Established in 1999, the Center for Integrative Studies (CIS) continues St. Olaf's long-standing commitment to providing opportunities for students to make meaningful connections among the many parts of their college careers, and to emphasizing the links between students' academic studies and experiences on campus and in other communities.

In the CIS " integrative studies" refers to the intentional combination of diverse methodologies, experiences, subject matters, learning styles, and resources. Individual students may use integrative studies to develop an individual major that satisfies their educational goals. Faculty may use integrative studies to shape a seminar around a compelling topic.

The goals of the CIS are to:

  • enhance the coherence of students' academic careers by promoting opportunities for all students to make meaningful connections among their various educational experiences;
  • help students build bridges, for themselves and others, between the college and other communities; and
  • provide a locus for attention to issues of interdisciplinarity and integration across the college's academic program and generally across students' college experience.


St. Olaf's commitment to integrative learning is evident in the college's many successful interdisciplinary majors and concentrations, in the 30-year history of the Paracollege (1969-2000), and in our faculty's ability to combine diverse approaches to their course topics. To this rich context, the CIS adds the option for students to design and carry out their own interdisciplinary, integrative majors.