Degree Requirements

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Social Context/Interdisciplinary: The student is able to recognize the importance of the interplay between science and society.
4. Quantitative Reasoning/Visual Literacy: The student is able to use quantitative methods to solve problems, analyze scientific data, and construct conceptual mathematical models.
5. Lab Skills: The student is able to design, execute, and interpret the results of experiments in a laboratory setting.
6. 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.
7. Personal Empowerment: The student expresses excitement, confidence, and passion about science and society and understands how science can be an agent for social change.

Lang’s General Degree Requirements

In addition to the requirements outlined here, Lang has specific requirements, including a minimum number of credits in liberal arts courses as well as college residency requirements. All students should read Lang’s General Degree Requirements and consult with both their Student Success advisor and their Departmental Faculty Advisor each semester to ensure that they are on track to graduate.

Degree Works

To be sure their Degree Works account reflects the information in this worksheet, students should forward any approved exemptions from the following requirements to their Student Success advisor.

Requirements for the BA in Interdisciplinary Science

As of fall 2020, students declaring the major in Interdisciplinary Science must take 12 courses, outlined as follows. An internship/research project is recommended, and a science fellowship is optional and merit-based. Students must earn a grade of C or higher in all courses to meet the requirements for the major in Interdisciplinary Science. Declare your major by following the process outlined in Declaring Your Major. Students declare their major at various points, but we recommend that when you declare, you review the sample course menu in the Interdisciplinary Science Worksheet below, submit a MAJORS/MINOR statement, and schedule an advising appointment with the Departmental Faculty Advisor of the Interdisciplinary Science Program so that advising can be personalized and appropriate to your interests and post-graduate plans.

Students who have declared the major in Interdisciplinary Science before fall 2020 but wish to follow the fall 2020 curriculum can consult their Student Success advisor about submitting a Change of Catalog Year request. Only specific courses satisfy the major requirements, including electives. Courses should be chosen carefully, in consultation with the Departmental Faculty Advisor and your Student Success advisor. Read the IS Major/Minor Statement Guide and track your progress using the program worksheet (below). Consult our 4-Year Lang Career Pathways Map (PDF) for helpful steps and resources to link your academic journey to your future plans.

See the university course catalog for fall 2025 Interdisciplinary Science courses that fulfill these requirements.  

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

Major Requirements

Introductory courses—6 courses total (18–24 credits):

• LSCI 2040 Genes, Environment, and Behavior 
• LMTH 2055 Modeling with Quantitative Data 
• LSCI 2500 Chemistry of the Environment
• LSCI 2700 Energy and Sustainability
• LSCI 2320 Microbial Ecologies
• 1 approved LSCI 2000-level foundation course

• Choose 1 Mathematics course from the list below. Consult with the Departmental Faculty Advisor.
  
  • LMTH 2040 Calculus I 
  • LMTH 2045 Calculus II
  • LMTH 2030 Statistics with SPSS
  • LMTH 2014 QRII Research Methods and Visualization (prerequisite: QR I or QR placement test) 
    
    
• Choose 1 LSCI 3xxx Laboratory Science course (all have prerequisites)
  
  
• Choose 2 LSCI 3xxx intermediate/advanced courses at the 3000 level or above. (Note that these courses are offered every year, but course offerings may vary from year to year. All have prerequisites.)

• 1 LSCI /LMTH elective other than Quantitative Reasoning I. With faculty approval, a non-LSCI/LMTH course may fulfill this requirement. This must be chosen in consultation with the departmental faculty advisor. 
  
  
• In addition to the requirements outlined above, students are encouraged to discuss the following options with their departmental faculty advisor:
      • Internship/Research (recommended)
      • Science Fellowship (merit-based)

Senior Capstone (3–4 credits):

• Choose 1 Interdisciplinary Science capstone in consultation with the departmental faculty advisor or the chair of the department:
  • LSCI 4900 Interdisciplinary Science Capstone
  • An approved graduate-level course

Total credits: 39–48

To be sure you are on course to graduate, track your progress using the Interdisciplinary Science worksheet for the year in which you declared your major: 

Fall 2024-Spring 2025:
- Interdisciplinary Science Worksheet and Suggested Schedule
- Major/Minor Declaration Statement

Fall 2023–Spring 2024:
- Interdisciplinary Science Worksheet and Suggested Schedule
- Major/Minor Declaration Statement

Fall 2022–Spring 2023:
- Interdisciplinary Science Worksheet and Suggested Schedule
- Major/Minor Declaration Statement

Fall 2021–Spring 2022:
- Interdisciplinary Science Worksheet  (Check Sheet) and Suggested Schedule (PDF)
- Major/Minor Declaration Statement

Fall 2020–Spring 2021:
- Interdisciplinary Science Worksheet (Check Sheet) and Suggested Schedule (PDF)
- Major/Minor Declaration Statement

Spring 2020:
- Interdisciplinary Science Worksheet (Check Sheet) and Suggested Schedule (PDF)
- Major/Minor Declaration Statement

2019–2020:
- Interdisciplinary Science Worksheet (Check Sheet) and Suggested Schedule (PDF)
- Major/Minor Declaration Statement

2018–2019:
- Interdisciplinary Science Worksheet (Check Sheet) and Suggested Schedule (PDF)
- Major/Minor Declaration Statement