Combining the Best of Both Worlds: Liberal Arts and Practical Technical Training
The [STS] mixture is intellectually exhilarating. RPI may be one of the bestface places on the planet to ponder such issues as television and the culture of passive consumption, or ethics and computers. Several department members are working together to find out how the engineers who design machines such as automobiles and vacuum cleaners may bring assumptions about culture or gender to the drawing board. Why, for example, are computer keyboards more comfortable for men than for women?" -- Newsweek
The undergraduate B.S. degree in Science, Technology, and Society provides you with the best of both worlds: valuable technical training that will ensure you with a good position in the job market or in graduate school, and a strong liberal arts background that will allow you to understand the technological transformations that are going on in today's world.
Rensselaer's STS Department is one of the oldest and most highly recognized programs of its sort. Our internationally recognized faculty have backgrounds in anthropology, history, philosophy, political science, social psychology, and sociology. They bring to their courses a unique interdisciplinary perspective on science, technology, and society.
The STS degree can be pursued as a stand-alone degree. In hundreds of undergraduate programs across the country, students are now pursuing STS degrees. The advantage of doing STS at Rensselaer is that our degree is designed to allow you to combine it with other majors. The pages that follow will give you some examples of the various combinations that you can select that will best match your interests.
Ok, the idea sounds good, but will I get a job? Get into a good graduate school? You bet. Rensselaer students do very well on the job market and in applications to graduate school. Science, Technology, and Society majors are no exception. In fact, as an STS major, you'll even stand out. Whether it's applying to graduate school or getting a job when you graduate, the Science, Technology, and Society degree gives you an edge over other students. Why? Because the major combines the best of both worlds: liberal arts and training in science, management, or engineering.
"It was never a secret when I was an undergraduate that even the engineers LOVED taking STS courses. Why? Because they were FUN! And INTERESTING! They considered the HUMAN EXPERIENCE--the way that we interface with the world we are created around us...Learning the history of how we have evolved from an industrial to an information society, how states have used technology to evolve political systems, how they are changing now, what technologies foster the values we hold personally and as a society, what those values may be...and what the values are of other people we share this planet with...STS is all these things and a million more."
--Lt. Lyman Moquin, U.S. Navy
What's more, many students are doing dual majors. That's the name of the game in today's competitive job market. You'll get the traditional liberal arts background that will prepare you to understand the world we live in. You'll learn how to do research, to write, and to solve problems intelligently. But you can also get a second major or a minor in a practical field that Rensselaer is famous for--science, technology management, or engineering. If you're worried about getting a job, rest assured that our majors do very well (see section IV of this booklet). High-tech companies and consulting firms are looking for students with technical skills who can also think broadly and write well. Robert Helfant, a graduate of the program, explains the typical reaction of potential employers: "Once I describe the program, I am usually told something resembling, 'I wish I could have taken courses in that area.'" He says he was "favorably distinguished" from those who have more specialized backgrounds. And if you're worried about getting into a good graduate school, take a look at where some of the STS majors have gone to graduate school. You'll be impressed. You'll even have the opportunity to join one of our accelerated degree programs.