Science and Technology Studies

How has the decision to patent human genes affected intellectual property law, privacy issues, and therapeutic research in medicine?  How did an international community transform a military research project into the Internet we use today?  What is the relationship between the mathematical descriptions that physicists employ and the nature of physical phenomena?

Interdisciplinary and Flexible

Answering these and related questions requires a firm foundation in both science and engineering disciplines on the one hand, and humanities and social sciences on the other.  Following individualized courses of study and collaboration with faculty mentors, Science and Technology Studies majors dig beneath the headlines to understand the relations among science, technology, and society.

The STS curriculum falls into four broad categories: general education (40 credits), science or engineering courses (28 credits), science and technology studies courses (34 credits), and free electives (18 credits). This means a student can combine a core of scientific or technical courses along with the analysis of those fields from an STS perspectives. The free electives are used as a student pleases, either to increase the depth of the science/engineering core, to take advantage of cross-school minors with NYU, or even to study abroad.

Foundation for the Future

For students who plan to continue their education beyond the bachelor's degree, STS makes an excellent preprofessional degree.

• As noted recently in the New York Times, there are more than twice the number of people who apply to medical schools as there are seats in their programs. The MCAT exam is expanding its scope, and students will be expected to be conversant in more than the science of medicine. Using STS as a prehealth degree gives you the flexibility to do just that.
• For students heading to law school, STS is an attractive prelaw option. Lawyers who have expertise in science or engineering are in demand to practice cases with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and the STS degree can help a student take the courses needed to qualify for the registration examination. This is not the only option, however. Lawyers are increasingly asked to deal with scientific and technical matters in their practice, and the STS degree helps students prepare to understand and explain technical matters that come before them.

Not all students who study STS go on to law or medical school, however. Based on what they choose as their science or engineering core, they are qualified to work in public health, conduct laboratory research, work as a science journalist, or even pursue advanced study in the history and philosophy of science and technology.

Learn More

The Science and Technology Studies major is found in the Department of Technology, Culture and Society.