HUMBI-BS - Human Biology (BS)

The mission of the undergraduate program in Human Biology is to provide students with an interdisciplinary approach to understanding human beings from biological, behavioral, social, and cultural perspectives. Core courses train students to approach significant problems from a range of perspectives. As they progress through the major, each student pursues an individualized course of study that draws upon disciplines across the university and promotes a nuanced understanding of a substantive area. The program prepares majors to pursue advanced training in professional or graduate programs and to address issues that influence human welfare.

The B.S. degree allows students a scientific and technical focus for their studies, and requires completion of course work and specialization in the biological sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, and/or computer science and engineering. The degree is suitable for a variety of career trajectories, including attending graduate or professional school, such as medical school. Students who plan to pursue graduate work should familiarize themselves with the admission requirements of the schools to which they intend to apply. A total of 81 units of credit are required for graduation, so early planning is advisable to guarantee completion of a Human Biology major.

B.S. Degree Option Requirement

For the B.S. degree, coursework must be predominantly in the natural sciences, mathematics, computer science and/or engineering fields, with a minority in the social sciences. Courses that are designated as Ways for applied quantitative reasoning, formal reasoning, and scientific methods and analysis courses qualify as B.S. eligible courses. Other eligible courses have been designated as B.S. by the program.

More details about meeting this requirement can be found in the section describing Breadth, Depth, & Upper Division degree requirements.

How to Declare

Students can begin planning a course of study once they have passed at least two of the six courses in the HumBio Core Sequence with a letter grade. Over the course of declaration, a prospective major must consult with the Human Biology advising team to develop a course of study with an individualized Area of Concentration. Students may officially declare in Axess once they have received program approval for their Area of Concentration and completed four of the six HumBio Core Sequence courses with a 'C-' or better. The program recommends that students finish the declaration process by the time they finish the HumBio Core Sequence.

Area of Concentration

Courses taken in a student's Breadth and Depth requirement inform the student’s individualized chosen Area of Concentration topic. The student selects courses for these two requirement categories in consultation with the advising staff, who approve the final course selections. The Area of Concentration title should communicate the focus of the student's Human Biology coursework. Upon approval of their proposed coursework, students write a Cornerstone Essay explaining their chosen Area of Concentration. At the time the major is declared, the student submits the Cornerstone Essay (3-5 pages), which includes academic and long-term goals and the proposed list of courses satisfying the Breadth and Depth requirements for the major. The proposal is then reviewed by the student advisors who can help identify an appropriate faculty advisor.

Additional information about the major may be obtained from the program's offices or at the Program in Human Biology website.

All coursework, unless otherwise specified, requires a syllabus and transcript to be submitted to HumBio's student services for review.

• Core Program Requirements

  • HumBio Core: this requirement is generally not transferable.

  • Statistics: parallel courses to the HumBio approved statistics courses are allowed.

  • Upper Division: transfer units are not allowed.

• Breadth: 10 units of transferable quarter units are allowed (syllabus not required).

• Depth: 1-2 courses, up to 6 transferable quarter units are allowed.

• Capstone: transfer units are not allowed.

The program expects its undergraduate majors to  be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes.

Communication 

Because Human Biology is an interdisciplinary program with an emphasis on both empirical inquiry and applied knowledge, excellent communication skills are critical to majors. Successful students must be able to engage with literature and audiences not only from multiple disciplines but also with varying levels of subject expertise and to communicate information and ideas clearly, precisely, concisely, and purposefully in any setting. Toward this end, a graduate of Human Biology is expected to be able to:

1. adopt an appropriate style for written communication in the biological and social sciences 

2. accurately summarize a scientific article 

3. synthesize and criticize multiple sources of scientific literature 

4. revise effectively in response to feedback 

5. write collaboratively 

6. present information visually in a variety of forms (charts, graphs, figures, and posters) for different audiences, purposes, and occasions 

7. communicate in a variety of major scientific genres (such as  abstracts, literature reviews, posters, research proposals, research presentations, and policy proposals) and popular genres (such as op-eds, PSA, podcasts,  and science blogs) 

8. use citations to provide context and to credit others for their intellectual contributions 

9. communicate scientific knowledge to both specialist and non-specialist audiences 

10. construct a well-supported, logical argument based on relevant evidence and established conceptual frameworks 

11. frame a research question in relation to the current state of knowledge in a field 

12. articulate a well-reasoned hypothesis 

13. listen to any speaker and pose questions 

14. deliver an oral presentation and respond to audience questions 

Data Analysis

Data are used in the social and biological sciences to make observations about and judgments regarding patterns of human behavior and function. These data are sometimes imperfect or incomplete, but they must be used, nevertheless, to make decisions and policies regarding humans individually and in groups within the worlds they inhabit. Thus, students should cultivate a capacity within the Human Biology major to examine and analyze data. A graduate of Human Biology is expected to be able to:

1. recognize that different scientific disciplines draw on various sources and types of evidence 

2. translate a research topic into a hypothesis or focused question that can be tested using quantitative or qualitative data 

3. identify variables that are relevant to a study and describe their nature (e.g., categorical, continuous) and interrelationships (independent, dependent, covariates) 

4. use statistical software to summarize and describe data of various types 

5. choose an appropriate analytical framework or statistical model for testing a given hypothesis, considering the structure of the data (e.g., sample size, distribution, qualitative or quantitative nature)

6. employ quantitative or qualitative data to support a conclusion 

7. understand and interpret the results of hypothesis tests 

8. detect mistakes commonly made in empirical reasoning and data analysis 

9. assess the limits of available data and identify potential sources of uncertainty 

10. present data accurately, clearly, and effectively in the forms of tables, graphs, and figures

11. explore specialized modes of data analysis such as meta-analysis, bioinformatics, modeling, and epidemiological approaches 

Scientific Literacy

The Program in Human Biology prepares students to join a broad scientific community with a culture of building and sharing knowledge. A goal of the major is to cultivate judicious consumers of research in the natural and social sciences, irrespective of their individual career paths. A graduate of Human Biology is expected to be able to:

1. appreciate the distinct roles of common genres of scientific writing, including peer-reviewed research papers, review articles, commentaries, and popular science writing 

2. acknowledge and apply the normative and ethical standards of conducting and publishing research, including accuracy, transparency, and responsibility to colleagues and subjects 

3. consider the credibility and importance of a published article and its relevance within a field 

4. engage with peer-reviewed scientific literature actively and critically 

5. identify research questions and understand their theoretical or practical importance 

6. assess research methodologies including experimental or other study design 

7. evaluate evidence and statistical analyses presented in support of claims 

8. interpret data presented in a table, graph, or figure 

9. use a hypothesis or conceptual framework to make predictions or pose questions about a novel setting