What Is the History and Mission of the Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs at the University of Arizona?

The Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs (GIDPs) at the University of Arizona were founded more than 60 years ago by directors who believed that the most ambitious research could not be conducted within traditional departmental boundaries. Their mission is to facilitate teaching and research where traditional disciplines intersect, and the programs are described as an integral part of the University of Arizona's Mission Statement. This page explains the origin, the mission, and how the programs operate today, based on the GIDP website.

The Founding Idea: Research Beyond Departments

More than 60 years ago, the founding directors of the GIDP recognized a limit in how graduate research was typically organized. Traditional academic departments, in their view, could not effectively support work that crossed disciplinary lines. Their response was to create a structure for graduate training that drew on multiple fields at once.

That early effort established a standard at the University of Arizona: a broader range of research and training than a single department could offer. According to the GIDP website, that standard "has endured at UA."

The Mission Today

The GIDP mission is built on the idea that fusing ideas, techniques, and expertise from traditional academic fields produces new research methods and entirely new fields of endeavor. The website describes the programs as transcending departmental boundaries by facilitating "cutting edge teaching and research where traditional disciplines interface."

Two features of the mission stand out:

• Collaboration across campus. The GIDPs work through collaborative relationships between colleges across the university. The site states that these relationships between the colleges and the 21 GIDPs create unique opportunities for students to pursue their research aspirations.
• Institutional commitment. The GIDPs are described as an integral part of the University of Arizona's Mission Statement, and student enthusiasm for the programs is called one of their strongest characteristics. The university frames interdisciplinary research and education as one way it fosters innovation and creativity among faculty and students.

The Programs in Numbers

The GIDP website presents several figures that show the scale of the programs. These are the site's own published numbers:

These numbers are useful for understanding the programs' footprint, but they describe scale rather than the quality or fit of any individual program. A prospective student should treat them as context, not as a reason to choose a specific GIDP.

What This Means for Prospective Students

The history and mission point to a few practical considerations:

• Interdisciplinary by design. If your research question sits between traditional departments, the GIDP structure was created for exactly that situation. If your interests are squarely within one discipline, a departmental program may be a more direct fit.
• Funding is common but not guaranteed. The site reports that 65% of GIDP students are funded through Graduate Assistantships, and that 59 campus departments have hired GIDP students in those roles. That suggests broad assistantship opportunities, but it does not establish that every student in every program will be funded. Confirm funding details with the specific program you are considering.
• Check the specific program. The GIDP is an umbrella spanning 21 programs. Admission requirements, faculty, and degree details vary by program, so use the GIDP site as a starting point and then look at the individual program pages.

Where to Go Next

The GIDP website at gidp.arizona.edu is the entry point for learning about the programs, their history, and their current scope. From there, identify the specific interdisciplinary program that matches your research interests and review its requirements and funding information directly.