Mar 29, 2024  
2018-2019 SDSM&T Academic Catalog 
    
2018-2019 SDSM&T Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Interdisciplinary Sciences: Atmospheric Sciences Specialization, BS


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Dr. Adam J. French
Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences Program
Mineral Industries Building 208
(605) 394-1649
E-mail: Adam.French@sdsmt.edu

ATM Flowchart  

Interdisciplinary Sciences B.S.


Interdisciplinary Sciences Program Admission Policy

After successful completion of at least 60 credit hours and at least one year prior to the intended graduation date, the student must apply for admission to the degree program by filing a plan of study with the IS curriculum committee. The plan of study must be approved by the curriculum committee before a student will be formally admitted to the program. This plan of study consists of (1) a Letter of Intent stating the career goals to which the IS degree coursework is to be applied and (2) an IS worksheet showing the courses already taken and the courses to be completed prior to graduation. The Letter of Intent and worksheet must be reviewed and approved by the student’s IS advisor before submission to the curriculum committee. The Letter of Intent form and worksheet may be accessed on the IS website.

Deadline for submitting the Letter of Intent and worksheet to the IS office: For May graduates - April 30 of the preceding year; for August graduates - July 30 of preceding year; for December graduates - November 30 of preceding year. Students must have an approved Letter of Intent and IS worksheet on file in the IS office before registering for IS 498 , the senior capstone project.

General Requirements for Graduation


For all interdisciplinary sciences specializations, students are responsible to check with their advisors for any program modifications that may occur after the publication of this catalog.

I. IS Core Courses (IS 201 , IS 401 , IS 498 ) 9 credits
  
II. English sequence (ENGL 101 , ENGL 279 , ENGL 289 ) 9 credits
  
III. Math, Computer Science, Sciences  
  Math and Computer Sciences 1 min. 12
  Biology 2 min. 3
  Chemistry 2 min. 3
  Additional Natural Sciences 2 min. 24
  Other Math, CSC, Sciences min. 18
SUBTOTAL 60
   
IV. Humanities and Social Sciences  
  Humanities general education 6
  Humanities upper division 6
  Social Sciences general education 6
  Social Science upper division 6
SUBTOTAL 24
  
V. Program Approved Electives 3 18
  
120 credits required for graduation

Curriculum Notes


1 All IS specializations require MATH 123   Calculus I or a math course requiring MATH 123  as its prerequisite.  Some specializations require additional math courses beyond Math 123.

2 All IS specializations require a minimum of 30 credit hours in the natural sciences, including 6 hours in sequence (e.g., BIOL 151/BIOL 153) and 12 hours at the upper division.  Chemistry must be at the CHEM 112  level or higher. Biology must be at the BIOL 121  level or higher.  Students are expected to identify a science concentration and are encouraged to pursue a science minor as appropriate to their specialization.

3 Engineering courses may be counted toward graduation as electives only.

Thirty-six of the required 120 credits must be at the junior or senior level (courses numbered 300 and above.)

Students must meet the Institutional Credit Requirements, which include completion of a minimum of 30 credits from the School of Mines. In addition, 15 of the last 30 credits counted towards the degree must be taken from School of Mines.

Interdisciplinary Sciences Core Courses


All IS students take a sequence of three core courses distributed over three years. These courses are sequential and cannot be taken concurrently. IS courses cannot be counted for humanities/social science credit.

Specialization in Atmospheric Sciences: Curriculum/Course Checklist


Course sequences may vary by student entry year, math/science placements, availability of AES courses, and career objectives. Students should consult with an atmospheric and environmental sciences/interdisciplinary sciences advisor for a more personalized course of study based on career goals within the atmospheric and environmental sciences.

Required Courses for the Atmospheric Sciences Specialization Are:


  •  All courses and other curriculum requirements for the general IS degree requirement.
  • The atmospheric sciences undergraduate series:  AES 201, AES 401, AES 404, AES 406, AES 430, AES 450, AES 455, AES 460.
  • The following mathematics and science courses (including required prerequisites):  BIOL 311, CHEM 112, CHEM 112L, CHEM 114, CHEM 114L, CSC 150 or CSC 170, PHYS 211, PHYS 213, PHYS 213L, MATH 123, MATH 125, MATH 225, MATH 321.
  • Sufficient professional development electives for a total of 120 academic credit hours.

Freshman Year


First Semester


Total: 14

Second Semester


Total: 17

Sophomore Year


First Semester


Total: 16

Total: 16

Junior Year


First Semester


Total: 12

Second Semester


Total: 15

Senior Year


First Semester


Total: 15

Second Semester


Total: 15

120 credits required for graduation


Curriculum Notes


Students in the IS-ATM specialization should take AES 404/504 for 3 credits.

Courses offered alternate years.

3 Fulfills General Education requirement. Students should consult the “General Education Requirements ” section of this catalog for a complete listing of all general education requirements.

Recommended AES/SCI/MATH/ENG Electives (18 cr)


The following courses are recommended electives.  Other science/math/engineering electives may be applied as approved by a student’s advisor.

HU/SS Electives (24 cr)


Students must complete a total of 24 credits of humanities and social sciences electives.  This includes 6 credit hours from each discipline at the lower division (100/200 level), and 6 credit hours from each discipline at the upper division (300/400 level).  Humanities electives include the ARTH, ENGL, HUM, PHIL, MUS, MUEN, SPAN prefixes, and HIST 121/122.  Social Sciences electives include the ANTH, HIST, POLS, PSYC, and SOC prefixes.  For each division, courses must come from different prefixes to fulfill the requirement.  Lower division courses count toward Board of Regents general education requirements.

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