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Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education pp 1179–1184Cite as

Multi-disciplinarity

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Abstract

This paper explores both the origins and usage of the term “multidisciplinarity” and its related cognates such as interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity – particularly in their application to the study of sustainable development. Generally, there has been a lack of consistency and precision in the definitions and use of these terms. In its most precise usage in research, multidisciplinarity does not challenge or transcend conventional disciplinary boundaries, but rather individuals (or disciplinary-focused groups) work on distinct aspects of the common undertaking within the context their own disciplinary base, providing a different perspective on the problem or issue. From the perspective of education, multidisciplinarity does refer to the ability of students to access courses taught by disciplines outside their area of study (i.e., “service subjects”).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and Graduate Programs in Environmental Applied Science and Management, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Michal J. Bardecki

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  1. Michal J. Bardecki
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Correspondence to Michal J. Bardecki .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Life Sciences, World Sustainable Development Research and Transfer Centre, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

Section Editor information

  1. Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia

    Noor Adelyna Mohammed Akib

  2. School of Accounting, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Tehmina Khan

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Bardecki, M.J. (2019). Multi-disciplinarity. In: Leal Filho, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11352-0_90

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