by Krista Pino
Daily Lobo
A Pulitzer Prize winner, a movie director and the governor of Zuni Pueblo are among the thousands of UNM alumni who graduated with a degree from the Bachelor of University Studies program.
According to the BUS advisement guide, the program attracts students who feel restricted by traditional programs and offers students the opportunity to combine two or more academic disciplines.
It also allows students to design a program that applies to a job they already hold, or to a specific career traditional programs might not cater to.
"An interdisciplinary program like this is the degree of the future," said Tracy Skipp, the program's director.
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He said the BUS program is ideal for students with academic and career aspirations that require multi-disciplinary study. Skipp said with this degree, students can react to changes in the workplace and academia.
Students wanting to get an interdisciplinary degree must first get permission from the deans of both colleges.
The program makes interdisciplinary studies easier because the program is flexible and there are no limitations, Skipp said.
"Halfway through my degree, I began dancing professionally," said Daniel Peregrino, a senior in the BUS program. "I realized that only BUS gave me the ability to take courses that would specifically apply to my career."
Some students, however, say the program is too general.
"It's a specialized program, and you can do anything you want, but it's not as prestigious as a regular degree," said Jessyca Franco, a student in the BUS program.
Franco said a lot of students are in the program to finish their degrees quickly.
Jennifer Chavez, an accounting major, added that not picking a specific degree program could hurt students later.
"If you don't specialize in a program, how can it benefit your career in the long run?" Chavez said.
Scott Meier, an adviser in the BUS program, explained students must complete 128 credit hours, including 37 hours of upper-division classes and 40 hours in the Arts and Sciences Department, but they have a great range of flexibility in courses.
"As an adviser, my job is to get them started with classes," Meier said. "I need to find out what they want to do with the degree and find out what prerequisites they need to get into a graduate program."
With 1,200 students in the program at UNM's main campus, Skipp said it has also developed at the University's branch campuses.
Skipp said many students hear about the program through word of mouth. He said the program is misunderstood, and some people don't approve of it or understand its potential. The more the program is considered relevant, the more students will participate, he said.
Rachel Shaw is graduating with a BUS degree this May. She said she wanted to participate in the flamenco emphasis program in the Department of Theatre and Dance as well as the cultural anthropology in the Anthropology Department.
"They complement each other so well," Shaw said. "If I had to choose only dance or anthropology, it would create a lack in what I wanted to learn one way or another."
She said the BUS program allowed her the freedom to pursue both areas of study.
