Prospective STEM and Environmental Studies Majors
In order to explore or pursue some majors at Lewis & Clark, you must start on the path in your first semester of college. That is because courses in the Computer and/or Mathematical Sciences, Environmental Studies, and Natural Sciences are very sequential. Many classes are offered only in the fall, so if you wait, you could be set back on a major for an entire year.
- If you are considering a major in Computer Science, Biology, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Math, or Physics, you should take one or two math or science courses in your first semester.
Before anything else, you must demonstrate a proficiency in algebraic math in order to be eligible to register for introductory level STEM classes. This can be done by:
- scoring 53 or higher on the ALEKS placement exam
- scoring 4 or 5 on the AP AB or BC Calculus exam
- scoring 5, 6, or 7 on the IB Higher level Mathematics exam
- transferring in a college course that is equivalent to L&C’s QR 101: Quantitative Reasoning course, or higher
To learn more about the algebraic math prerequisite and the ALEKS assessment, visit Placement Exams.
If you have college-level Transfer Credit or qualifying AP or IB scores, please submit previous college transcripts or exam scores to L&C prior to registration, as these may impact registration for STEM or Environmental Studies majors.
The following courses are recommended for prospective STEM or Environmental Studies majors:
Take BIO 110: Investigations in Biology in the first semester.
If BIO 110 fills up for the fall, as you may also take it in the spring semester. Instead, other courses to consider are CHEM 110: General Chemistry I, Math 131: Calculus I (depending on your math placement).
Taking Chem 110: General Chemistry I in the first semester is also highly recommended, as taking Chemistry in the first year provides maximum flexibility in terms of planning for overseas study, senior research, and preparation for graduate and professional school.
Note about Bio 110:
Registration for BIO 110 is restricted to students with less than 20 credits. If you brought in advanced standing / transfer credits and have more than 20 credits completed already, then, you will not be able to register without instructor permission. To gain permission, email the Professor of the course (listed in WebAdvisor) to request permission to enroll in the course. If granted, their permission will appear in “Registration Permissions” in WebAdvisor and you can register for the course. Registration Permission allows a student to register for the class if a spot is open, but does not guarantee a spot in the class.
Take CHEM 110: General Chemistry I
BIO 110: Biological Investigations or MATH 131: Calculus I are also strongly recommended for students to take in either semester of their first year. BIO 110 and Math 131 can be taken in fall or spring of the first year, but taking Chem 110 in the first semester is essential for students interested in this major.
Note about Bio 110:
Registration for BIO 110 is restricted to students with less than 20 credits. If you brought in advanced standing / transfer credits and have more than 20 credits completed already, then, you will not be able to register without instructor permission. To gain permission, email the Professor of the course (listed in WebAdvisor) to request permission to enroll in the course. If granted, their permission will appear in “Registration Permissions” in WebAdvisor and you can register for the course. Registration Permission allows a student to register for the class if a spot is open, but does not guarantee a spot in the class.
Take Chem 110: General Chemistry I and MATH 131: Calculus I or MATH 132: Calculus II in the first semester.
Take MATH 131: Calculus I, MATH 132: Calculus II, MATH 225: Linear Algebra, MATH 233: Calculus III, CS 171: Computer Science I or higher in the first semester.
Take a prerequisite breadth courses: BIO 110, ECON 100, IA 100, SOAN 100 or 110. ENVS 160 can taken in the fall or spring of the first year.
Prerequisite breadth courses are pertinent to the major in that they open the door to related higher-level breadth or methods course in that area that apply to the ENVS major.
- For example, taking Econ 100: Principals of Economics, which does not itself satisfy a requirement in the ENVS major/minor, will allow students to later take Econ 260: Environmental Economics, which does satisfy a requirement in the ENVS major/minor.
- Similarly, by enrolling in SOAN 100: Introduction to Sociology OR SOAN 110: Introduction to Anthropology, students can later take SOAN 265: Critical Perspectives on Development, which will fulfill a requirement in the ENVS major/minor.
- Bio 110: Biological Investigations —> BIO 201: Biological Core Concepts: Systems
- IA 100: Introduction to International Relations —> IA 257: Global Resource Dilemmas
Note about Bio 110:
Registration for BIO 110 is restricted to students with less than 20 credits. If you brought in advanced standing / transfer credits and have more than 20 credits completed already, then, you will not be able to register without instructor permission. To gain permission, email the Professor of the course (listed in WebAdvisor) to request permission to enroll in the course. If granted, their permission will appear in “Registration Permissions” in WebAdvisor and you can register for the course. Registration Permission allows a student to register for the class if a spot is open, but does not guarantee a spot in the class.
Take MATH 131: Calculus I or higher and PHYS 151: Physics I: Motion
Take CHEM 110 and MATH 131. Consult the Pre-Health Advising coursework recommendations and connect with L&C’s pre-health advisor, Dr. Carolyn Zook.
Take CHEM 110 and/or PHYS 151
Note on registering for classes with a separate lab: Science classes in Chemistry, Earth Systems Science, and Physics have co-requisite courses, which means that you must register for both lecture and lab sections simultaneously (in fact, WebAdvisor will not allow you to register for one or the other on its own). For example, if you are interested in taking General Chemistry, you can register for both CHEM 110-01, a lecture section, and CHEM 110L-03, a lab section (or any lecture and lab pairing that fits with your schedule).
Advice for the majors above is also on this handout, as well as advice for students interested in the Health Studies and Neuroscience minor.
College Advising Center is located in room 206 of Albany Quadrangle on the Undergraduate Campus.
MSC: 129
email cac@lclark.edu
voice 503-768-7600
College Advising Center
Lewis & Clark
615 S. Palatine Hill Road MSC 129
Portland OR 97219