Science Management Major

Requirements for the Major

1. Core Program (14 courses plus thesis):

• CHEM014L KS  and CHEM015L KS Basic Principles of Chemistry , or CHEM029L KS Accelerated General Chemistry with Lab , or CHEM040L KS Introduction to Biological Chemistry  and CHEM015L KS Basic Principles of Chemistry , or CHEM042L KS Integrated Biology and Chemistry .
• BIOL043L KS Introductory Biology  and BIOL044L KS Introductory Biology , or BIOL040L KS Introduction to Biological Chemistry  and BIOL044L KS Introductory Biology , or BIOL042L KS Integrated Biology and Chemistry  and BIOL044L KS Introductory Biology .

NOTE: Students who wish to specialize in the Physics sequence have the option of taking PHYS030L KS , PHYS031L KS , PHYS033L KS , PHYS034L KS . 

• MATH030 SC Calculus I , or demonstrated competency (e.g., placement exam)  
• CS  005  HM, CSCI051G PO, CSCI051J PO, or CSCI051P PO Introduction to Computer Science  at Harvey Mudd or Pomona
• PSYC037 CM Organizational Psychology  
• ECON052 SC Principles of Microeconomics  
• ECON086 CM Accounting for Decision Making  
• ECON101 SC Intermediate Microeconomic Theory  
• ECON134 CM Corporate Finance  (students can also take ECON165 CM for this requirement)
• ECON120 SC Statistics  or other statistics course, preferably with R (e.g., BIOL175 KS )
• ECON151 CM Strategic Cost Management  
• A course in Ethics (e.g. BIOL053 PO, CSCI181R JT, ECON156 CM, PHIL125 HM , PHIL198 CM, PHIL189 CM)
• Project Management Fundamentals. This requirement can be met by taking one of the following:
  • ALS 400 KGI Team Master’s Project (taken in conjunction with a TMP senior thesis)
  • E183  HM Management of Technical Enterprise (offered in fall)
  • ECON165  CM Industrial Organization (offered annually); cannot be double-counted for the corporate finance requirement
  • ECON150  PO Industrial Organization (offered in spring; note this course is impacted)
• Senior Thesis. Majors must complete a thesis as the capstone requirement to the major. Options include either a two-semester Team Master’s Project (TMP) or a one- or two-semester thesis in Biology, Chemistry, or Physics (191, 188L/190L, or 189L/190L).

2. Areas of Concentration (five courses)

All majors must complete an area of concentration track with a minimum of five courses. Representative examples are listed below.

a. Chemistry Track

• CHEM116L KS  and CHEM117L KS Organic Chemistry  
• CHEM126L KS   or CHEM127L KS Advanced Laboratory in Chemistry  
• Two additional upper-division chemistry courses

b. Physics Track

• MATH032 SC Calculus III  
• PHYS035 KS Modern Physics with Computational Applications  
• At least three additional upper-division physics courses from the following:

PHYS101 KS , PHYS102 KS , PHYS114 KS , and PHYS115 KS . Please note that MATH111 SC Differential Equations  is a prerequisite for most upper-division physics courses.

c. Biophysics Track

• PHYS030L KS  and PHYS031L KS , PHYS033L KS  and PHYS034L KS .
• PHYS035 KS Modern Physics with Computational Applications  
• MATH032 SC Calculus III  
• PHYS178 KS Biophysics  
• PHYS115 KS Statistical Physics with Computational Applications  

d. Biotechnology Track

• CHEM116L KS  and CHEM117L KS Organic Chemistry  
• Three additional upper-division biology classes (at least one with lab). Recommendations include:
  • BIOL131L KS Vertebrate Physiology   
  • BIOL132L KS Comparative Physiology  
  • BIOL133L KS Introduction to Computational Neuroscience  
  • BIOL141L KS Vertebrate Anatomy  
  • BIOL143 KS Genetics  
  • BIOL150ALKS Functional Human Anatomy and Biomechanics: Limbs and Movement  or
  • BIOL150BLKS Functional Human Anatomy and Biomechanics: Back and Core Stabilization  
  • BIOL156L KS Genomics and Bioinformatics  
  • BIOL157L KS Cell Biology  
  • BIOL158 KS Cell Cycle, Diseases and Aging  
  • BIOL164 KS Virology  
  • BIOL170L KS Molecular Biology  
  • BIOL177 KS Biochemistry  

e. Neuroscience Track

• NEUR095L JT Foundations of Neuroscience  (or comparable equivalent)
• BIOL149 KS Neuroscience 2: Systems  
• BIOL148L KS Neuroscience 1: Cell, Molecular  
• Two additional neuroscience-related courses

f. Environmental Management Track

At least two courses in this track must have an associated laboratory component

• BIOL138 KS Applied Ecology and Conservation  and BIOL138L KS Applied Ecology and Conservation Lab  (with or without lab)
• BIOL165 KS Advanced Topics in Environmental Biology  
• EA 100L KS Global Climate Change w/Lab  or EA 100 KS  (with or without lab)
• CHEM139 KS Environmental Chemistry  
• One additional course in environmental analysis. Recommendations include:
  • BIOL135L KS Field Biology  
  • BIOL146L KS Ecology  
  • BIOL147 KS Biogeography  
  • BIOL169L KS Marine Ecology  
  • BIOL176 KS Tropical Ecology  
  • EA 103 KS Soils and Society  
  • EA 104 KS Oceanography  

g. Public Health Track

Courses must be selected from three of the five fields listed below. Please note that some of these courses have prerequisites outside of the GE/Core program of this major.

• Science (e.g. CHEM116L KS Organic Chemistry  and CHEM117L KS Organic Chemistry , and/or PHYS030L KS General Physics for the Life Sciences  and PHYS031L KS General Physics for the Life Sciences )

• Economics (e.g., ECON 109 CM Ethics, Economics, and Public Policy , ECON129 PO Health Economics , ECON187 CM The Economics of Poverty, Inequality, and Discrimination  

• Psychology (e.g., PSYC081 CM Developmental Psychology , PSYC103 PZ Social Psychology , PSYC107 CM Neuroeconomics , PSYC111 PZ Physiological Psychology , PSYC155 CM Seminar in Ethnic Minority Psychology and Mental Health , PSYC176 PO The Psychology of Health and Medicine , PSYC185 CM Health Psychology , PSYC152 SC Cultural Psychology , PSYC193 PZ Health Disparities Seminar )

• Sociology (e.g., SOC 086 PZ Social Inequality , SOC 120 PZ Sex Politics , SOC 170 PZ Internship: Sociology of Health and Medicine , ONT 101 PZ Critical Community Studies , CHLT110 PZ Latinx Community Health , ANTH002 PZ  or ANTH002 SC Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology , PHIL155 SC Ethics of the Beginning and End of Life )

• Government (e.g., GOVT105 CM Organization of Healthcare and Public Policy , GOVT106 CM Politics of Interest Groups , GOVT114 CM Philanthropy, Voluntarism, and Nonprofits: Law, Public Policy and Leadership )

Honors Requirements (All Tracks)

To be considered for departmental honors in one of the science majors, a student must:

• Achieve a minimum grade point average of 11.0 (A-) in courses in the major.  
• Achieve a minimum grade of A- on the thesis.
• Complete a one- or two-semester thesis project in which the student has demonstrated excellence by making a significant contribution to the progress of the research and by producing a thesis document judged to be of honors quality by the department.
• Present an oral progress report at the end of the first semester of a two-semester thesis and a poster at the conclusion of either a one- or two-semester thesis in which the student clearly explains the rationale for the project and the conclusions drawn, engages the listener, and knowledgeably answers questions.
• Attend at least six scientific seminars during the semester (each semester for a two-semester thesis) and submit a brief and clear summary of each.