Cornell students with caps and gowns at graduation

Academics

Through its teaching as well as its research, the department is playing a notable role in building the emerging discipline of Science & Technology Studies (STS). Founded in 1991, the department has an internationally-known Ph.D. Program devoted to training students to conduct advanced research. It also has two undergraduate majors, Biology & Society and Science & Technology Studies.

Undergraduate Program

The Department of Science & Technology Studies at Cornell University is concerned with understanding the larger social, ethical, historical, and political dimensions of science and technology.

The Department offers two undergraduate majors: the Biology & Society Major and the Science & Technology Studies Major. The Department also offers a Minor in Science & Technology Studies appropriate for students in the natural or social sciences, engineering, or the humanities who are interested in the social dimensions of science & technology.

Graduate Program

The Graduate Field of Science & Technology Studies (S&TS) at Cornell University is devoted to training students to conduct advanced research in one of the most exciting of contemporary academic disciplines. S&TS research treats science and technology as historical and cultural productions. Research in this field therefore requires the ability to uncover how scientific knowledge, authority, and expertise operate in different social contexts, and to understand their changing historical meanings.

Click here to learn more about the S&TS Ph.D. program.

Biology and Society is a unique major, unlike any I know of at other universities. The variety of courses offered, as well as their applicability to real-world problems in science and medicine makes BSoc an excellent major for anyone interested in a career in science and/or sociology.

— 2013 Biology & Society Alum