Interdisciplinary Majors

This major is jointly offered by the Physics and Biology Departments. The curriculum allows students to apply the principles of physics, math, and chemistry to their study of the molecular mechanisms of biological systems. This major prepares students for careers in medicine, other health-related professions, and graduate school in biophysics. For program details and course requirements, visit the Physics department's website.

Jointly offered by the Biology and Psychology Departments, this interdisciplinary major provides students with an opportunity to explore the underpinnings of the life sciences and human behavior. This curriculum provides excellent preparation for careers in medicine and other health-related fields, as well as careers in science and psychology-related areas. It is also an excellent foundation for graduate studies in the life sciences (e.g., neurobiology, physiology, microbiology), the interdisciplinary field of neuroscience, and various programs in psychology (e.g., clinical, neuropsychology, health). Ideally, students should declare this major by the end of their first year.

Requirements for the Major

Requirements for the biology/psychology interdisciplinary major include:

• BL 150  -  Foundations of Biology I and
• BL 151  -  Foundations of Biology I Lab
• BL 152  -  Foundations of Biology II and
• BL 153  -  Foundations of Biology II Lab
• BL 154  -  Foundations of Biology III and
• BL 155  -  Foundations of Biology III Lab
• PY 101  -  Introductory Psychology
• PY 291  -  Research Methods I (with Lab)
• PY 292  -  Research Methods II (with Lab)
• PY 200  -  Professional Development in Psychology
• One PY Mastery (400-Level) course.
• ST 210  -  Introduction to Statistics or
• ST 265  -  Biostatistics

Three biology electives at the 200-level or higher.

Two additional biology electives at the 300-level or higher.

Four Psychology Electives

Four psychology electives at the 200-level or higher. Students are encouraged to discuss this elective selection with their academic advisor and to choose courses that complement their interests and professional goals.

One Course from the Following

• CH 101  -  General Chemistry I and
• CH 105  -  General Chemistry Lab I
• CH 102  -  General Chemistry II and
• CH 106  -  General Chemistry Lab II
• MA 251  -  Calculus I or
• MA 252  -  Calculus II
• PH 101  -  Introductory Physics I with Lab
• PH 102  -  Introductory Physics II with Lab
• CS 151  -  Computer Science through Programming
• CS 212  -  Object-Oriented Data Structures
• Other courses may be substituted with prior approval of the department chair or Director of Curriculum and Advising

Students who are interested in pursuing an interdisciplinary major in Biology and Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences will need to take the required Biology and Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences courses listed below. In addition to the following, students are required to complete five upper-level biology electives (three 200-Level+ and two 300-Level+).

Required Courses

• BL 150  -  Foundations of Biology I and
• BL 151  -  Foundations of Biology I Lab
• BL 152  -  Foundations of Biology II ​and
• BL 153  -  Foundations of Biology II Lab
• BL 154  -  Foundations of Biology III ​and
• BL 155  -  Foundations of Biology III Lab
• Three biology electives (200-level or higher)
• Two biology electives (300 level or higher)
• SP 103  -  Introduction to Communication Disorders
• SP 201  -  Hearing Science and Acoustics
• SP 205  -  Phonetics
• SP 206  -  Observation Methods and Techniques in Speech-Language Pathology/Audiology
• SP 207  -  Speech and Language Development
• SP 301  -  Anatomy and Physiology: Speech and Voice
• SP 304  -  Articulation and Phonological Disorders
• SP 308  -  Professional and Technical Writing in Speech-Language Pathology/Audiology
• SP 340  -  Clinical Audiology
• SP 400  -  Speech Science
• SP 441  -  Aural Habilitation
• Two courses from CH, CS, MA/ST, or PH.  These courses must be those typically taken by biology majors.

Two courses

Students are required to complete two courses from the following:

• CH 101  -  General Chemistry I and
• CH 105  -  General Chemistry Lab I
• CH 102  -  General Chemistry II and
• CH 106  -  General Chemistry Lab II
• CS 151  -  Computer Science through Programming
• CS 212  -  Object-Oriented Data Structures
• MA 251  -  Calculus I or
• MA 252  -  Calculus II or
• ST 210  -  Introduction to Statistics or
• ST 265  -  Biostatistics
• PH 101  -  Introductory Physics I with Lab
• PH 102  -  Introductory Physics II with Lab
• Other courses may be substituted with prior approval of the department chair or Director of Curriculum and Advising.

Note:

Statistics (ST 110 or higher) will fulfill the math core requirement; a foundational biology course and general chemistry with a lab (CH 101/CH 105) will fulfill natural science core for both majors; it is recommended that students satisfy the satisfy the social science core with a psychology course for both majors.