Penn State Behrend offers four options within the Science major to permit specialization: Environmental Studies, General Science, General Science Education Precertification, and Earth and Space Science Education Precertification. All options allow the opportunity to add a minor or take courses in complementary fields such as business, education, and political science.
Current students: See the Recommended Academic Plans for more detailed course recommendations and refer to the University Bulletin for course descriptions and more degree requirements. Or find other resources on the Current Students page.
Typical Course Sequence
Below is a typical course sequence for the Science bachelor's degree program. Schedules will vary by student, depending on areas of interest as well as their chosen option.
| Semester 1 | Credits | Semester 2 | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calculus with Analytic Geometry I | 4 | Biology: Basic Concepts and Biodiversity | 4 | |
| Chemical Principles I | 3 | Calculus with Analytic Geometry II | 4 | |
| Experimental Chemistry I | 3 | Experimental Chemistry II | 1 | |
| Arts course | 3 | Chemical Principles II | 3 | |
| First-Year Seminar | 1 | Humanities course | 3 | |
| Rhetoric and Composition | 3 | Total Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 15 | |||
| Semester 3 | Semester 4 | |||
| Biology: Populations and Communities | 4 | Introductory Physics II | 4 | |
| Introductory Physics I | 4 | Introduction to Programming Techniques | 4 | |
| Effective Speech | 3 | Foreign Language II | 3 | |
| Option course | 3 | Mapping Our Changing World (example) | 3 | |
| Foreign Language I | 4 | Applied Geographic Information Systems (example) | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 18 | Health and Physical Activity | 1.5 | |
| Total Credits | 16.5 | |||
| Semester 5 | Semester 6 | |||
| Social and Behavioral Science course | 3 | Option course | 3 | |
| Option course | 3 | Senior level option course | 3 | |
| Effective Writing | 3 | Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry I | 3 | |
| Biology: Molecules and Cells | 4 | Humanities | 3 | |
| General Physics: Fluids and Thermal Physics | 2 | Arts Course | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 15 | Total Credits | 15 | |
| Semester 7 | Semester 8 | |||
| Research, Internship, Field School or Study Abroad | 2-4 | Option course | 3 | |
| Senior level option course | 3 | Social and Behavioral Science course | 3 | |
| Senior level option course | 3 | Senior level option course | 3 | |
| Senior level option course | 3 | Biological Experimental Design | 3 | |
| Statistics | 3 | Health and Physical Activity | 1.5 | |
| Total Credits | 14-16 | Total Credits | 13.5 | |