Evolution Major Vanishes From Approved Federal List

[ponderingturtle]

I going to go out on a limb here and guess that very few people with "Women's Studies" degrees are going to return to Cal Berkeley to get their advanced degree in physics.

My point was that there are degree programs where each course builds on others in a more dirrect fashion that it does in the liberal arts area. It would hold for math and most sciences and engeneering degrees. You know the employable degrees that people keep saying america does not graduate enough of.

 

[slingblade]

Not in physics. There where classes I had to take over at least 3 years becuase of prerequists and trying to take all the 300 level courses you need in one year would be very very hard.

300 levels classes aren't Gen Ed. Gen Eds are 100 and 200 level intro classes, and will be taken only once, no matter how many Bachelor's degrees one has. 300 and 400 level courses are usually degree concentration courses and usually take 2 years to complete for most BAs, but obviously not for all.

 

[Jimbo07]

Not in physics. There where classes I had to take over at least 3 years becuase of prerequists and trying to take all the 300 level courses you need in one year would be very very hard.

It was hard, but I don't have the luxury of spreading my education out any more. 3rd year was a crushing one. I turned in a stellar performance in some classes and a... umm... not-so-stellar performance in others . 4th year looks like more fun with more experimental/engineering than theoretical stuff.

Stupid physics.

...

 

[Dave1001]

"Evolutionary biology" is hardly a narrow major.

I don't think "evolutionary biology" is needed as a major at the undergraduate level. There's already a well-developed undergraduate major called biology.

 

[BPSCG]

I don't think "evolutionary biology" is needed as a major at the undergraduate level. There's already a well-developed undergraduate major called biology.

What's all the hoo-hah about anyway? Isn't all biology evolutionary biology? Or is someone teaching creationist biology somewhere?

I mean in a real college.

 

[ponderingturtle]

300 levels classes aren't Gen Ed. Gen Eds are 100 and 200 level intro classes, and will be taken only once, no matter how many Bachelor's degrees one has. 300 and 400 level courses are usually degree concentration courses and usually take 2 years to complete for most BAs, but obviously not for all.

BUt if those 300 and 400 level courses have in department 200 level prerequisits and those have 100 level prequisits it changes things.

My school had analyitical physics 1-4 which needed to be taken in order and before you took any advanced physics classes. Now 1 and 2 where general 100 level courses. 3 and 4 where 200 level but where only taken by physics majors

You can take all the 300 level courses in 2 years, but it took you 4 semesters to get in a position to take them.

 

[ponderingturtle]

It was hard, but I don't have the luxury of spreading my education out any more. 3rd year was a crushing one. I turned in a stellar performance in some classes and a... umm... not-so-stellar performance in others . 4th year looks like more fun with more experimental/engineering than theoretical stuff.

Stupid physics.

...

I know how hard taking 2 300 level physics courses at once is, taking the 4 or so to finnish a degree course in 3 years would be a nightmare.

I really should finish my degree I am only like two 2 credit 300 level phyics lab courses away. Not sure if they would let me just change the grade as it is a few years since I was enrolled. I need to get going on that.

 

[ponderingturtle]

I don't think "evolutionary biology" is needed as a major at the undergraduate level. There's already a well-developed undergraduate major called biology.

Yea and why do you have chemistry, bio chemistry, Physical chemistry and chemical engineering? And why BA's and BS's?

 

[brodski]

And why BA's and BS's?

Are the BS's all in creationist biology?

 

[DaChew]

Actual conversation recorded on the Berkely campus:

Luna: YOU THINK I'M STUPID.

Miles: NO. HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT ? I THINK THAT YOU'RE BRIGHT AND SENSITIVE AND--

Luna: BEAUTIFUL.

Miles: BEAUTIFUL.

Luna: YEAH, WELL THEN HOW COME YOU'RE NOT ATTRACTED TO ME ? MEN GO CRAZY OVER ME. I'M GREAT PHYSICALLY. I GOT A PHD IN ORAL SEX.

Miles: DID THEY MAKE YOU TAKE ANY SPANISH WITH THAT ?

Luna: WHAT ?

Miles: WELL, I DON'T KNOW. I WAS AN ENGLISH MAJOR MYSELF. YOU KNOW, CHAUCER, POPE. I MINORED IN FOREPLAY. IT'S A TWO-CREDIT COURSE AT N.Y.U.

 

[Dave1001]

Yea and why do you have chemistry, bio chemistry, Physical chemistry and chemical engineering? And why BA's and BS's?

I see the benefit of distinct chemistry and chemical engineering majors. Majors in Biochemistry and physical chemistry also seem unecessary to me at the undergraduate level. There's no graduate programs that will take someone with an undergraduate degree in biochemistry or physical chemistry but not in chemistry. And I agree about the often useless distinction between BA's and BS's. In many schools it's arbitrary, and a physics BA from some schools is no different than a physics BS in another school. Just call it a bachelors degree and tell us the major and let us see the transcript for the individual's coursework.

 

[ponderingturtle]

I see the benefit of distinct chemistry and chemical engineering majors. Majors in Biochemistry and physical chemistry also seem unecessary to me at the undergraduate level. There's no graduate programs that will take someone with an undergraduate degree in biochemistry or physical chemistry but not in chemistry. And I agree about the often useless distinction between BA's and BS's. In many schools it's arbitrary, and a physics BA from some schools is no different than a physics BS in another school. Just call it a bachelors degree and tell us the major and let us see the transcript for the individual's coursework.

They do have meaning as they have different courses mandated with each. The difference in a physics BA and a BS at my school was one needed advanced mechanics and an electronics course(BS) and one needed quantum mechanics and an additional 300 level elecitive(BA).

I agree that in fuction the distiction for graduate work with a Pchem vs Biochem major is irrelevent, but it might not be if going dirrectly into industry for example.

They represent suttle variations in what you studdied and are not major distictions but not nessacarily irrelevent.

 

[slingblade]

BUt if those 300 and 400 level courses have in department 200 level prerequisits and those have 100 level prequisits it changes things.

My school had analyitical physics 1-4 which needed to be taken in order and before you took any advanced physics classes. Now 1 and 2 where general 100 level courses. 3 and 4 where 200 level but where only taken by physics majors

You can take all the 300 level courses in 2 years, but it took you 4 semesters to get in a position to take them.

Mmm, yeah, I can see that about the pre-reqs. English didn't have too many, but I can see science easily having more. Thanks for explaining.

 

[pgwenthold]

I've always wondered, what exactly does one with a degree in Women's Studies do after graduating?

What exactly does one with a degree in english do after graduating?

Read?

Outside of teaching, that is, but teaching specialties are self-perpetuating (anyone in any major could be a teacher in that field, in principle, and that includes Women's Studies)

 

[Dave1001]

They do have meaning as they have different courses mandated with each. The difference in a physics BA and a BS at my school was one needed advanced mechanics and an electronics course(BS) and one needed quantum mechanics and an additional 300 level elecitive(BA).

I agree that in fuction the distiction for graduate work with a Pchem vs Biochem major is irrelevent, but it might not be if going dirrectly into industry for example.

They represent suttle variations in what you studdied and are not major distictions but not nessacarily irrelevent.

BA vs. BS varies by school. One school's BA can be more scientifically rigorous than another school's BS. As for going into industry, there's no difference between Pchem major or a Biochem major and someon who was a chemistry major and did most of their advance coursework in Biochem or PChem. It approaches absurdity when people can get bachelor degrees in "Genetic Engineering" or Neuroscience". Completely unecessary, and perhaps actively harmful for the student, who ends up with an overspecialized looking resume that probably unecessarily restricts their job market opportunities.

 

[ponderingturtle]

What exactly does one with a degree in english do after graduating?

Read?

Outside of teaching, that is, but teaching specialties are self-perpetuating (anyone in any major could be a teacher in that field, in principle, and that includes Women's Studies)

A friend of mine ended up editing lawyers so that they say what they mean, think of the case of the comma in the contract in canada not to long ago.

There are jobs in publishing that having an english degree helps with. I am not aware of any non accademic jobs for womens studies.

 

[ponderingturtle]

BA vs. BS varies by school. One school's BA can be more scientifically rigorous than another school's BS. As for going into industry, there's no difference between Pchem major or a Biochem major and someon who was a chemistry major and did most of their advance coursework in Biochem or PChem. It approaches absurdity when people can get bachelor degrees in "Genetic Engineering" or Neuroscience". Completely unecessary, and perhaps actively harmful for the student, who ends up with an overspecialized looking resume that probably unecessarily restricts their job market opportunities.

Not really, the specialization would only be a small percentage of the classes. All it does is recognise a set of electives. Kind of like a history major who focused on one area getting a degree in that area instead of just history.

 

[Dave1001]

Not really, the specialization would only be a small percentage of the classes. All it does is recognise a set of electives. Kind of like a history major who focused on one area getting a degree in that area instead of just history.

Yup, I would also advise someone get a bachelor in "history" rather than in Comparative American Studies, or in Peace Studies or some such trendy thing.

 

[slingblade]

What exactly does one with a degree in english do after graduating?

Read?

Outside of teaching, that is, but teaching specialties are self-perpetuating (anyone in any major could be a teacher in that field, in principle, and that includes Women's Studies)

Answer: too many things to list here. That's my degree, so I looked it up.
http://english.unc.edu/undergrad/careers.html

While looking for something other than a teaching job (which I can still easily get, but have decided not to pursue for now, if ever), I saw a lot of copy editor vacancies, paying much more than teacher salary. I'd love that job. But I would feel more confident seeking it with a little know-how. The classes I'm in now will teach me certain software and skills which will help me get the job more readily, and help my confidence. But I could have gotten such a position without them, with my English degree alone.

 

[brodski]

Yup, I would also advise someone get a bachelor in "history" rather than in Comparative American Studies, or in Peace Studies or some such trendy thing.

But how about "modern history" as opposed to "ancient history" or "medieval history", what about "social history" as opposed to "political history"?