General Catalog 2001-2002
Posted April 9, 2001 

College of Science 

Dean, Peter J. Stang, Ph.D. 
Associate Dean, Elizabeth Tucker Gurney, Ph.D.

Office: 220 James Talmage Building 
Phone: 581-6958; Fax: 585-3169 

Mailing Address: 
1430 East Presidents Circle, Rm. 220 
Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0140 

Web Address: www.science.utah.edu

Departments

Biology 
Chemistry 
Mathematics 
Physics 

Degrees

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) 
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) 
Master of Arts¹ (M.A.) 
Master of Science¹ (M.S.) 
Master of Statistics¹ (M.Stat.)
Master of Philosophy¹ (M.Phil.) 
Doctor of Philosophy¹ (Ph.D.) 

The College of Science pursues a variety of related educational activities. It provides systematic programs for those who wish to follow careers as professional scientists. It presents courses of instruction for students not specializing in science but who plan careers that require a science background. Finally, the college provides general instruction for those studying science as part of a broad and rounded education. Those who major in departments of the college are encouraged to develop breadth in science disciplines but also in areas outside the sciences. The college is committed to science and at the same time to the concept of liberal education. 

Undergraduate Program

Admission. Admission requirements for the college are the same as those for the University. The level at which entering students begin course work is determined by their past academic records and results of standardized tests. Mathematics is used in all scientific disciplines, and students intending to major in the college should study as much mathematics in high school as feasible. All departments in the college require calculus as part of their program. Students majoring in the college may not count remedial courses offered through Academic Outreach and Continuing Education, or through the Mathematics Department, toward the mathematics requirements of their major department. 

Graduation Requirements. Candidates for a B.S. or B.A. degree in a major in the College of Science must satisfy the graduation requirements of the University and complete at least 122 semester credit hours of approved course work including: 

1. The University's general education, American institutions, statistical reasoning, and writing requirements. 
2. At least 40 semester credit hours in courses numbered 3000 or above. 
3. Major requirements specified by one of the departments of the College of Science, typically consisting of a minimum of 30 semester credit hours in the major department and a minimum of 14 hours in allied fields. 

Preparation for Professional Schools. The College of Science offers many courses commonly required for admission to professional schools. 

Undergraduate students planning to enter professional studies are advised to complete science courses required by the relevant professional school. See Medicine, Engineering, and Law elsewhere in this section of the catalog. 

Graduate Program

The college offers M.A., M.S., M.Stat., M.Phil., and Ph.D. degrees in biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics as well as the following other graduate programs. 

Ph.D. in Physics with Medical Physics Emphasis. The medical physics
program is designed to give an appropriate education to physics Ph.D.
students desiring to specialize in some branch of medical physics.  This
program will provide students with a solid physics background (through
core and elective courses) but will still allow enough flexibility for
students to perform research in medical and other interdisciplinary areas
(through elective courses).  The research will normally be supervised
jointly by faculty from the Physics Department and from medical
departments.

Areas of current research in medical physics in the Physics Department
include nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI) applied to lungs (Professor Ailion), MRI with hyperpolarized noble
gases (Professor Saam), biomedical optics and materials research for
medical and laser applications (Professor Gellerman), imaging of
biological structures and surfaces using Scanning Probe Microscopy
(Professor Williams).  Professors Symko, Taylor and Vardeny also have some
connection in their research to medical physics.

Ph.D. in Chemical Physics. The College of Science offers a program in chemical physics, restricted to candidates for the Ph.D. degree. This program, administered by an executive committee of faculty from the departments of Chemistry and Physics, permits maximum flexibility for students seeking advanced training in areas of interest common to physicists and chemists. 

To enter the chemical physics program, students must first gain admission to the doctoral program in either chemistry or physics. 

Ph.D. in Molecular Biology/Biological Chemistry. The departments of Biology and Chemistry participate with departments from the colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy in the Molecular Biology Program and the Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Biological Chemistry. First- year graduate students share a core curriculum and spend a trial semester in each of two research laboratories. After the first year, students select a thesis adviser and enter the Ph.D. program of that faculty member's department. For more detailed information, see Biological Chemistry and Molecular Biology in the Courses section of this catalog. 

Physics M.S. with Instrumentation Emphasis. A special master's degree with emphasis on physical sensors, data collection and analysis, and instrument control. This program is designed for students with a B.S. in a scientific or engineering field who want a broad approach to instrumentation. A special theoretical physics sequence may be included in this program for students whose B.S. was not in physics. Most of the courses have a strong laboratory component. A significant instrumentation project must be completed by students in this program. To meet the needs of individuals who are employed full time, all courses are available in the late afternoon or in the evening. A brochure describing the program is available by contacting the Physics Department office which can also arrange for an in-person discussion of the program. 

M.S. Degree Program for Secondary School Teachers of Science or Mathematics. The College of Science offers a special M.S. option for secondary school teachers of science or mathematics. The program is for career teachers with a bachelor's degree and at least three years of teaching experience. It allows a science or mathematics teacher to acquire an M.S. degree in a science and/or mathematics discipline. A special feature of the option is that a teacher may qualify for admission even with prior formal training limited to elementary college courses in science. Under the guidance of a college committee, the candidate's knowledge of science or mathematics is advanced as far as practicable within the limits of a 30 to 33 semester credit-hour program. Part of the work may include special seminar courses relating the subject matter studied to classroom teaching. 

Inquiries regarding this program should be directed to the Office of the Dean, College of Science. 

B.S./B.A. Degree in Medical Biology. University of Utah students admitted to a U.S. medical or dental school before earning a bachelor's degree may use credits earned during the first year of professional school toward a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Biology. Priorto entering medical or dental school, the candidate must complete a minimum of 102 undergraduate semester credit hours including all predental or premedical course requirements, all general education requirements, all University graduation requirements, and 20 semester hours of upper-division credit. The last undergraduate 30 semester credit hours must be done in residence at the University of Utah. This undergraduate work, plus the successful completion of the first year of the medical or dental school curriculum, meets the requirements for this major. Please note that this degree does not generally work for admission to medical school, as many--including the University of Utah--require a Bachelor's degree prior to entrance.  For further information, interested students should contact the coordinator for preprofessional advising, Room 124 Bldg. 44, 581-5744. 

M.S. Degree Program in Computational Engineering and Science.  The
Departments of Mathematics and Physics and the School of Computing have established a special degree program in Computational Engineering and Science.  This degree program provides interdisciplinary experience in the computational solution of scientific or engineering problems, including an understanding of the scientific or engineering context of the problem, the mathematical modeling of the problem, the choice of mathematical and numerical methodology, the selection of computer architecture and algorithms, and the visual and/or statistical rendering of computational results.  The program is designed for students with a B.S. in an
engineering or scientific discipline, but is open to all fields.  For further information and application forms, see the URL http://www.ces.utah.edu/.