Mar 28, 2024  
2018-2019 SDSM&T Academic Catalog 
    
2018-2019 SDSM&T Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Interdisciplinary Sciences: Science, Technology, and Society Specialization, BS


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Contact Information

Dr. Allison B. Gilmore
Departments of Humanities and Social Sciences
Classroom Building 317
(605) 394-2481
E-mail: Allison.Gilmore@sdsmt.edu

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.

Science, Technology, and Society (STS): General Curriculum


STS Flowchart  

Freshman Year


First Semester


Total: 14

Second Semester


  • Math/CSC Elective  Credits: 3
  • Science Electives  Credits: 4 3
  • General Education Goal 3 or 4 Elective(s)  Credits: 3 5
  • Program Approved Elective  Credits: 3 4
Total: 17

Sophomore Year


First Semester


Total: 17

Second Semester


Total: 14

Junior Year


First Semester


  • Math/CSC Elective  Credits: 3
  • 300/400 Science Electives  Credits: 4
  • 300/400 HUM/SS Elective  Credits: 3
  • Program Approved Elective  Credits: 4

 

Total: 14

Second Semester


  • 300/400 Science Elective Credits: 4
  • Science Electives  Credits: 3
  • 300/400 HUM/SS elective  Credits: 3
  • Program Approved Elective  Credits: 4

 

Total: 14

Senior Year


First Semester


Total: 16

Second Semester


Total: 14

120 credits required for graduation


Curriculum Notes


Thirty-six (36) credits of the 120 credits required for graduation must be at a junior or senior level (courses numbered 300 or above).

1A minimum of twelve (12) semester hours of university-approved mathematics and computer sciences is required, including Math 123 or a math course requiring Math 123 as its prerequisite.  Math 102 and Math 120 may be used towards graduation requirements for the IS-STS degree.

2 A minimum of twenty-four (24) semester hours of university-approved humanities and social sciences is required.  This minimum includes six (6) hours of general education coursework in Humanities, six (6) hours of general education coursework in Social Sciences, six (6) hours of upper division Humanities, and six (6) hours of upper division Social Sciences.

3 All IS specializations require a minimum of 30 semester hours of natural sciences including a minimum of three (3) semester hours in chemistry at the CHEM 112 level or higher, three (3) semester hours in biology at the BIOL 121 level or higher, and twelve (12) semester hours at the upper division level.   Of the thirty hours required in natural sciences, a minimum of six (6) credits must be sequential.  Students pursuing the Science, Technology, and Society specialization are encouraged to select a minor in a science field (e.g., atmospheric science, biology, computer science, environmental science, geology, geospatial technology, mathematics, physics). A total of 60 hours in math, computer sciences, and natural sciences is required. Students should consult with their advisors to determine the most appropriate science courses and sequence for their minors and for their career paths. The worksheet for the IS-STS specialization is available from the IS website: www.sdsmt.edu/is.

4 Program Approved elective credits may include additional college coursework at the 100 level or above in math, computer science, sciences, humanities, social sciences, business, military science, or engineering.

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 Courses for Science, Technology, and Society Majors


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