General Curriculum Requirements

General College

During the first two years at Carolina, students are enrolled in the General College. Incoming students who make an early declaration as physical sciences or Applied Sciences major are assigned to a faculty advisor from those departments as their General College advisor. Students who later declare an Applied Sciences major should request reassignment to a physical sciences advisor. It is important that all students interested in Applied Sciences complete through MATH 83 and PHYS 27 during the first two years, as these courses are prerequisites for a series of higher-level courses offered in fall or spring semesters only. To miss a junior/senior course at those scheduled times adds one or two semesters to the undergraduate career. Students interested in Polymer Science should complete CHEM 62 by the end of their sophomore year. It is often the case that students intending to pursue one of the Applied Sciences will have prepared themselves in high school by completing equivalents of Biology 11, Chemistry 11, Math 31 and one or two foreign languages. These students are encouraged to pursue the next level course when exemption status or "by examination" status is obtained via the Office of Admissions. Formal declaration of a major is usually made in the spring semester of the sophomore year.

Perspective Courses

All tracks in Applied Sciences require seven General College perspective courses: two each in the Aesthetic (one each in Fine Arts and Literature), Social Science (from two different departments), and Western Historical/ Non-Western/Comparative Perspectives (one must be pre-1700 Western History) and one in the Philosophical Perspective. As in other B.S. curricula, satisfaction of prequisite requirements for junior/senior courses in the Applied Sciences require some of the General College perspective courses to be completed in years three and four rather than during the General College period.

Minimum QPA

For graduation, students in the Curriculum must earn a minimum of 18 hours of C or higher (not a C average) in courses specifically required in their track by name and number above Biology 11, Biomedical Engineering 100, Chemistry 21, Computer Science 14, Mathematics 33 and Physics 28 (as appropriate for the track). Grades of C- do not count toward this requirement.

Undergraduate Research

Students are strongly encouraged to undertake a research project during their junior and/or senior years. The Applied Sciences are heavily research-based. Through the challenge of a research project, students come face-to-face with the leading edge of an area, gain expertise with state-of-the-art techniques and instrumentation, and experience a professional scientific career firsthand. A number of faculty members on campus (particularly those in the Departments of Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy, Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, and the Dental Research Center and the Medical School) conduct research projects related to the applied sciences. A list of faculty members interested in working with undergraduates is available from the Curriculum office and should be secured by students prior to interviewing with faculty about research projects.

Academic credit for research can be achieved through registration in APPL 99. Most students begin research in the spring semester of their junior year. Many research advisors require a minimum commitment of two or three semesters of research. There is no limit to the number of times that APPL 99 may be taken. It repeatedly counts as an elective toward graduation requirements. Permission to register is a two-part procedure. The student must visit individual faculty who are potential supervisors. On finding a suitable project and reaching agreement as to type and style of research effort expected by the faculty member, the student then brings a letter of agreement from the faculty member and completes registration through the Curriculum office.

Honors And Highest Honors

Students who successfully complete a research project and have a sufficiently outstanding academic record are eligible for graduation with Honors or Highest Honors. The requirements of the Curriculum for graduation with Honors or Highest Honors are (1) overall QPA of 3.2 or higher; (2) QPA of 3.5 or higher in all science and mathematics courses specifically required in the Curriculum by name and number; and (3) completion of a research project judged to be of Honors or Highest Honors quality by a faculty committee. In addition, to be considered for Highest Honors, the research project must be judged to be of publishable quality. Students wishing to be considered for graduation with honors should apply in the Curriculum office no later than the first week of classes of their final semester.

Seminars

The Curriculum regularly offers seminars on current topics in the applied sciences presented by faculty and outside speakers. Scientists from corporate research and development organizations provide views into manufacturing and business concerns in the application of science. Academic credit can be obtained through registration in APPL 98. Registration at least once is a required part of each program track. Registration is limited to Applied Sciences majors through the Curriculum office. Participation by Applied Sciences majors and others each semester (with or without registration) is urged. Details about content and registration are available in the Curriculum office.