Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences
For students in the class of 2028 and beyond, Integrated Sciences is CMC’s signature science major offered in the Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences (KDIS). As a member of The Claremont Colleges, CMC students wishing to major in a science field other than Integrated Sciences can request a major at the W.M Keck Science Department (Keck), Harvey Mudd College, or Pomona College. Acceptance into those majors is determined by those programs and is not guaranteed.
CMC students in the classes of 2025, 2026, and 2027 (including transfer students) who have started taking science courses at Keck (or, in the case of transfer students, at their former institution) must complete their science major at Keck.
Students in the class of 2028 must fulfill the laboratory science General Education (GE) requirement by taking Codes of Life (SCI10L) at CMC no later than spring of their sophomore year. Students in the class of 2027 (including transfer students) who have not yet completed this GE may fulfill the science GE requirement either by taking SCI10L or a lab-based science course in the W.M. Keck Science (Keck) Department by the end of academic year 2024-25. Students in the classes of 2025 and 2026 (including transfer students) who have not yet completed this GE should plan on taking a lab-based science course at Keck in academic year 2024-25. For students in the classes of 2025, 2026, and 2027 only (including transfer students), college policy also permits this GE requirement to be fulfilled with any other letter-graded lab-based science course at the Claremont Colleges. However, space in off-campus courses may be limited, so completing the science GE requirement at Keck is advisable. In extenuating circumstances, students in the classes of 2025, 2026, and 2027 only (including transfer students) may petition to complete the lab-based science GE requirement at another institution outside of Claremont. Students should email Prof. Ran Libeskind-Hadas (rhadas@cmc.edu), Founding Chair of KDIS.
Students in the class of 2028 who are science majors at KDIS must complete their science GE requirements by taking Codes of Life (SCI10L) at CMC no later than their sophomore year.
Students in the classes of 2025, 2026, and 2027 (including transfer students) who are science majors at the W.M Keck Science (Keck) Department will complete their science GE requirement with a lab-based science course at Keck.
Our innovative new “Codes of Life” course (SCI 10L) is the first science course for all CMC students. It serves both as the College’s new science general education course and the first course in the Integrated Sciences major. This course provides students with exposure to foundational and cross-cutting concepts in science as well as authentic research experiences on topics related to global human health, using both experimental and computational methods.
The Integrated Sciences major is organized around three grand challenges: human health, the brain, and our planet. It aims to provide students with skills and knowledge to engage in research, critically evaluate new results and emerging trends, and reason and communicate about the relationship of science and society. The program seeks to develop strong foundations in the natural science disciplines (biology, chemistry, and physics) combined with computational, data science, and experimental approaches. An Integrated Sciences major is especially appropriate for students interested in careers in the health professions, scientific research, entrepreneurship and innovation, consulting, and policy.
To best prepare our students for these challenges and develop skills and confidence in working across traditional disciplinary boundaries, the curriculum is based on a set of seven foundational courses, taken by all Integrated Sciences majors. Each of our courses is framed by one or more contemporary issues. We use a just-in-time approach that teaches new material in response to addressing a current challenge. Students immediately apply their new knowledge to make discoveries in the laboratory using a combination of observational, experimental, and computational approaches.
The content of these seven foundational courses is equivalent to 1.5 courses in biology, 2 courses in chemistry, 2 courses in physics, and 1.5 courses in computing, machine learning, and data science. The pedagogical approach of this foundational curriculum, however, involves a deliberate and thoughtful interleaving of those areas so that their deep connections are amplified and so that students can bring multiple skillsets to addressing the multidisciplinary perspectives required to address current research questions.
Beyond the seven foundational courses, Integrated Sciences majors select four elective courses. Those elective courses may be in one of the three thematic areas of our program (health, brain, or planet), providing students with depth in a single chosen area. Alternatively, students may work with their advisor to select a cross-cutting set of courses that blends the thematic areas. Students who are preparing for medical school or other health-related careers will work with their advisors to select the appropriate set of electives.
For more information on the Integrated Sciences major, please see the CMC Catalog.
Our program continues CMC’s long tradition of providing outstanding preparation for students who wish to continue on to medical school and other health-related careers. All of the courses that a student needs for those pathways will be offered at KDIS. Specifically, students will take 7 foundational courses, including our "Codes of Life" course, which are equivalent to 1.5 courses in biology, 2 courses in chemistry, 2 courses in physics, and 1.5 courses in computing, machine learning, and data science. Additionally, students will typically take courses in biochemistry, organic chemistry, and a biology elective as 3 of their 4 required elective courses. Our program also offers robust research opportunities and pre-health advising.
CMC will continue to prepare students to complete 3+2 programs in which a student spends 3 years at CMC and 2 years at a partnering engineering program, resulting in a BA from CMC and a BS in engineering from the partner institution. We are currently planning to offer two pathways: "3+2 Combined Program: Economics" and "3+2 Combined Program: Integrated Sciences".