discipline at the intersection of data analysis and business. It uses business knowledge as a foundation and quantitative programming as a tool, connecting with today's internet and big data to derive insights and optimize decision-making for commercial application of big data.
Though the training objectives of BA programs may vary by school, the curriculum is quite similar, typically combining quantitative programming and management science courses.
Core courses include statistics, data analysis, data visualization, business decision-making, etc. Extended courses cover databases, data mining, and more.
Most programs are housed in business schools (e.g., Rochester, GWU), but some are in engineering schools (e.g., Northwestern, Cornell) or information schools (e.g., CMU). Programs in engineering or information schools generally demand a stronger math and computer background.
BA programs are largely career-oriented, with less emphasis on heavy math; they focus on using software for analysis and basic programming. It's a practical and sound choice.
Who Is It For?
BA programs tend to accept applicants with relevant backgrounds, strong quantitative coursework, and proficiency in SAS/MATLAB/SPSS/R/C++, etc.
Students from liberal arts backgrounds can also apply for Business Analytics, but they must have foundational math courses like linear algebra, calculus, statistics, or relevant research and internship experience in business analytics.
Language requirements for BA are usually high, often above 100 for TOEFL. Like other business fields, top programs may require an interview.
There are no strict background requirements, but some schools have prerequisite courses.
Biostatistics: Biology + Statistics
Biostatistics, simply put, applies statistical methods to medical and biological fields. Biostatistics master's programs at U.S. graduate schools are often under public health management, typically offering two degrees: Master of Public Health (MPH) and Master of Science (MS).
Most are in schools of public health, with a few in medical schools or math departments. Master's programs usually take 1–2 years, while doctoral programs average around 5 years.
In the big data era, biostatistics is widely applied across fields and has a strong job market in the U.S. Graduates can obtain a 36-month OPT work visa and pursue popular roles like health analysis, clinical trial, SAS programmer, etc.
Additionally, biostatistics graduates often enjoy an advantage: they can work in hospitals or research institutes, where they may be exempt from H1B visa caps.
Who Is It For?
For biostatistics, applicants from statistics are the best fit, followed by those from mathematics (especially applied math). Many with computer science backgrounds also apply to this field.
In fact, very little biology knowledge is needed—even at demanding schools, a few introductory graduate courses like molecular biology suffice. This discipline values quantitative skills, so pure biology or medical backgrounds are not especially favored.
Preparation Strategies
1. Ace Your GRE/GMAT and GPA
These metrics reflect your learning ability—whether it's mastering a foreign language, your major, or test-taking. They must be stellar to prove you can handle a new field. If none of these hard scores stand out, your learning ability will be seriously questioned.
2. Take Online Courses or Audit Relevant Classes
Many popular programs require prerequisite coursework. Taking online courses demonstrates that you've built a relevant foundation. If you earn a certificate upon completion, it's even better and can be listed on your CV. Even without a certificate, you can still mention it in your application essays.
Seek out extracurricular activities, internships, competitions, or even minor studies—in short, expose yourself as much as possible to the field you intend to enter.
3. Essays—The Key to Success
Mine every possible piece of information that can boost your admission chances. Even an internship that seems ordinary or superficial can be framed to maximize impact. Describe to the fullest your strong desire to make up for any gaps and the concrete steps you've taken to meet the requirements of your target program.
4. Build Connections
Strive to secure a recommendation letter from a professor in your target field or directly contact a faculty member at the desired school. If successful, a recommendation from that professor can carry significant weight for a cross-disciplinary application.
