Interdisciplinary Initiatives

Discover New Possibilities When Paths Intersect

As graduate students and postdocs, you are increasingly drawn to research questions that lie at the intersection of traditional disciplines.

To find solutions to complex societal challenges, you will need to make connections with mentors and peers outside your discipline, explore unfamiliar methods and theories, and think in new ways about the research questions you ask and the solutions you imagine.

The Graduate School will support you on your journey by helping to ensure that strong interdisciplinary programs continue to thrive and that promising new interdisciplinary initiatives are introduced that will give you the experiences, knowledge, and skills you need to succeed.

Key Interdisciplinary Resources at the University

Explore University Resources

The University—with its land-grant mission, extraordinary disciplinary breadth, excellent faculty, and state-of-the art facilities—is well-situated to provide excellent interdisciplinary graduate education and postdoctoral training for those who are committed to solving the world’s grand challenges. Explore a variety of interdisciplinary opportunities, ranging from interdisciplinary major and minor programs, fellowships, and for-credit and not-for-credit courses and workshops.  

• Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellowship (IDF)
• University of Minnesota Grand Challenges Research Initiative
• University-wide Interdisciplinary Centers and Institutes

Interdisciplinary Graduate Groups

Interdisciplinary Graduate Groups (IDGGs) are integral resources available at the University of Minnesota to help connect you to people outside your major field who share your research interests. The University is home to a number of IDGGs, which bring together graduate students, postdocs, faculty, staff, and outside experts to collaborate on interdisciplinary research related to a variety of themes including health and wellbeing, food security, critical race studies, and sustainability.