Interdisciplinary Cluster Program may no longer count toward Supplemental Education

A recent program aimed at fulfilling graduation requirements might soon lose its relevance for undergraduate students.

The Interdisciplinary Cluster Program was established as a means of fulfilling the Supplemental Education requirement, and started appearing in course listings in 2008.

But a recommendation to make Supplemental Education only required for students pursing solely a B.A. degree or a B.S. degree in psychology would make the cluster program largely obsolete.

Even for students who still had to fulfill the Supplemental Education requirements, the clusters would no longer count.

The proposed change was one of many that came out when the curriculum was reviewed earlier this year.

“There have been problems (with clusters) and students fulfilling them,” said Alice Dawson, senior assistant dean of academic advising. “Not through any fault of the students. The stars weren’t aligned.”

A cluster is a group of classes from different departments focusing on the same topic. Currently, taking nine credit hours from a cluster, among other rules, fulfills students’ Supplemental Education requirement.

Some clusters cover topics such as evolution, food culture, human rights and the interaction of religion and science during the Renaissance.

The classes tend to be more difficult and availability is limited, which leads to students not completing the entire cluster, said Nicholas Siedentop, curriculum coordinator for the Office of Undergraduate Curricula.

He said the lack of student completion would be the main reason for discontinuing this aspect of the program.

“Clusters wouldn’t be a way of fulfilling the Supplemental Education requirement but the program would still exist,” Siedentop said. “It would still be a way for students to take classes outside of their major.”

Dawson said the requirement can currently be achieved in two ways: the distributive option or the cluster programs.

“Far fewer students choose this option as opposed to the distributive option,” she said. “Some courses in the integrative program are higher level courses requiring prerequisites.”

The distributive option is more broadly focused than the clusters and often can be fulfilled with lower-level classes.

Siedentop said the main criticism students have for the cluster program is availability of courses.

Many students said they have limited knowledge of the program. Senior Courtney Whitaker said she had never heard of the clusters but hadn’t experienced any problems.

“I fulfilled a lot of requirements without knowing it,” she said.

Siedentop said the Faculty Council will vote on the recommendation in December.

Dawson said she supports the idea behind the cluster program.

“It’s at the heart of what a liberal arts curriculum should be,” she said. “It is a multifaceted view about a commonality.

“The courses are higher-level but really cool for students who want to use the options.”

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.