NDSU Program Offerings
In our interdisciplinary programs, you can study and do research at the intersection of disciplines, where many of our world’s most pressing problems can be found.
NDSU offers interdisciplinary programs in the following areas of study:
- Cellular and Molecular Biology
- Environmental and Conservation Sciences
- Genomics, Phenomics and Bioinformatics
- Materials and Nanotechnology
- STEM Education
- College Teaching Certificate
For more information on these programs, see the program descriptions below.
Cellular and Molecular Biology
The Cellular and Molecular Biology (CMB) program provides cross-disciplinary research education and training, leading to a doctoral degree that prepares graduates for careers in academia, government, and industry. The program’s purpose is to provide students with a high-quality education that incorporates both breadth and depth in interdisciplinary training, as well as access to contemporary technology and facilities.
Environmental and Conservation Sciences
The graduate program in Environmental and Conservation Sciences (ECS) can culminate in a master’s or doctoral degree. Our integrative curriculum and our multidisciplinary team approach emphasize the common ground shared by all sciences, and seek to bridge methodological and philosophical boundaries that might hinder interdisciplinary communication and cooperation.
Genomics, Phenomics and Bioinformatics
The Genomics, Phenomics and Bioinformatics (GPB) program is an interdisciplinary graduate program that spans multiple colleges at NDSU. The program offers Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in three program areas: functional genomics, phenomics and bioinformatics.
The program is designed to provide students the necessary skills and intellectual background to work cooperatively with others in a research area that take a systems-wide approach to the study of the organization of life and expression and regulation of genes in an organism. Students in the program will perform advanced study, training and research in areas that focus on functional genomics, high-throughput phenotyping, and computation analysis of genomic and phenomic data. Students will learn and master the multi-omics approaches for research in many frontiers. Exposure to modern techniques, instrumentation, computational and statistical methods will prepare the student for success in both industrial and academic careers.
Faculty in the program have broad research focuses including plant and human growth and development, reproduction, defense against abiotic and biotic stresses, and computational and statistical methods.
Materials and Nanotechnology
The Materials and Nanotechnology (MNT) program spans several colleges and centers at NDSU. Both PhD and MS degrees are offered.
Areas of focus include:
- Nanoparticle/polymer synthesis
- Optical and electronic sensing
- Flexible electronics
- Nanocomposites and coatings
- Sustainable materials
- Biomedical engineering
- Targeted drug delivery
Roughly 30 faculty members from a range of departments across campus contribute to the MNT program as advisers, mentors, and professors.
Discipline-Based Education Research
The interdisciplinary Discipline-Based Education Research (DBER) PhD program prepares students to be college faculty. Graduates of the program will have a strong foundation of skills and knowledge to conduct research on teaching and learning at the collegiate level and will be ready to teach both undergraduate and graduate levels in their selected STEM discipline.