General Studies (Interdisciplinary Studies) Bachelor's Military Pathway
Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies
For Catalog Years 2026-2029
Military Pathway Information
This military pathway outlines degree requirements that may be satisfied by military training and experience or exams, as well as requirements that must be satisfied through courses taken at Old Dominion University.
Download a PDF of the General Studies (IDS) (BS) pathway
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Requirements Potentially Met Outside the Classroom
Where indicated, a passing CLEP or DSST examination score will satisfy the ODU course requirement.
- CLEP Exams - College Board
- DSST Exams - GetCollegeCredit.com
- ODU CLEP and DSST Credits
- CLEP Preparation - ModernStates.org
A student may forego the CLEP or DSST option and satisfy the requirements by taking the actual courses. If a course is taken elsewhere, check first for transfer equivalency in ODU's Transfer Equivalency Tool.
Prior learning credit is also available in specific situations at a cost of 20-50% of the current tuition rate. Prior learning credit may not be paid for by military tuition assistance (TA). Prior learning credit cannot exceed 60 credit hours.
Lower Division General Education Requirements
| Military Course, Certification, Experience or Exam | ODU Equivalent Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CLEP College Composition (NOT Modular) | ENGL 110C English Composition | 3 |
| DSST Technical Writing | ENGL 231C Writing, Rhetoric, and Research: Special Topics | 3 |
| Select specialties | Oral Communication requirement | 3 |
| CLEP College Math, College Algebra, or Precalculus | MATH 101M, 102M or 162M | 3 |
| DSST Fundamentals of Algebra or Principles of Statistics | MATH 102M or STAT 130M | |
| CLEP Foreign Languages or military linguist or DLIFLC grad | Language and Culture requirement* | 6 |
| Current or previous E6-E9 | STEM 251G Computer Literacy: Communication and Information | 3 |
| CLEP Any Social Science exam | Human Behavior requirement | 3 |
| CLEP Any History exam | Interpreting the Past requirement | 3 |
| CLEP American or Analyzing & Interpreting Literature | Literature requirement | 3 |
| CLEP Biology | BIOL 121N-124N General Biology I and II lectures and labs | 8 |
| Subtotal: 38 credits | ||
*ODU’s Language and Culture requirement can be satisfied by three years of a foreign language or two years of two foreign languages in high school. Students whose native language is not English are exempt from taking a foreign language for general education.
Department or Major Requirements
| Military Course, Certification, Experience or Exam | ODU Equivalent Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CLEP Introductory Business Law | FIN 331 Legal Environment of Business | 3 |
| CLEP Principles of Marketing | MKTG 311 Marketing Principles and Problems | 3 |
| Current or previous E6 or DSST Principles of Supervision | SEPS 302 Workforce Supervision Management | 3 |
| Current or previous E7 or CLEP Principles of Management | MGMT 325 Contemporary Organizations and Management | 3 |
| Current or previous E8 | MGMT 330 Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| Current or previous E9 | MGMT 410 Leadership in Organizations | 3 |
| DSST Ethics in America | POLS 495 Topics in Political Science | 3 |
| DSST Human Resource Management | MGMT 340 Human Resource Management | 3 |
| DSST Introduction to the Modern Middle East | POLS 466 Politics of the Middle East | 3 |
| DSST Principles of Finance | FIN 323 Introductory Financial Management | 3 |
| DSST Western Europe Since 1945 | POLS 314 European Politics | 3 |
| Subtotal: 33 credits | ||
Total requirements potentially met outside classroom: 71 credits
Requirements Met at ODU
A minimum of 30 credits must be taken at ODU and 120 credits gained in total to earn this degree.
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| IDS 300W Interdisciplinary Theory and Concepts (C or better required; online only) | 3 |
| IDS 493 IDS Electronic Portfolio Project (online only) | 3 |
| IDS 301 Data and Humanities Research | 3 |
| 300/400-level electives from 3 or more different disciplines | 24 |
| Human Creativity requirement | 3 |
| Impact of Technology requirement | 3 |
| Philosophy of Ethics requirement | 3 |
Total requirements met at ODU: 42 credits
Total credits for degree: 120
Next Steps
Review Program Information
Learn more about our General Studies (Interdisciplinary Studies) online program.
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