         |
       |
School of Arts and Sciences
- Undergraduate and Graduate Programs
- Interdisciplinary Programs
- Masters in Biotechnology
- Masters in Medical Physics
Undergraduate and Graduate Programs
For information on undergraduate and graduate programs at the School of Arts and Sciences, please visit http://www.sas.upenn.edu/home/programs/
For Chemistry, Biochemistry and the Vagelos Scholars Program in Molecular Life Sciences, see http://www.sas.upenn.edu/chem/
For the Department of Biology, please see http://www.sas.upenn.edu/biology/
For Physics and Astronomy, please see http://dept.physics.upenn.edu/
The Biological Basis of Behavior Program (BBB) is an interdisciplinary major within the School of Arts and Sciences where students explore the relationship between behavior and mind. The program successfully integrates teaching and research in neuroscience and behavioral biology through the cooperative interactions of faculty and staff in several departments in the School of Arts and Sciences and the Schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. One of the strengths of the major is the opportunity for students to pursue individualized research in the laboratories of the BBB faculty.
For more information on the BBB program, please visit http://psych.upenn.edu/bbb/
Biochemistry
The developments in modern biological sciences rely extensively on techniques and principles of chemistry and physics. The importance of this relationship has led to the design of a major which prepares students for advanced study in biochemistry, biophysics, biotechnology, molecular biology, molecular genetics, structural biology, genetic engineering, neurobiology, and cell biology. It provides the basic science background for health professional schools and for prospective science teachers.
The Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Molecular Life Sciences is an enhanced version of the biochemistry course program.
For more information on the Biochemistry Major, please visit http://www.sas.upenn.edu/biochem/biochem.html
Biophysics
The Penn Undergraduate Biophysics Major is designed to provide education in depth in the physical sciences in association with an understanding of biological phenomena and problems, and to provide the background necessary for understanding the sophisticated methods of contemporary biophysical and biomedical research. The goal is to prepare graduates who can go on for graduate or professional study, or who can enter immediately into professional positions in biomedical research and development and in biotechnology. The choices made by past biophysics majors reflect the breadth of the major. Some have pursued doctoral study in areas of biological research such a biophysics, biochemistry, chemistry, marine biology, molecular biology, neurobiology, physics and physiology. Others have attended professional schools in business, education, law, and medicine. The biophysics program is best suited for students with keen interest and ability in the physical sciences combined with the desire to explore fascinating and important topics in the life sciences.
For more information on the Penn Undergraduate Biophysics Major, please visit http://www.sas.upenn.edu/biophysics/
Computational and Mathematical Biology are important new areas in the biological sciences. Recognizing this, we have developed at Penn an undergraduate concentration in Computational Biology. The departments of Biology, of Computer and Information Science (CIS) and of Mathematics have each devised undergraduate programs to train students in Computational and mathematical Biology.
There are four different majors that combine biology with math or computer science:
For information on the Biology undergraduate concentration, please visit
http://www.cbil.upenn.edu/UPCB/undergraduate.html
For information on the Computer Science undergraduate concentration, please visit http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~susan/form.html
For information on the Mathematics undergraduate concentration, please visit http://www.math.upenn.edu/ugrad/biomath.html
Undergraduate Programs in Cognitive Science
Cognitive Science is a cross-disciplinary, inter-school subject associated with the Institute for Research in Cognitive Science, the departments of Linguistics, Mathematics, Philosophy, and Psychology in the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS), and the Department of Computer Science in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). It combines the application of approaches from all of these disciplines to the study of Mind, and the application of the resulting theories in Information Technology.
There are several cognitive science programs at the undergraduate level:
The major in Cognitive Science in the School of Arts and Sciences
is designed to introduce students to the core literature of this multifaceted discipline and then allow them to specialize in some sub-area of cognitive science.
The Bachelor of Applied Science in Computer and Cognitive Science through the School of Engineering and Applied Science combines the application of theoretical insights from Computer Science, Linguistics, Neuroscience, Philosophy, and Psychology to the formal study of intelligence, perception, reasoning, and other properties of mind, and their application in the service of Information Technology.
The degree combines a firm grounding in relevant aspects of Computer Science, from programming to algorithms to artificial intelligence, with a concentration in specific courses from the contingent disciplines. The non-computer science courses have been selected for formal rigor and scientific relevance. The degree prepares students for a wide variety of careers in a number of distinct academic, industrial, and professional arenas relating to psychology, philosophy and linguistics. In particular, these careers pertain to the impact of knowledge and information technology on the professions, including those in Media and Communications, Software Development, and Education (among many others), in which a broad background in computer science must be combined with a deep understanding of the human mind.
As an alternative to the specifically computer engineering-oriented training offered in SEAS via the existing BSE in Computer Science and Engineering, the BAS in Computer and Cognitive Science is intended to address the need for properly trained computer scientists who have sufficient understanding of these other disciplines to be able to solve the many open problems in applications, research, and development that must be addressed if we are to realize the full potential of information processing technologies in these domains. Employment opportunities for students going through such a program are excellent at major information technology companies, software houses, and research labs, as well as in the standard career structures in the areas identified above.
In addition, a Minor in Cognitive Science is offered. The minor is aimed at a wide range of undergraduates in either SAS or SEAS, and allows a number of options.
For more information on Cognitive Science (IRCS) Education, please visit http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~ircs/education/index.html
Three parallel curriculum tracks: 1) basic biotechnology, 2) engineering biotechnology, and 3) computational biology/bioinformatics give students flexibility to tailor their degree to their background, interests and current career or career goals. These tracks, in combination with core courses, insure that students get a uniquely broad exposure to the entire field of biotechnology.
For more information on the Professional Masters Degree in Biotechnology, please visit http://www.upenn.edu/biotech/index.html
For more information on the Master in Medical Physics, please visit http://dept.physics.upenn.edu/graduate/mmp.html
Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Programs at the School of Arts and Sciences:
Biological Basis of Behavior
These concentrations are all designed so that a student may focus on those areas in which he/she wishes to specialize.
Masters in Biotechnology:
The Master of Biotechnology Program prepares students, both full- and part-time, for leadership in the critically important and dynamic industries of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. Strongly interdisciplinary, this innovative professional master’s program draws its faculty and courses from the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Penn’s world-class biomedical research centers, renowned science departments and position at the hub of the largest pharmaceutical/biotechnology corridor in the United States, place this program at the vanguard of biotechnology education.
Masters in Medical Physics:
The School of Arts and Sciences is establishing a new professional degree, the Master of Medical Physics (MMP). The purpose of the MMP degree is to meet the academic and career interests of a class of technically prepared college graduates who seek to combine their interests in graduate physics with career opportunities in the medical research and clinical environments. Medical research and clinical treatments at Penn and other top medical schools and hospitals utilize and concurrently develop advanced technology. The field of medicine now requires a supply of highly educated and well-trained problem solvers to aid in research, help develop new technologies and maintain existing high technology clinical equipment. The MMP program will aim to provide the graduate students with a rigorous graduate physics training in essential graduate physics courses, balancing classroom and laboratory experience, as well as more traditional coursework in medicine and biology. The traditional problem solving techniques emphasized in physics graduate training will enable students to address a wide variety of problems encountered in modern medicine and to evolve as the field of medicine continues to change at a rapid pace. In conjunction with the Departments of Radiology and Radiation Oncology in the School of Medicine, the MMP program will aim to train students in the essentials needed for a physicist to function in a medical environment comprising physicians and scientists. The program will introduce students to research and bring them into contact with state-of-the-art medical technologies. One aspect of this degree will be the opportunity for select students, to work for up to two years after graduation in the University of Pennsylvania Health Systems, thereby preparing them for certification by the American Board of Radiology.
Biological Engineering Network at the University of Pennsylvania
1010 Vagelos Research Labs / 3340 Smith Walk / Philadelphia PA 19104-6383
tel. 215-573-6813 ~ fax. 215-573-6815 ~ e-mail: ben-penn@pobox.upenn.edu