Natural Sciences (BS)
The Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Sciences aims to prepare professionals in natural sciences with a multidisciplinary approach. The program focuses on the study of the foundations of the natural sciences and is supplemented with the study of courses of specific areas to be determined by the student in agreement with his academic adviser and the approval of the department director. It provides a flexible and innovative programmatic vision, which promotes the integral development of students to expand their cognitive and creative capacities, as well as the critical judgment necessary to perform in the contemporary world.
The Aguadilla, Bayamón and Metropolitan campuses are authorized to offer this Program.
Program Goals
The Natural Sciences Program aims to prepare professionals capable of:
- promote the comprehensive preparation of students to acquire the skills necessary to perform in fields related to Natural Sciences in the contemporary world.
- possess a vision and attitude responsible for the implications of their actions in the field of Natural Sciences.
Program objectives
- Provide knowledge in the area of Natural Sciences complemented with the study of courses in specific areas.
- Apply critical thinking processes when conducting qualitative and quantitative analyzes in a scientific context.
- Carry out activities related to their field, with an ethical commitment, that guarantees the credibility of the results and conclusions it generates.
Competencies Profile of Graduates
This Program is designed to develop the competencies that will enable students to:
Knowledge
- Describe the basic concepts of the Natural Sciences.
- Demonstrate the processes related to the administration, analysis and interpretation of data.
Skills
- Compose written works using scientific information.
- Use basic laboratory equipment correctly.
- Complete the statistical analysis of the data obtained experimentally to reach valid conclusions.
Attitudes
- Respond in an ethical and responsible manner when handling data analysis in experimental processes.
Admission Requirements
In addition to the admission requirements established in this Catalog, students of this Program must be interviewed when this is necessary. If an interview is necessary for online education students who will attend courses outside Puerto Rico, this may be conducted through the means available to students. The interview will be supervised by a proctor in the place where the student is located as determined by the University.
Requirements for the Bachelor of Science Degree in Natural Sciences
| General Education Requirements |
48 credits |
| Core Course Requirements |
30 credits |
| Major Requirements |
30 credits
|
| Elective Courses |
12 credits |
| Total |
120 credits |
General Education Requirements - 48 credits
Forty eight (48) credits are required as explained in the section “General Education Requirements for Bachelors’ Degrees." The students of this program will take GEMA 1200 in the Basic Skills in Mathematics category.
Core Course Requirements - 30 credits
Major Requirements - 30 credits
Students will take 30 major credits selected from the following disciplines: Biology (BIOL), Chemistry (CHEM), Mathematics (MATH), Forensic Science (FORS), Marine Sciences (MASC), Biotechnology (BIOT), Microbiology (MICR), Environmental Sciences (EVSC), Environmental Management (EVMA), Toxicology (TOXI), Biomedical Sciences (BMSC), Biopsychology (BIPS) or Computer Sciences (COMP). The major requirements will be established in agreement between the student and the academic adviser, with the approval of the department director.
Of the 30 credits, students must take at least 12 credits in 3000 or 4000 level courses. 1000 level courses will not be accepted as major courses.
The courses below are recommended for those students interested in applying to the School of Optometry of the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico. (This sequence of courses does not guarantee admission to the School of Optometry.)
Interested students must have passed a minimum of ninety (90) credits at the bachelor’s level between general education, core and concentration courses, which must include the following specific courses or their equivalents: