The science and mathematics departments of the College of Arts and Sciences offer undergraduate programs leading to the Bachelor of Science degree. Students who matriculate for the degree of Bachelor of Science may pursue majors in Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, and Physics and Applied Physics. Students should consult the Graduate School Catalog for information concerning master’s programs in Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Applied Physics, Polymer Science, Radiological Sciences and Protection, and doctoral programs in Chemistry, Computer Science, Physics and Applied Physics.
In addition to satisfying general University requirements for baccalaureate degrees as are defined elsewhere in this publication under the heading “Academic Policies: Baccalaureate Degrees,” students who matriculate for degrees in the College of Arts and Sciences also must complete a specific minimum number of courses and credits in the College of Arts and Sciences. These college requirements are described below. Except as specified by the college and program restrictions, students are permitted to elect any course for which they can satisfy prerequisite requirements in fulfilling an unrestricted elective requirement. However, in order to designate courses from other colleges of the University as science or mathematics courses, students must petition the chairperson of the department in which they are enrolled as majors.
Minor areas of study are offered by all science departments. College majors may also wish to consider minors offered by the social sciences, humanities, and fine arts departments, and specialized course sequences of the College of Engineering. All minor programs of the University require 18-24 credits, six of which must be at the 300 course level or above.
Bachelor of Science Degree
The Bachelor of Science degree is designed to provide a specialized education in one or more of the basic sciences. Specialized Bachelor of Science curricula, which are offered in areas of science and mathematics, provide opportunities for major and minor program options but afford greater opportunities for major specialization than are permitted in comparable Bachelor of Arts curricula.
All Bachelor of Science programs require, as a minimum, 74 credits and 20 courses from the offerings of the science and mathematics departments. At least three courses are required in mathematics beyond pre-calculus mathematics and must include two calculus courses and one additional mathematics elective.
Four science lecture courses with co-requisite laboratories are required. These are selected from approved courses in each department and must include a two-semester sequence from one department outside the student’s major.
For University policies concerning majors presented for the Bachelor of Science degree, see policies that appear elsewhere in this publication under the heading “Academic Policies: Major Field Requirements.”
Below is a list of major fields for the BS degree currently offered in the College of Arts and Sciences, Division of Sciences. Students need not choose an option or concentration.
College Requirements for Science Students
In order to qualify for a baccalaureate degree offered by the science and mathematics departments of the College of Arts and Sciences, undergraduates must comply with the University general education requirements, must conform to the rules of the College of Arts and Sciences that govern degree and major studies for such degrees, and must earn 2.000 averages in their major fields by the end of their senior year.
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