Mar 28, 2024  
2020-2021 University Catalog 
    
2020-2021 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Interdisciplinary Science, BS (Biology)


About the Program

The interdisciplinary science major is designed to provide College of Science students with a broad base in the sciences. By combining a primary area of science study, an interdisciplinary science core, a supporting area of academic interest and the core curriculum shared by all College of Science programs, students explore how the disciplines of science come together to identify and solve scientific challenges. Students customize the major by selecting a departmental or interdepartmental primary area based in science and a supporting area that complements or enhances the primary area. This supporting area may be an approved minor from any college or school at the University or a concentration of 18 credits of courses with a unifying theme. There is a primary area representing each department in the College of Science, however, cross-disciplinary areas may be explored and added as appropriate. With the help of either a faculty member or an academic advisor, students are encouraged to petition for approval of their supporting area.

The Interdisciplinary Science Major is designed to give a student a broad base in the sciences with more depth in a Primary Area of Science and a Supporting Area, usually outside of Science. The Core courses are common across the major but the student customizes the major by selecting a departmental or interdepartmental Primary Area based in Science and a Supporting Area which may come from any college or school at the University. There is a Primary Area representing each department in the College of Science and cross-disciplinary areas will be explored and added as appropriate. Several Supporting Areas will be suggested and a student may petition for approval of others.

Students completing the interdisciplinary science major have gone on to a variety of careers - some in, and others out of, the world of science. These careers include medicine, lay and other advanced-study professions, scientific sales, technical and scientific writing, computer programming and engineering.

Interdisciplinary Science Major Change (CODO) Requirements  

Curriculum and Degree Requirements for College of Science


A College of Science degree is conferred when a student successfully completes all requirements in their degree program.  Students will complete coursework or approved experiential learning activities to meet the following three degree components:

  1. Major
  2. Science Core Curriculum
  3. Electives

Students may use any of the following options to meet College of Science degree requirements:

  • Purdue Coursework
  • Ap, IB, and CLEP credit.  The use of AP and IB coursework varies between College of Science degree plans.
  • Transfer Credit. Students should consult the Admissions Transfer Credit Resource page for all available transfer options.

College of Science degree programs vary widely in their approval and use of the proceeding options and thus students are strongly encouraged to work closely with their academic advisors and to regularly consult their MyPurduePlan to view the use of each option in their degree plan. 

Most College of Science degree programs contain elective credits students may use to pursue courses that relate to their interests or which support their major area of study. The elective area of a degree plan may also be used to complete minors, second majors and certificates such as the Entrepreneurial Certificate. With the exception of courses on the No Count List, any Purdue course may be used to meet the elective area of a student’s degree plan.

College of Science Core Requirements

All Students starting Purdue University Fall semester, 2007 or later are required to pursue the 2007 Science Core curriculum.

The College of Science Core Curriculum requires the completion of approved coursework and/or experiential learning opportunities in the following academic areas:

Earning Core Curricular Requirements through Experience

Students may meet selected core curriculum requirements through approved experiential learning opportunities. Interested students should contact their academic advisor for more information on this option and incorporating experiential learning into their four-year program of study. For more information on earning requirements through experience, please click here.

Degree Requirements


120 Credits Required

Departmental/Program Major Courses (67-81 credits)


Required Interdisciplinary Core Courses (34-47 credits)


Required Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science Selective Courses (3-4 credits)


Choose one option below.

Select courses COULD satisfy Science for University Core:

Required Mathematics Courses (6-10 credits)


Choose one option below.

Satisfies Quantitative Reasoning for University Core:

Required Supporting Area Courses (18 credits)


MUST BE APPROVED BY COLLEGE.  Please see your advisor for approval options.  

Other Departmental/Program Course Requirements (15-37 credits)


COLLEGE OF SCIENCE CORE REQUIREMENTS

  • FIRST-YEAR COMPOSITION – Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00 (satisfies Written Communication and Information Literacy for core)

  • or
  • or
  • or
  •  

  • TECHNICAL WRITING AND PRESENTATION*- Credit Hours: 0.00 - 6.00 (Select courses COULD satisfy Oral Communication for core; COM 21700  is strongly recommended)

     

    TEAM-BUILDING & COLLABORATION* - Credit Hours: 0.00 - 3.00

     

    LANGUAGE & CULTURE^* - Credit Hours: 0.00 - 9.00 (Select courses COULD satisfy Humanities for core)

                    Language/Culture Option I

                    Language/Culture Option II

                    Language/Culture Option III

     

    GREAT ISSUES IN SCIENCE - Credit Hours: 3.00

     

    MULTIDISCIPLINARY EXPERIENCE^* - Credit Hours: 0.00 - 3.00 (Select courses COULD satisfy Science, Technology, Society for core)

     

    LABORATORY SCIENCE -  Met with Major Required Courses

     

    MATHEMATICS  -  Met with Major Required Courses

     

    STATISTICS -  Met with Major Required Courses

     

    COMPUTING -  Met with Major Required Courses

     

    GENERAL EDUCATION^ (Select courses COULD satisfy Behavioral/Social Science for core) - Credit Hours: 9.00

                    General Education Option I

                    General Education Option II

                    General Education Option III

  • ^ Labeled as a Science Core Selection in the four year plan of study

    *Requirement may be met with a zero credit experiential learning option. See your advisor for more information

Electives (2-38 credits)


University Core Requirements


For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the Provost’s Website.
  • Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
  • Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
  • Information Literacy (IL)
  • Oral Communication (OC)
  • Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
  • Science #1 (SCI)
  • Science #2 (SCI)
  • Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
  • Written Communication (WC)

Prerequisite Information:


For current pre-requisites for courses, click here.


 

Program Requirements


Fall 1st Year


15-18 Credits


Spring 1st Year


13-18 Credits


15-16 Credits


Spring 2nd Year


17 Credits


Fall 3rd Year


15 Credits


Spring 3rd Year


15-16 Credits


Fall 4th Year


  • Biology Selective Course 3.00 - 4.00
  • Supporting Area Course - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Great Issues In Science - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Required Physics Selective Course: I - Credit Hours: 4.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 2.00

15-16 Credits


Spring 4th Year


  • Supporting Area Course - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Required Physics Selective Course: II - Credit Hours: 4.00
  • Science Core Selection - Credit Hours: 3.00 - 4.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 2.00

16-18 Credits


Note


  • 2.0 Graduation GPA required for Bachelor of Science degree.

Critical Course


The ♦ course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major.  Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful.  These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program”. 

World Language Courses


World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor.

ASL-American Sign Language

ARAB-Arabic CHNS-Chinese FR-French
GER-German GREK-Greek (ancient) HEBR-Hebrew (Biblical) HEBR-Hebrew (modern)
ITAL-Italian JPNS-Japanese KOR-Korean LATN-Latin
PTGS-Portuguese RUSS-Russian SPAN-Spanish  

Disclaimer


The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements.

The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.