The primary goal of the ISP is to provide talented undergraduates with an opportunity to pursue studies that go beyond the traditional major in a single field of science. Through coursework, research projects, and internships, ISP students explore the interrelationships among the sciences, the boundaries along which new fields are born, the discoveries made possible by cross-disciplinary research, and the excitement of such research enterprises here at the University of Arizona. The ISP is designed to provide training in critical thinking, analytical and quantitative problem solving, teamwork, and scientific writing/presentation that cross the boundaries of scientific disciplines, while at the same time ensuring that students have a depth of understanding in a traditional field. Students who major in the Integrated Science Program also select an emphasis area (minor or second major) in another undergraduate program.To be admitted into the ISP, students are required to have completed one year of calculus in high school with a grade of B or better, taken AP Calculus and received a 4 or 5 on the AP exam, or completed a community college or dual credit calculus course equivalent to MATH 124 or MATH 125 with a grade of B or better. In addition, students are expected to have completed four science courses in high school, with at least one course in chemistry and one course in physics. Grades in all four science courses must be B or better.
The Integrated Science major provides students with scientific writing, critical analysis, research methodologies, and computer programming skills as applied to multiple scientific disciplines including mathematics, statistics, chemistry, biology, and physics. Graduates will be prepared to work in and across the sciences as data managers, communications professionals, writers, and researchers. This major is also excellent preparation for graduate studies in information science, statistics, biology, chemistry, or physics. Some of the job titles below may require an advanced degree.