Interdisciplinary Trends in Higher Education
A Special Issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102) belonging to the section "Higher Education".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2027 | Viewed by 10
Editor
Interests: reflective learning; STEM education; tertiary education; education for sustainable development; science education; curriculim building student skills
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Teaching and learning can no longer be confined within one field, as today's crises demand curricula built on transdisciplinary educational models. This Special Issue of Education Sciences, "Interdisciplinary Trends in Higher Education," invites researchers, educators, and institutional leaders to submit original studies exploring how universities can reform teaching to meet this moment. We welcome contributions—empirical studies, case studies, systematic reviews, and theoretical papers—addressing, but not limited to, the following educational trends:
- Challenge-driven, transdisciplinary curricula that organize coursework around real-world problems, including university "living labs" integrating engineering, policy, and social science
- Integrated curriculum design that dismantles departmental boundaries through interdisciplinary electives, integrative capstone courses, and multidisciplinary co-teaching models
- Competency-based and micro-credentialed education that replaces fixed, single-discipline degree paths with modular, stackable credentials validated against real-world competencies
- Sustainability- and ethics-infused curricula embedding environmental and social awareness across academic programs rather than isolated electives
- Institutional and pedagogical barriers—cultural, structural, or administrative—that hinder interdisciplinary teaching and how universities can overcome them
Manuscripts should offer evidence-based insights with clear implications for educational practice and institutional policy, contributing to the broader debate on how higher education can structurally adapt to societal and environmental challenges. Authors are encouraged to ground their work in international frameworks, such as UNESCO's Education for Sustainable Development competencies, and to highlight practical, replicable strategies for curriculum and institutional reform. This Special Issue seeks to build a body of research that moves interdisciplinary education from rhetoric to structural practice—shaping how universities prepare graduates for a world in continuous change.
Prof. Dr. Jordi Colomer Feliu
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- interdisciplinary education
- transdisciplinary curricula
- higher education reform
- competency-based learning
- micro-credentials
- education for sustainable development
- curriculum integration
- problem-based learning
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