Transdisciplinary Analysis, MA

The Master of Arts in Transdisciplinary Analysis program is designed for students seeking new approaches to address complex “wicked” problems and build positive futures in a world characterized by rapid change and uncertainty. Students learn and apply transdisciplinary mindsets in understanding dilemma and innovation for problem-finding, reframing, problem-solving, inter-perspectivity, and creative collaboration.

The Master of Arts in Transdisciplinary Analysis program meets a global need for new approaches to address wicked problems and build positive futures in a world characterized by rapid change and uncertainty. It helps students understand “the metaphysics of dilemma” and innovation for justice-oriented futures through human-and world-centered problem-finding, problem-solving, and creative collaboration. It connects theories of knowledge with collaborative practices so that students observe and experience transdisciplinary thinking and research in action and are able to reframe and create solutions for their specific contexts of practice.

 

Overview of Degree Requirements

The overall structure of Transdisciplinary courses combined with courses from other programs gives students flexibility and broader options. Importantly, it enables students to collaborate with faculty and peers across disciplines and develop a meaningful and strategic Program Plan aligned with career strategy.

The MA TNDY program is structured with 32 units of coursework made up of Core Areas (20 units) and Electives (12 units).

Core Courses (20 units). These comprise the following categories with courses offered through the Transdisciplinary Program with selected courses from other programs across CGU.

1. Foundations of Transdisciplinary Thought and Practice (6 units)
2. Tools for Change. (8 units)
3. Application of Transdisciplinary Thinking and Strategy (6 units)

 

Electives (12 units). Through elective courses, students create a focal area to develop specific professional knowledge and skills through which they can apply the transdisciplinary mindsets and skills they develop through the Core Courses. Elective courses are offered through other CGU programs that align with students’ career strategy and interests. We curate course offerings in a number of pathways for students:

• Innovation, Technology, and Change. Social Impact.  
• Research methods. Research translation and public impact.  
• Leadership and strategy 

In addition, students may propose an alternative focal area that they want to develop. They will work with their Program Advisor to design the Elective courses they take for their focal area.

 

Overview of Courses

Foundations of Transdisciplinary Thought and Practice (6 units).

This core area presents foundational philosophy and frameworks for transdisciplinary thought and practice and key mindsets of equity-minded transdisciplinary approaches to strategic problem solving and innovation. Students learn about the importance of transdisciplinary approaches and develop perspectives and mindsets that prepare them to address systemic and complex problems that the world faces. This includes integrating different types of knowledge, methodologies, and new goals for creating sustainable positive futures.

Students take one 2-unit and four 1-unit courses:

1. TNDY 310: Communication and Collaboration in Transdisciplinary Work (2 units)
2. TNDY 311: Systems Complexity and Futures Thinking (1 unit)
3. TNDY 312. Tackling Wicked Problems (1-unit)
4. TNDY 313. Foundations of Transdisciplinary Thought (1 unit)
5. TNDY 314. Creativity and Design for Positive Futures (1 unit)

Tools for Change. (8 units)

This core area helps students develop specific methods and tools to address complex or wicked problems. Tools for Change courses are based on methods that use Systems and Design Thinking, Collaboration and Communication frameworks, and Transformative Pedagogy approaches. They integrate transdisciplinary principles and focus on applications of different methods and frameworks to address specific issues in the world. Tools for Change courses also engage students in practicing collaboration to build knowledge and skills in generative boundary crossing with people across disciplines and with multiple stakeholders. Students develop self-awareness and reflexive capacity to surface and address implicit assumptions and bias, inter-perspectivity in working with multiple perspectives, and skills in reframing ideas and issues to collaborate and communicate creatively with others. This helps them expand knowledge of disciplinary methods to build a transdisciplinary toolkit for research and practice. A sample of Tools for Change courses*:

1. TNDY 430. Transdisciplinary Pedagogy for Ethical Education. 4 units.
2. TNDY 432. Systems Thinking for Equity. 2 units
3. TNDY 407V. Urban Studies. 4 units.
4. TNDY 336. Analysis of Social Networks. 4 units.
5. TNDY 408Q.  Grant Writing Across the Disciplines. 2 units.
6. TNDY 407K. Transdisciplinary Research in Inequality. 4 units.
7. TNDY 549. Creating the Future. 2 units.
8. TNDY 511. Directed Specialization. 2- 4 units**

** The Directed Specialization course offers students the opportunity to bring course work and learning from workshops and courses in other programs or outside of CGU. The course facilitates students in peer-based teaching and learning. Students present skills and tools they have mastered and in turn develop new skills and tools. Students must present a skills and tools list to the course instructor and write a reflection evidencing their learning at the end of the semester.

In addition to the above, the MA TNDY program lists courses from other CGU departments that can be taken to fulfill this core area. A representative sample is presented here. Note that we will expand the options for Tools for Change courses as new courses are developed. Please check the Transdisciplinary Studies website for the latest course list for this core area.

• MGT 549. Designing the Future. 4 units
• MGT 341. Design Thinking. 4 units
• IST 327. Design Thinking and Creative Problem Solving. 4 units.
• PSYCH 354Q. Culturally Responsive Evaluation. 4 units.

Students can also propose courses we have not listed to fulfil this area. This will require the Program Director’s approval based on alignment of the proposed course with program outcomes and the student’s’ Program Plan.

 

Application of Transdisciplinary Thinking and Strategy. (6 units)

This core area leads students in applying their learning of transdisciplinary principles and concepts to world contexts through observation and working with community and industry partners. This area focuses on creating a proof-of-concept process with students to deepen and strengthen the knowledge, mindsets, and skills they have gained through coursework and peer collaborations.

There are 2 required courses and a Companion Course for Strategic Career Design:

1. TNDY 501. Transdisciplinary Action in Crisis. 2 units.

Students observe and analyze real-world examples of crisis response.

 

1. TNDY 502. Practicum: Field Project 1 and 2. 4 units.

The Practicum: Field Project is completed across 2 semesters, each semester bearing 2 units for a total of 4 units.

Student teams work with a Project Partner that might be a corporate or community organization to apply transdisciplinary skills in exploring an issue or innovation relevant to their Project Partner. The teams are facilitated to design and implement a strategy, analysis, or innovation, working closely with their partner organizations. Through the process, the teams also observe and reflect on their team and collaboration dynamics. At the end of the course, each team presents their field project to the community.
 

1. CPD 100. Integrated Career Design. 0 units

On starting their program, students enroll in a Companion Pathway for Integrated Career Design. This is coordinated with the Career and Professional Development (CPD) Office. The course runs in parallel with students’ academic journey from enrollment to graduation. The goal is to connect and map transdisciplinary knowledge, skills, and mindsets with career needs and job profiles to develop a strategic career portfolio. Students have required meetings for career exploration and development and a range of activities with the CPD office both synchronous and asynchronous to develop their career portfolio. This program innovation integrates students’ academic development with strategic career development as part of the degree process rather than a student service add-on.

 

Electives

Students take electives through different CGU departments and programs.

This enables them to develop a concentration that helps them ground the transdisciplinary knowledge, mindsets, and skills they develop through the program into an area of interest in their scholarship and career goals. Students will be guided through academic advising and their Integrated Career Design process to work strategically in selecting electives. The program will curate a list of available elective courses for each year in the following focal areas based on offerings by faculty in programs across CGU.

1. Innovation, Technology, and Change. Social Impact.

This Electives area focuses on social impact and positive change in multiple forms such as addressing complex local and global issues, sustainability, current and future-focused innovation, the development and use of digital systems and tools, as well social justice education and action. This includes the arts and media as well as policy.

 

1. Research methods. Research translation and public impact.

This Electives area focuses on the development of research methods and tools in science, social science, and the humanities, including research translation and data communication for public impact, and action research and application for program development. Students are encouraged to take innovative methods courses that connect new media, big data, and narrative research.

 

1. Leadership and strategy

This area focuses on courses that address leadership strategy development, especially courses on new models of leadership and strategy for the emerging world. In this area, students can take courses on leadership in specific fields or activities such as the arts and non-profits, culture, identities, and leadership, and the interaction of leadership and technology.

In addition, students may propose an alternative focal area that they want to develop. They will work with their Program Advisor to design the Elective courses they take for their focal area.

Electives at the Undergraduate Claremont Colleges. In addition, students can propose to take elective courses at the undergraduate Claremont Colleges that meet Electives guidelines. Students must follow the established practice for enrolling in 5C courses: They need the course professor’s permission, and the work is calibrated for graduate level credit. All proposals for electives outside the program list or at the 5Cs must be submitted for approval by the Program Director.

 

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon graduation, students will be able to:

1. Apply systems thinking to illuminate the non-linear, interconnected nature of social and global systems and issues as a key step in addressing complex problems and working for positive, justice-oriented solutions.
    
2. Use complexity-based methods to sense-make and work adaptively with uncertainty in different contexts as part of research, application, design, and leadership. 
    
3. Reframe ideas and complex problems through inter-perspective integration toward developing pathways and opportunities for creative solutions and innovation.

 

1. Collaborate and communicate with diverse others in disciplinary and non-academic settings in transformative strategic development and innovative work.
    
2. Apply critical self- and disciplinary query to ask better questions, collaborate across boundaries, and develop solutions for justice and positive futures.

 

Admissions and Academic Standing

While no specific undergraduate major or post-baccalaureate degree is required for admission, a record of undergraduate and/or graduate academic achievement and/or relevant work experience and achievements are required for selection purposes.

Applicants who satisfy the following requirements will be considered for admission:

1. GPA: Undergraduate/graduate grade point average of 3.00 or higher from an accredited college or university.
2. Statement of Purpose: must address interest in pursuing the degree, including but not limited to:
   1. why this degree will allow for and/or create experiences that are not possible within a currently offered degree field,
   2. and how this degree will present similar or greater employment opportunities and experiences not available with a single degree field.
   3. How this degree connects with your career vision and plans; how this degree will help you achieve your life and career goals.
   4. What experiences, knowledge, and skills development this degree can help you develop and why these are important for you to develop; how does this degree allow or and create experiences you might not find in other degree fields?
3. Standard University Application Package (application, application fee, official transcripts)
4. Resume or CV
5. Three letters of recommendation with at least one letter being an academic reference.
6. English Proficiency. Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate satisfactory proficiency in English language as measured by the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
7. Test Scores: standardized test scores are not required to apply for this program. Applicants who have taken the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test are invited to submit scores but are not required to do so.

 

Current CGU Students: may add the MA in Transdisciplinary Analysis program to their current degree(s) by submitting a Degree/Certificate Change Request form.

 

Minimum Grade Requirements.  The University’s policy on Satisfactory Academic Progress applies. The MA in Transdisciplinary Analysis program requires students to pass the core courses with a grade of B- or better.

Thesis.  A thesis is not required but may be completed with the consent of the student’s advisor.

University Policies. Policies detailed in the current Policies and General Information Bulletin apply.

Admission. Admission requirements are detailed in the Admissions section of the current Policies and General Information Bulletin.