Interdisciplinary Studies have a special advantage than routine single disciplinary ones.
Till the school education the students are exposed to all the available studies like social, languages, science, mathematics, arts like drawing, singing, dances etc.
As one proceeds ahead he is allowed to go for specialization studies like either into engineering, science or medicine, social or arts etc.
Though this system is fine and effective, with changing trends and development of knowledge and technology there are chances of missing some important opportunities which would have other wise been possible if multidisciplinary programs were taken up.
A person with pure science subjects like zoology till post graduation level may miss out interesting options like astrobiology, an engineering graduate with excellent creativity in technology may miss out business opportunity if he does not take up management courses. There are good scope for job in private and public sector for those with diverse knowledge. This is where multidisciplinary studies seem to be important.
What is Interdisciplinary Studies ?
Studies exposing to different disciplines of knowledge and subjects is multidisciplinary studies. This can be either.
- Taking up some graduation with multidisciplinary subjects: Ex: Bio-medical science, Pharmacy etc.
- Taking up one disciplinary subject for graduation and another disciplinary in post-graduation. Ex: Science in graduation and law in post graduation, or Engineering in graduation and management studies in post-graduation.
Advantages of multidisciplinary studies:
- They improve scope of jobs: In major companies candidate with multidisciplinary education will be preferred over normal candidates. This is because the needs of a company are so diverse that to be efficient they need a guy who has knowledge on laws of the land, the business, market opportunities besides the basic skill required at work like for production or manufacture or testing. Even you will notice that in a software company previously programmers were paid well but now consultants i.e. those who have knowledge of programming and experience in some non related area like mining, pharmacy and metallurgy are paid well. This is because a programmer can just program but a guy with multidisciplinary study can take up the job to build a program required for the company needs.
- Improve the scope of learning: The horizons of learning become vast when one takes up multidisciplinary programs. This is because one has to get thorough in more than one line of knowledge to be efficient.
- Shows more innovative ways to research: Most scientist and researchers face the problem when they think of some new innovations to take up. This is because the field is so competitive than all most all the ideas to innovate are already taken by some one else. So when they go for multidisciplinary subjects they can find chances of innovations by applying the combined knowledge of subjects. Ex: If a guy with B.tech in electronics takes up M.tech in material science. Then he can know what material or combination are more better for improving memory of computers, the material for better performance etc.
- Ability to apply knowledge of one discipline to another for better benefits: We come across many diagnostic machines in a hospital. Do you think it is possible for doctors to make all those instruments? This is quite impossible. But application of engineering techniques to evaluate body physiology helps the doctors to go for better diagnosis.
