The Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) in Interdisciplinary Studies is offered by COPACE to students with master's degrees. CAGS is designed for those who wish to continue or return to academic study but who do not wish to pursue a doctoral degree.

Although specialization in an area of teaching and research is possible, the interdisciplinary CAGS program encourages a different approach. Clark's program aims to foster breadth beyond a single discipline and to develop solid linkages among the student's area of expertise, new areas of inquiry and methodological approaches. Ultimately, students choose courses from several disciplines. The focus is transdisciplinary, exploring and crossing the borders between traditional fields in the pursuit of new knowledge.

The self-design component of CAGS and course offerings from graduate and professional programs across the University encourage students to fulfill both theoretical and practical needs according to an individualized plan of study. This plan of study is developed immediately after admission into the program, and is usually discussed at some length with the Director of Graduate Programs. Daytime graduate seminars are usually offered in the late afternoon; COPACE graduate seminars meet in the evening. Those interested in the CAGS certificate are invited to review graduate courses listed in the Clark University catalogue as well as in the COPACE catalogue.

The program is designed primarily for working professionals who wish to pursue the advanced certificate on a part-time basis. However, teachers on sabbatical or those whose work provides extended educational benefits may wish to enroll full time. Many students work in the fields of public and private education/administration and enroll in the CAGS program to facilitate promotions, professional advancement, intellectual growth and/or certification in an area beyond their original fields. The program enables educators to develop expertise in disciplines beyond their initial specializations, to engage in specialized research or to integrate new disciplinary approaches into their future curricula.

Clark's CAGS program serves a diverse student body. Professionals in both the public and private sectors who already hold advanced degrees recognize the need for expanding their educational expertise into new areas, such as information and communication technologies, public service, and cross-cultural or intercultural studies.

While a CAGS student may design his/her program in any discipline offered at Clark University, COPACE offers specific concentration clusters that address current educational and cultural concerns such as conflict management, intercultural communication, administration, marketing communications, human resources and training, and other areas in the COPACE graduate degree programs.

Seven courses and a capstone tutorial are required for the CAGS. In consultation with the Director of the Graduate Programs or an advisor, students write a "Study Plan" that outlines their interests and maps out a series of courses compatible with their interests. This course of study includes:

• two "critical perspectives" courses

• five electives

• a Capstone project

Offerings in "critical perspectives" vary each academic year; please check with your advisor. These courses introduce, on a graduate level, methodologies and approaches employed in the several disciplines within an area of study. At least one of these two courses must be in an area other than the field in which the master's degree was earned and outside of the CAGS area of concentration.

Any course offered for graduate credit at COPACE may be selected as an elective. Also, students may choose directed readings or directed research as an elective option. Directed readings and directed research are courses that students design and complete one-on-one with an instructor. A formal proposal describing work to be completed, a tentative bibliography and schedule for faculty/student sessions must be submitted at the time of registration. Directed readings/research forms are available at the COPACE office. As coursework progresses, a student's focus may change. Although five electives are required for the degree, students who shift focus or wish to expand their expertise in an area may register for additional electives.

• By designing and implementing a project of educational or professional importance and reporting the research design and results in a formal project report.

• By writing an extended paper that: explores a theme developed from linking courses in the program; pursues a research question; or, surveys the literature on a topic crucial to the chosen area.

The Capstone experience should demonstrate mastery of the chosen area and illuminate unexpected relationships-whether structural, thematic, conceptual or symbolic by using accepted research methods. The Capstone tutorial is critical for defining the chosen area of study. At the beginning of the fourth course, the student should finalize an outline of the complete course of study and define a tentative Capstone.
Upon completion of the Capstone, each student must present research results at an oral defense. The committee consists of faculty who have worked closely with the student on the Capstone. At least one committee member must be a member of the graduate board. Typically, the primary advisor/first reader establishes, with the student, general parameters for the oral defense.