• Interdisciplinary Science

    Interdisciplinary Science

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    Office of Admission

    Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts
    79 Fifth Avenue, 5th floor 
    New York, NY 10003 
    Phone: 212.229.5150 or 
    800.292.3040
    Fax: 212.229.5355
    [email protected]

    Program Contacts

    Chair and Departmental Faculty Advisor, Natural Sciences and Mathematics
    Jennifer Wilson

    Associate Professor of Mathematics
    [email protected]

    Director, Quantitative Reasoning
    Debasmita Basu
    Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning
    [email protected]

    Student Success Advisor for Interdisciplinary Science
    Chris McElderry
    Assistant Director of Student Success Advising at Lang
    [email protected]
    646.909.2260

  • Virtual Tour

  • Lang's Interdisciplinary Science program empowers you with the knowledge, values, and methods of science necessary to address planetary health challenges. You learn how to analyze biodiversity; improve access to safe drinking water; promote the responsible management of biotechnologies, drugs, and environmental resources; and ensure the ethical collection, management, and interpretation of data. Through research and connections to the arts, design, and social sciences, you engage with science and math as tools for promoting social change.

    • Study Options Major, Minor

    The Interdisciplinary Science curriculum democratizes science using a planetary health framework, addressing health, environment, and equity. Through seminars, labs, internships, and research experiences you investigate the social, physical, chemical, and biological principles that affect organisms, communities, nations, and the planet.

    Our sequenced courses combine scientific and quantitative concepts and skills with critical perspectives from the social sciences, arts, and design. Our unique approach enables you to connect science to social justice, and consider effective and appropriate scientific, health, and environmental practices and policies.

    • At the introductory level, you build foundational knowledge in courses that move away from memorization and use a concept-based approach to learning.
    • In lab-based courses and Science + Art + Design Lab Workshops, you apply knowledge to design experiments and solve problems related to climate change, air and water pollution, antibiotic resistance, direct-to-consumer genetic testing, genetic modification of foods, and ecological disruption.
    • In advanced-level courses, you consider ways to promote scientific innovation and sustainable and socially just approaches that are informed by scientific and mathematical knowledge.

    Major requirements

    Minor requirements

    Fellowships and Partnerships

    To supplement your classroom experience at Lang, the Interdisciplinary Science program offers the Mohn Family Science and Social Justice Fellowship, which provides mentoring and financial support for internships, lab-based research experiences, and fieldwork that relate to environmental justice, health equity, and STEAMD (STEM + Arts and Design). The partnership with Marine Biological Labs offers those interested in traditional courses and research in marine ecology a semester studying environmental science.

    Connecting to New York City

    While it offers the atmosphere and intimacy of a small college, Eugene Lang College is part of The New School, a major progressive university in New York City. As an Interdisciplinary Science student, you access the city's resources in a variety of ways, including:

    Career Paths

    Graduates often choose career paths and graduate programs that require strong scientific and quantitative reasoning and an understanding of the relationship between the natural sciences, mathematics, social sciences, humanities, and arts and design. Students are prepared to pursue graduate study and careers involving research in areas such as public and environmental health, environmental sustainability, design and technology, advocacy, ethics, management, and STEM/STEAMD education. 

    Consult our 4-Year Lang Career Pathways Map (PDF) for helpful steps and resources to link your academic journey to your future plans. If you are interested in exploring more career options, see our Interdisciplinary Science Blog and our alumni biographies.

    Outcomes at Lang

    Note: This program is STEM-designated. After graduating, eligible F-1 students in this program can apply for an additional 24 months of Optional Practical Training at the end of their Post-Completion OPT.

  • Featured Courses

    Explore a selection of courses available to you in this program.

    • This course introduces basic genetics concepts and uses a critical pedagogy to challenge the normative assumptions made about the dynamic relationship between genes and environments using a social justice framework. Course sessions and assignments retrace the experiments that led to the discovery of...

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    • This course is designed to help students gain an understanding of fundamental numerical and quantitative skills and their application to everyday life.The focus will be on applying basic mathematical concepts to solve real-world problems, and to develop skills in interpreting and working with data i...

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    • This interdisciplinary course explores why society relies on a fossil-fuel-based economy, the pros and cons of fossil fuels and renewable energy sources, and what it may take to transition to cleaner energy sources. These issues are explored using perspectives from chemistry and physics. The course ...

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  • Interdisciplinary Science faculty include mathematicians, biologists, chemists, public health practitioners, and statisticians, many of whom are engaged with SENCER (Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities).

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Submit your application

Undergraduates

To apply to any of our undergraduate programs (except the Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs) complete and submit the Common App online.

Undergraduate Adult Learners

To apply to any of our Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.

Graduates

To apply to any of our Master's, Doctoral, Professional Studies Diploma, and Graduate Certificate programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.

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