The certificate in Integrated Studies in Science, Engineering, and Society Undergraduate (ISSuES) offers undergraduate students an opportunity to explore the social sciences and humanities in a way that emphasizes the relationship between science, technology, medicine, engineering, and society. From energy to communications technologies to gene editing to automation, the interplay between researchers, developers, policy makers and the public is constantly shaping and reshaping our world. The ISSuES certificate allows undergraduate students to complement their majors with a set of courses aimed at helping them understand how society shapes science and how science shapes society.
Offered by the Holtz Center for Science & Technology Studies, ISSuES was designed to help STEM-field majors fulfill their liberal arts requirements, but is highly flexible and is available to all undergraduate students interested in exploring the complex interplay between science, technology, medicine, engineering, and society. For more information, see the program website.
The certificate in integrated studies in science, engineering and society is offered to all undergraduate students. To be considered for admission to the certificate program, students must be in good academic standing. Students should begin the application process by the end of sophomore year, but no later than the end of their junior year.
The first step in applying to the program is to consult with the ISSuES certificate advisor. To make an appointment, please send an email to sts@ssc.wisc.edu.
15 credits, TO INCLUDE: 1
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| STS 201 | Where Science Meets Society | 3 |
| 9 credits from one focus area: | 9 | |
| Ethics: | ||
| How People Learn | ||
| Environmental Studies: The Social Perspective | ||
| Special Topics: Social Perspectives in Environmental Studies | ||
| Biology and Society, 1950 - Today | ||
| The Origins of Scientific Thought | ||
| The Making of Modern Science | ||
| Science in the Twentieth Century: A Historical Overview | ||
| Bodies, Diseases, and Healers: An Introduction to the History of Medicine | ||
| Technology and Social Change in History | ||
| Science, Medicine, and Race: A History | ||
| Science, Medicine and Religion | ||
| History of Technology | ||
| Technology and Its Critics Since World War II | ||
| Science in America | ||
| International Health and Global Society | ||
| Topics in History of Medicine | ||
| American Environmental History | ||
| Health, Disease and Healing I | ||
| Public Health Ethics | ||
| Regenerative Medicine Ethics and Society | ||
| Independent Study in Medical History | ||
| Philosophy and the Sciences | ||
| Introductory Ethics | ||
| Ethics in Business | ||
| Contemporary Moral Issues | ||
| Environmental Ethics | ||
| Modern Ethical Theories | ||
| Leadership: | ||
| World Hunger and Malnutrition | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Health | ||
| Global Environmental Issues | ||
| History of Pharmacy | ||
| Science and Storytelling | ||
| Visualizing Science and Technology | ||
| Risk Communication | ||
| Managing Organizations | ||
| Introduction to American Politics and Government | ||
| Introduction to American Politics | ||
| Law, Politics and Society | ||
| Technology and Society | ||
| Organizations and Society | ||
| Introduction to Social Policy | ||
| Design: | ||
| Two-Dimensional Design | ||
| Three-Dimensional Design | ||
| Introduction to Digital Forms | ||
| Foundations of Contemporary Art | ||
| Drawing I | ||
| Drawing Methods & Concepts | ||
| The Computer in the Visual Arts | ||
| Wood Working | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Advanced Wood Working | ||
| History of Western Art II: From Renaissance to Contemporary | ||
| Cross-Cultural Arts Around the Atlantic Rim: 1800 to the Present | ||
| American Indian Art History: Contemporary Issues | ||
| Cities of Asia | ||
| Dimensions of Material Culture | ||
| Proseminar in American Architecture | ||
| Design: Fundamentals I | ||
| Fashion Illustration | ||
| Design: Fundamentals II | ||
| Person and Environment Interactions | ||
| Global Perspectives on Design and Culture | ||
| Twentieth Century Design | ||
| Dimensions of Material Culture | ||
| Taste | ||
| Global Environmental Issues | ||
| History of Technology | ||
| Technology and Its Critics Since World War II | ||
| Special Topics in the History of Science | ||
| Science and Environmental Journalism | ||
| Survey of Landscape Architecture Design | ||
| Contemporary Communication Technologies and Their Social Effects | ||
| Managing Organizations | ||
| Introductory Ethics | ||
| Technology and Society | ||
| General: | ||
| Race and American Politics from the New Deal to the New Right | ||
| Cultural Anthropology and Human Diversity | ||
| Introduction to Digital Forms | ||
| Introduction to Digital Communication | ||
| Rhetoric and Technology | ||
| Videogames & Learning | ||
| Design: Fundamentals I | ||
| Environmental Studies: The Social Perspective | ||
| Environmental Conservation | ||
| Health, Disease and Healing I | ||
| The Origins of Scientific Thought | ||
| The Making of Modern Science | ||
| Science in the Twentieth Century: A Historical Overview | ||
| Technology and Social Change in History | ||
| Science, Medicine, and Race: A History | ||
| History of Technology | ||
| Race, American Medicine and Public Health | ||
| Health, Disease and Healing I | ||
| The Development of Public Health in America | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| International Health and Global Society | ||
| Introduction to Human Factors | ||
| Introductory Ecology | ||
| Capstone—one from: 2 | 3 | |
| Special Topics | ||
| Advanced Wood Working | ||
| American Indian Art History: Contemporary Issues | ||
| Dimensions of Material Culture | ||
| Proseminar in American Architecture | ||
| Taste | ||
| Geography of Wisconsin | ||
| History of Technology | ||
| Race, American Medicine and Public Health | ||
| Topics in History of Medicine | ||
| Risk Communication | ||
| Health, Disease and Healing I | ||
| The Development of Public Health in America | ||
| Independent Study in Medical History | ||
| Environmental Law, Toxic Substances, and Conservation | ||
| Contemporary Moral Issues | ||
| International Health and Global Society | ||
| Introduction to Human Factors | ||
| Directed Study | ||
| Total Credits | 15 | |
| 1 | Courses taken with the pass/fail grade option do not apply to the certificate. |
| 2 | Courses used for the Focus area cannot also count for Capstone. |
Residence and Quality of Work
2.000 GPA on all courses counting toward the certificate and certificate approved courses
8 credits in the certificate, in residence
Certificate COMPLETION REQUIREMENT
This undergraduate certificate must be completed concurrently with the student’s undergraduate degree. Students cannot delay degree completion to complete the certificate.
1. Be exposed to the social sciences and humanities and see their relevance to scientific and technological enterprises.
2. Develop the capacity for interdisciplinary, critical thinking about the relationship between science, technology, engineering, medicine and society.
3. Develop a sense of personal and social responsibility for their engineering, scientific or other professional practice.
4. Strengthen written communication skills.
Advising
To obtain advising assistance, students should consult with the ISSuES certificate advisor. To make an appointment, send an email to sts@ssc.wisc.edu.
All UW–Madison undergraduates are encouraged to begin working on their career exploration and preparation soon after arriving on campus. We partner with SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Scence. L&S graduates are in high demand by employers and graduate programs, and the ISSuES certificate provides students with a way to integrate their liberal studies with the skills they are developing in their majors. It is important to us that our students are career ready at the time of graduation, and we are committed to your success. Students who have completed the certificate say that it helped them enhance the portfolio of skills they offered to employers and graduate programs by giving them foundations for understanding and communicating effectively about the ethical, policy, design and other non-technical aspects of science, engineering and medicine.
L&S career resources
SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science helps students leverage the academic skills learned in their major, certificates, and liberal arts degree; explore and try out different career paths; participate in internships; prepare for the job search and/or graduate school applications; and network with professionals in the field (alumni and employers).
SuccessWorks can also assist students in career advising, résumé and cover letter writing, networking opportunities, and interview skills, as well as course offerings for undergraduates to begin their career exploration early in their undergraduate career.
- SuccessWorks
- Set up a career advising appointment
- INTER-LS 210 L&S Career Development: Taking Initiative (1 credit, targeted to first- and second-year students)—for more information, see Inter-LS 210: Career Development, Taking Initiative
- Learn how we’re transforming career preparation: L&S Career Initiative