About the Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs

Outstanding research and educational facilities attract the best and brightest students to The University of Arizona. The 21 Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs (GIDP) have gone through an approval process and were established by the Arizona Board of Regents. In 2017-18, GIDPs produced approximately 10% of all Ph.D. degrees at The University of Arizona. More than 300 students were enrolled in a GIDP; they were registered in 1,200 classes spanning 16 colleges and 78 departments; they were hired by 37 departments in 16 colleges for more than 200 classes. The Carter Travel Award  and Gruener Research Travel Award provided funding to assist nearly 30 students to travel to destinations around the world to present their research. Interdisciplinary excellence among faculty is enhanced through GIDPs. Faculty participating in GIDPs develop strong partnerships campus-wide, state-wide and nationally. There are more than 500 faculty from every college actively involved in GIDPs at The University of Arizona. The participating faculty are significantly successful in obtaining NIH and NSF grants and bring prestige and recognition to the university as a research institute. This strong network of cooperative relationships signifies the intellectual fusion put into practice through The University of Arizona’s Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs.