Today’s college graduates with traditional discipline-oriented backgrounds are often discovering that their jobs bridge more than one area of specialization. Rensselaer’s Ph.D. program in Multidisciplinary Science (MDSC) focuses on helping graduates perform more effectively in multidisciplinary environments. Students in the MSDC program interact with faculty representing a variety of disciplines. They also participate in interdisciplinary research that crosses at least two science disciplines, or at least one in Science and one or more in Engineering, Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Architecture or Management.

The program is especially well suited for students whose research interests do not match any other existing Ph.D. program in the School of Science. Students in the program must have a research advisor who is a tenured or tenure-track professor in the School of Science who will serve as the primary advisor. It is highly recommended that the student has a second advisor from a second discipline that their research applies to.

Students interested in pursuing such a multidisciplinary graduate program must follow Rensselaer’s standard graduate admission guidelines. In addition, the student must demonstrate that there has been previous contact with a faculty member or multiple faculty members at Rensselaer concerning the proposed multidisciplinary research and that financial support is available before admission. With the help of the faculty member who is to be the principal research adviser, the student should prepare a preliminary research proposal that clearly indicates why this research is suited for the multidisciplinary program instead of another graduate program.

Students who successfully complete the Multidisciplinary Sciences Ph.D. program will be able to demonstrate:

• an in-depth knowledge of the fundamentals of one field of science and at least one other field (science or related).
• ability to analyze and interpret scientific literature and scientific presentations in the chosen science field and in the related field(s).
• formulation of important research questions that cross multiple disciplines and formulate and carry out a research program to address these questions.
• communication of research problems and findings both in written and oral formats.
• ability to engage with experts from multiple fields to assist in the investigation of important problems that cross these fields.

Any questions regarding the program can be directed to Kaylyn Getwright at getwrk@rpi.edu.