Santa Clara University

Undergraduate Bulletins - Combined Sciences Program

COMBINED SCIENCES PROGRAM

Director: Steven L. Fedder (Chemistry)

The College of Arts and Sciences offers a Bachelor of Science in combined sciences for students who have an interdisciplinary interest in the sciences. This degree provides breadth of basic natural science training along with meaningful exposure to analytical frameworks used in the social sciences. The combined sciences major nourishes intellectual flexibility by fostering awareness of the multiplicity of forces that shape our world. This major offers good preparation for times of dramatic change by encouraging students to think about interconnections among processes other sciences may examine in isolation.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR

In addition to fulfilling University Core Curriculum and College of Arts and Sciences requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree, students majoring in combined sciences must complete the following departmental requirements:

  • MATH 11, 12
  • BIOL 21, 22, 24
  • BIOL 23 or 25
  • CHEM 11, 12, 13, 31, 32
  • PHYS 11, 12, 13 or PHYS 31, 32, 33
  • ENVS 11 or 12 or CHEM 1
  • POLI 1 or SOCI 1
  • ANTH 3 or POLI 2
  • PSYC 1 or PSYC 2 or PSYC 150 or SOCI 127
  • BIOL 187 or SOCI 138 or ECON 101
  • SOCI 148, 149, 165 or 172
  • Five other approved upper-division courses, two of which must be selected from the natural sciences (biology, chemistry, or physics)

PREPARATION IN COMBINED SCIENCES FOR ADMISSION TO TEACHER TRAINING CREDENTIAL PROGRAMS

The State of California requires that students seeking a credential to teach science in California secondary schools must pass the California Subject Examination for Teachers (CSET), a subject area competency examination. The secondary teaching credential requires the completion of an approved credential program that can be completed as a fifth year of study and student teaching, or internship. Students who are contemplating secondary school teaching in science should consult with the coordinator in the Department of Chemistry as early as possible.