Understanding the nature of scientific inquiry and the operation of the natural, physical, and technological world is essential for making personal and public policy decisions.
- Identifying key elements of scientific inquiry relative to a problem in the natural world
- Solving problems based on scientific data, information, or models
- Evaluating conclusions
To fulfill their distribution requirements, students must complete seven credit hours of coursework, representing at least two disciplines in this category, with at least one laboratory course. In addition, students must complete nine credit hours of coursework in Social Sciences, and nine credit hours in Humanities & Fine Arts towards their distribution requirements. Distribution requirements comprise 25 hours of the general education curriculum.
Below is a list of Natural & Physical Sciences courses that have been approved for inclusion in the general education curriculum.
Natural & Physical Sciences Approved Courses
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits | Prerequisite |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANTH 3910 | Introduction to Physical Anthropology | 3 | YES |
| BIOI 1000 | Introduction to Bioinformatics | 3 | |
| BIOL 1020 | Principles of Biology | 5 | |
| BIOL 1330 | Environmental Biology | 3 | |
| BIOL 1450 | Biology I | 5 | YES |
| BMCH 2400 | Human Physiology & Anatomy I | 4 | |
| CHEM 1010 | Chemistry in the Environment and Society | 3 | YES |
| CHEM 1014 | Chemistry in the Environment and Society Laboratory | 1 | YES |
| CHEM 1140 | Fundamentals of College Chemistry | 4 | YES |
| CHEM 1144 | Fundamentals of College Chemistry Laboratory | 1 | YES |
| CHEM 1170 | General Chemistry I-II | 5 | YES |
| CHEM 1180 | General Chemistry I | 3 | YES |
| CHEM 1184 | General Chemistry I Laboratory | 1 | YES |
| CSCI 1200 | Computer Science Principles | 3 | YES |
| CSCI 1204 | Computer Science Principles Laboratory | 1 | YES |
| CSCI 1280 | Introduction to Computational Science | 3 | YES |
| FSMT 1600 | Fundamentals of Fire Science | 3 | |
| GEOG 1030 | Introduction to Physical Geography | 4 | |
| GEOG 1050 | Human Environment Geography | 4 | |
| GEOG 1090 | Introduction to Geospatial Sciences | 4 | |
| GEOG 3510 | Meteorology | 3 | |
| GEOG 3514 | Introduction to Meteorology Lab | 1 | YES |
| GEOL 1010 | Environmental Geology | 3 | |
| GEOL 1100 | Earth System Science | 3 | |
| GEOL 1104 | Earth System Science Laboratory | 1 | |
| GEOL 1170 | Introduction to Physical Geology | 4 | |
| GEOL 2100 | Geology of Nebraska | 3 | |
| GEOL 2500 | Special Topics in Geography-Geology | 1 | |
| HEKI 3090 | Applied Nutrition | 3 | |
| HONR 3040 | Honors Colloquium - Non-Lab Science | 3 | YES |
| NEUR 1000 | Superheroes, Zombies, Cyborgs and Droids: Could They Live Among Us? | 3 | YES |
| NSCI 1050 | Science and Critical Thinking | 3 | |
| PHYS 1030 | Physics of Everyday Life | 3 | YES |
| PHYS 1034 | Physics of Everyday Life Laboratory | 1 | YES |
| PHYS 1050 | Introduction to Physics | 4 | YES |
| PHYS 1054 | Introduction to Physics Laboratory | 1 | YES |
| PHYS 1110 | General Physics I | 4 | YES |
| PHYS 1154 | General Physics Laboratory I | 1 | YES |
| PHYS 1350 | Principles of Astronomy | 3 | YES |
| PHYS 1354 | Introductory Astronomy Lab | 1 | YES |
| PHYS 2110 | General Physics 1 - Calculus Level | 4 | YES |
| STEM 2800 | Science Experimentation and Engineering Design | 4 | |
| TED 2800 | Science Experimentation and Engineering Design | 4 |