Learning Outcomes
- Content Knowledge: The student is able to apply basic scientific and quantitative principles and the relationships between them across different scales to understand issues in health and environment.
- Epistemology of Science: Using historical and contemporary examples, the student is able to describe the process of science and the interplay between inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning.
- Social Context/Interdisciplinary: The student is able to recognize the importance of the interplay between science and society.
- Quantitative Reasoning/Visual Literacy: The student is able to use quantitative methods to solve problems, analyze scientific data, and construct conceptual mathematical models.
- Lab Skills: The student is able to design, execute, and interpret the results of experiments in a laboratory setting.
- Skills and Abilities: The student can locate, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate sources of scientific information to address problems, make decisions, and take action. The student can communicate science effectively in a variety of forms and can work on a sustained project independently and in collaboration with others.
- Personal Empowerment: The student expresses excitement, confidence, and passion about science and society and understands how science can be an agent for social change.
Requirements for the Interdisciplinary Science Major
(BA Interdisciplinary Science)
in addition to the Interdisciplinary Science requirements outlined below, Lang has general requirements, including a minimum number of credits in liberal arts courses and college residency requirements. All students should read these general degree requirements for all BA and BS degrees and consult with their Student Success advisor and departmental faculty advisor each semester to ensure that they are on track to graduate.
Students must receive grades of C or higher in all courses required for the major. Only specific courses satisfy the major requirements, including electives. Courses should be chosen carefully, in consultation with the departmental faculty advisor.
The major in Interdisciplinary Science requires completion of 13 courses, distributed as follows. Track your progress using the program worksheets below. Because the program emphasizes connection across many scales (molecular, cellular, population, and ecosystem), students seeking either the major or minor are required to complete Foundation courses that address both microscopic and macroscopic scales.
Advising and Resources
See Interdisciplinary Science Advising and Resources for information about:
- Identifying and selecting classes
- Funding research and internship opportunities for IS students
- Training programs, conferences, and resources related to graduate school
- Local seminars and research experiences for undergraduates (REUs)
- IS job opportunities
- IS study abroad opportunities
- Professional societies
- Conferences and journals
Required Courses
The major in Interdisciplinary Science requires the following courses. Track your progress using the requirements worksheet (below), and visit the IS Advising and Resources page for information about identifying and selecting courses that meet the requirements.
Introductory Courses
- LSCI 2700 Energy and Sustainability (spring; 4 credits)
- LMTH 2050 Math Models in Nature (spring; 4 credits)
- LSCI 2500 Chemistry of the Environment (fall; 4 credits)
- LSCI 2040 Genes, Environment, and Behavior (spring; 4 credits)
- LSCI 3020 Methods of Scientific Inquiry (4 credits) (For Methods, consult with the departmental faculty advisor; LSCI 3031 Chemistry of Atmosphere and LSCI 3055 Microbiome of Urban Spaces can count in some cases.)
- 2 LSCI foundation courses (4 credits each). Choose from the courses below (macro scale; must be chosen in consultation with the departmental faculty advisor):
- LSCI 2037 Foundations in Physics (fall/spring; not being offered in 2019 and 2020)
- LSCI 2300 Urban Environmental Health (fall)
- LSCI 2840 Science and Politics of Infectious Diseases (spring)
- LSCI 2320 Microbial Ecologies (fall)
Other Required Courses
- 1 additional LMTH Math course (4 credits). Choose from the courses below, in consultation with the departmental faculty advisor:
- LMTH 2040 Calculus (spring/fall)
- LMTH 2045 Calculus II (spring/fall)
- LMTH 2030 Statistics with SPSS (spring/fall)
- LMTH 2014 Quantitative Reasoning II: Research Methods and Data Visualization
- 1 LSCI Laboratory Science course (4 credits). Choose from the courses below. All have prerequisites:
- LSCI 3030 Biodiversity Achieved Lab (6 credits; prerequisite: LSCI 2040 Genes, Environment, and Behavior) (alternate years in the fall)
- LSCI 3029 Water Quality Lab (4 credits; prerequisite: LSCI 2500 Chemistry of the Environment) (alternate years in the spring)
- LSCI 3055 Microbiome of Urban Spaces (4 credits; prerequisite: LSCI 2320 Microbial Ecologies or LSCI 2040 Genes, Environment, and Behavior) (only for Interdisciplinary Science minors and BA/BFA students)
- LSCI 2320 Microbial Ecologies (fall) (only for Interdisciplinary Science minors and BA/BFA students)
- 2 LSCI Intermediate/Advanced courses (prerequisites required; offered alternate years; total 8 credits). Choose from:
- LSCI 3031 Chemistry of the Atmosphere
- LSCI 3400 Genomes, Populations, and Identities
- Other 3000-level LSCI or LMTH courses with prerequisites
- 1 additional LSCI, LMTH, or UENV elective that has not been applied toward satisfying a requirement above. Must be selected in consultation with the departmental faculty advisor (3-4 credits). NOTE: The following courses do not satisfy this requirement: Quantitative Reasoning I, Pre-Calculus, and Statistics for the Social Sciences.
First-Year courses and History or Philosophy courses can count in some cases,
with approval from the departmental faculty advisor.
Senior Capstone. One 4000-level course selected in consultation with the departmental faculty advisor or the chair of the department) (3-4 credits). Choose from:
- LSCI 4900 IS Capstone: Planetary Health (4 credits)
- LSCI 4050 Science and Politics of Cancer (4 credits)
Total credits: 49-54