Natural Sciences

Dr. Susan Varnum, Program Director
Beury Hall, Room 130
215-204-6390
susan.varnum@temple.edu

https://chem.cst.temple.edu/

The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in the Natural Sciences provides students more breadth than traditional science programs. Many exciting areas of scientific inquiry, such as the neurosciences, environmental sciences, and biophysical sciences, require general science backgrounds that encompass multiple science disciplines.

Students planning graduate study or technical careers in one of these interdisciplinary areas, as well as students preparing for careers in health sciences, legal professions, science education, science-related business, or social service might be well served by the B.A. in the Natural Sciences.

However, this program of study will not prepare students for graduate study in a traditional science discipline nor will it prepare students for technical employment in a traditional science discipline.

Bachelor of Arts

Summary of Requirements for the Degree

1. University Requirements (123 total s.h.)

• Mathematics 0701 (4 s.h.) and/or English 0701 (4 s.h.), if required by placement testing.

• All Temple students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses at Temple as part of their major. Following is a list of courses that can be used to satisfy the writing-intensive requirement: Biology 2296, Biology 3096, Biology 3396, Chemistry 4196, [Chemistry 3397/3398], Earth & Environmental Science 2096, English 2696, Philosophy 2196, Philosophy 2596, Physics 2796 or Physics 4796.

• Students must complete the General Education (GenEd) requirements.

• The General Education Curriculum consists of approximately 25-26 s.h.  See the General Education section of the Undergraduate Bulletin for the GenEd curriculum.

2. College Requirements

• 90 credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST) or the College of Liberal Arts (CLA).

• 45 Upper-Level (2000+) credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST) or the College of Liberal Arts (CLA).

• Two (2) Upper-Level (2000+) Liberal Art courses.

• Second (2nd) Level of a Foreign Language (1002).

3. Major Requirements for Bachelor of Arts (56-65 s.h.)

• Two (2) Biology courses are required (8 s.h.): Biology 1011 or 1111 and 1012 or 2112. 

• Two (2) Chemistry courses with labs are required (8 s.h.): Chemistry 1031/1033 and 1032/1034.

• One (1) Technical Writing course is required (3 s.h.): English 2696.

• One (1) College of Science & Technology course is required (3 s.h.): College of Science & Technology 4351 or Biology/Chemistry/Earth & Environmental Science/Physics 3091.

• One (1) Earth & Environmental Science course is required (4 s.h.): Earth & Environmental Science 1001 or 2001.

• One or Two (1-2) Mathematics course(s) are required (4-8 s.h.): Mathematics 1031 or the combination of Mathematics 1041 and 1042 or the combination of Mathematics 1941 and 1942.

• One (1) Philosophy course is required (3 s.h.): Philosophy 2196.

• Three (3) Physics courses are required (11-12 s.h.): Physics 1004, 1021, and 1022.

• Four (4) Upper-Level (2000+) elective science courses are required (12-16 s.h.): The four electives must be selected from the same department.  The departments you can choose electives from are: Biology, Chemistry, Earth & Environmental Science or Physics.

• Successful completion of a comprehensive general science exam at the conclusion of the major course requirements.

Note: In addition to the overall major residency requirements, half of the concentration area must be completed at Temple.

Note: A grade of C or higher in Chemistry 1031 and Chemistry 1032 is required to take Biology 1111 and Biology 2112. A grade of C or higher in Biology 1111 and Biology 2112 is required to take upper-level Biology courses, and a C- or higher is required unless otherwise specified in all other courses for the major, including course prerequisites.

Suggested Semester by Semester Plan

(F) - Fall only course.

(S) - Spring only course.

*The four science electives chosen to satisfy the science concentration must be taken from the same department.  See major requirements above for details.

Students who complete CST majors typically receive a waiver for 2 Science & Technology (GS) and 1 Quantitative Literacy (GQ) GenEd courses.

Calculation of Major GPA

The list of courses that are used to calculate major GPA is determined by the department. Students should consult with their academic advising unit for the applicable courses. In general, courses that could not apply toward the major as an elective or a required course are not counted for the major GPA. This would include Mathematics 1022, for example.

Distinction in Major

To graduate with a Distinction in Natural Sciences a student is required to achieve a 3.33 GPA or higher in all of the content area courses in the major.