Interdisciplinary Sciences in Higher Education

Abstract

According to the speedy progress of science and technology during the past years, different branches of science are more dispersed. As a result, there are fewer connections between them in the whole structure of science. On the other hand, solving complicated problems in the realms of science and technology needs more comprehensive perspectives. During the past years, considerable attentions have been paid to interdisciplinary studies, and according to the corresponding needs, it has also been extended to interdisciplinary education. However, it is not an easy task to apply the concept of interdisciplinary education. However, it is not an easy task to apply the concept of interdisciplinarity to various disciplines having different systems. This uncommon situation has made it subject of controversial debates. In other words, contrary to common belief that interdisciplinarity is merely based on the process of mixing different disciplines, it is a complicated issue needing special considerations. The first step is to know different aspects of interdisciplinarity and then analyzing the subject under consideration. In the present paper, the basic concepts of interdisciplinary are described by introducing its common terminology. Furthermore, some essential requirements for performing interdisciplinary programs (in higher education level) are discussed based on solid arguments and known facts. To this aim, the most commonly accepted standpoints about interdisciplinary education are used.

Keywords

• higher education
• interdisciplinary
• interdisciplinarity
• science and technology
• disciplines