A new curriculum has been developed to meet the challenges of the bio-technology era. Field trips, to such placesas plant and marine laboratories offer opportunities for firsthand investigation in the natural environment. Theoretical and experimental studies extend into the four areas of inorganic, organic, physical, and analytical chemistry. Topics for senior theses may be chosen from any of the above areas, or from a wide range of interdisciplinary and environmental issues which have immediate practical relevance. Mathematics is the basis of the natural sciences and an independent science of profound significance.
Courses emphasize analysis, algebra, and geometry.
Senior theses focus usually on problems in Fourier analysis, topological geometry, algebraic geometry, and combinatorial mathematics. The curriculum includes basic lectures and laboratory sessions in general physics as well as courses in quantum mechanics and the structure of matter. Senior theses are usually completed in topics relating to solid state physics, biophysics, macromolecular physics, and nuclear physics.