Why higher education needs interdisciplinary learning

If interdisciplinary possibilities are built into undergraduate education from the beginning, students may not turn away from traditional disciplines; they may begin to see them differently

"My son only got Maths." This was a parent discussing undergraduate admissions. The remark would have sounded strange a few years ago. Maths, Physics, and Chemistry were once among the subjects students aspired to study, and admission to such programmes was considered a great achievement. Today, however, several colleges are struggling to attract enough students to some of these traditional programmes. These subjects have not lost their relevance but as separate disciplines, even as their connections with other fields become increasingly evident. The question, therefore, is whether interdisciplinary learning can make traditional disciplines more meaningful and relevant to today's students.

For long, the academic journey was relatively predictable. A student entering a B.Sc. Physics programme, for instance, would generally continue with an M.Sc. in Physics and then move towards teaching or research in the same discipline. While this still has value, a student who chooses Physics today may later be interested in Computational Physics, Data Science, Materials Science, or Medical Physics. The important point is that such possibilities should not come to a student's attention only after completing the UG programme but be introduced during the course.

Higher education has traditionally been organised around clearly defined disciplines and departments. While students need a strong foundation in a subject before moving into specialised areas, this structure can also keep disciplines apart and limit understanding of how one field relates to another. Multidisciplinary education brings different subjects together while retaining each one's identity. Interdisciplinary education goes further by examining the connections among them.

UG programmes have long offered some exposure to subjects beyond the main discipline through subsidiary or complementary courses. However, these have often been treated primarily as degree requirements. The Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP) has introduced greater flexibility through major, minor, and multidisciplinary courses (MDCs). While these provisions give students more options, choice alone does not make a programme interdisciplinary. A student may study two subjects without understanding how they can be brought together. What matters is whether the curriculum helps students see the academic possibilities that emerge from such combinations.

This is where curriculum design becomes important. If a student later wishes to pursue a different academic direction, the basis for that decision should be laid during the UG programme. The core curriculum can introduce students to related fields, their applications, and the opportunities they may offer for further study, without compromising the depth of the major subject. The purpose is not to turn a UG programme into a collection of unrelated courses but to help students understand where their chosen discipline can lead.

Many interdisciplinary possibilities become clear only when students enter PG or doctoral research. By then, they have already spent several years within a single discipline. English Studies offers a good example. Contemporary research includes eco-criticism, trauma studies, medical humanities, digital humanities, cognitive literary studies, gender studies, post-humanism, science fiction studies, law and literature, geo-criticism, and many more. These areas have developed through encounters between Literature and fields such as Environmental Studies, Psychology, Medicine, History, Computing, Philosophy, and Sociology. Similar developments can be seen in the Sciences. Maths is used in Biological Modelling; Biology and Computing converge in Bioinformatics; Physics and Computing in Computational Physics; and Economics and Psychology in Behavioural Economics.

If such connections have become important areas of study and research, why should students hear about them only after entering PG programmes? The UG curriculum should provide at least an initial understanding of these possibilities. Boards of Studies, while preparing syllabi, need to consider not only what students have traditionally studied but also where their disciplines are heading. A student choosing English, Physics, Maths, or Biology should have some sense of the academic directions that may emerge from that choice. This will not reduce disciplinary depth but give students a clearer understanding of how their subject can develop when it meets another field.

Interdisciplinary education does not mean abandoning traditional disciplines. A solid grounding in a particular subject is essential before students can meaningfully connect it to another field. Maths underpins Data Science, AI, Economics, and scientific research. Physics contributes to renewable energy, Medical Technology, Materials Science, and Computing. Chemistry has applications in Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals, and environmental research. Biology connects with Computing, Data Science, Biotechnology, and Environmental Studies. English links to Journalism, Communication, Psychology, Medicine, Environmental Studies, and Digital Technology.

The question should, therefore, be not only "What can I do with a degree in Physics?" but also "What can I do with Physics when I connect it with another field?" The same question can be asked of any other discipline. Minors, bridge courses, electives, and credit transfer already provide opportunities for academic flexibility but students may not always know what these options can lead to. The core syllabus itself should introduce possible routes without compromising the major subject. A B.A. English programme, for example, could introduce students to the connections between Literature and Psychology, Environmental Studies, Medicine, Technology, Gender Studies, and journalism. Such an orientation will help students recognise their interests while they are still undergraduates and make informed choices about further study.

The advantage of this approach is that students need not discover their academic direction by chance after graduation. A student interested in psychology could explore that connection during the UG programme; another drawn to technology could become familiar with Digital Humanities; yet another may see the relationship between English and Journalism or Communication. This applies to other traditional programmes. as well. When students can see several possibilities emerging from a degree, the degree itself can become more attractive.

Interdisciplinary education cannot remain the initiative of a few enthusiastic teachers. Institutions need to support joint courses, collaborative teaching, interdepartmental seminars, research projects, and opportunities for undergraduate students to work across disciplines. Boards of Studies from different departments can also collaborate when designing curricula, particularly where their subjects overlap. Research, likewise, should move beyond the pursuit of a degree and generate knowledge that speaks to more than one field.

This also opens the door to transdisciplinary thinking, where academic knowledge comes into conversation with the experience of professionals, communities and other stakeholders. Problems such as climate change, public health and educational reform cannot be addressed by a single discipline. They require different kinds of knowledge to come together. The future of higher education, therefore, need not lie in replacing traditional disciplines. It lies in helping students understand what those disciplines can become when they connect with others. I

The writer is a Professor of English and Dean of Student Affairs, Sahrdaya College of Advanced Studies (Autonomous), Thrissur, Kerala. Email: saniljohn03@gmail.com