Over the past two years, St. Lawrence has added six new bachelor's degree programs across disciplines. These programs represent cutting-edge fields in which graduates are in high demand and future Laurentians will excel thanks to their liberal arts education.
While each new major is powerful on its own, they also pair seamlessly with many of the University's other 70+ majors and 40+ minors, allowing each student to tailor their academic path to fit their interests. Think public health with government, finance with statistics, or digital media and film with English—the possibilities are endless.
The same faculty members who designed these new majors will serve as mentors—equally as invested in your students' goals as they are. Each program leverages faculty expertise and state-of-the-art campus technology and will empower students to connect classroom experiences to real-world opportunities like research and internships.
Read on to discover each of St. Lawrence's new majors.
Biomedical Sciences
Housed in the Biology Department, students pursuing the biomedical sciences major will develop a deep understanding of the cellular, molecular, and physiological concepts relevant to human health, wellness, and disease while gaining experiential career preparation opportunities like emergency medical technician (EMT) training, internships, and fellowships in research or the health care industry.
A unique offering of the new major includes a biomedical context coursework requirement that aims to provide students with a perspective on human health, disease, and medicine from a social science, humanities, or arts lens. The major also includes a pathway for students interested in health careers to complete courses required for medical school or dental school while students interested in conducting research can embrace a biomedical focus and work alongside a St. Lawrence faculty mentor to complete applied science research projects.
Learn More About Biomedical Sciences
Data Science
Data science is a rapidly-growing field that touches the lives of billions around the globe each day. Recent St. Lawrence students and graduates have already leveraged elements of the University’s robust offerings in mathematics, computer science, and statistics through double majors and minors in order to pursue careers or graduate programs in data science. The program is part of the robust offerings housed in the Department of Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics.
Students will have access to four computer-lab classrooms and two state-of-the-art high-performance computers. Highlights of the major include machine learning courses and the senior capstone experience where students will have the option to complete an independent Senior Year Experience, an approved internship or summer research fellowship, or embark on an Applied Data Science Seminar.
Digital Media and Film
Hallmarks of the Digital Media and Film major include developing students’ skills in digital media production, experiential learning through internships, research, study abroad, and Community Based Learning, and a commitment to integrating social justice and media-making beginning with a new required flagship introductory production course, Film and Media Action.
The new major encourages students to curate a curriculum that relates to their career interests in commercial media, artistic filmmaking, citizen journalism, multi-media storytelling, graphic design, and social media. To gain a competitive edge for the workforce, students will assemble a digital portfolio of their work during their final year in the program.
Finance
St. Lawrence’s finance major is housed within St. Lawrence’s Department of Economics, which is known for producing high-quality graduates who earn great placements and are successful in finance-related fields.
The content for the major will complement the courses already offered in the economics curriculum, which will serve as the foundation for the program. The coursework will introduce and require classes in investments and corporate finance, the two main areas of finance, which will provide a clear academic path for students interested in finance-related fields.
Pre-Health Chemistry
Pre-health chemsitry will provide a dynamic curriculum that allows students to meet the requirements of health-specific post-baccalaureate programs and gain practical research experience to begin a career in the field right after graduation. While the robust pre-health chemistry major provides students with plenty of practical experience, the curriculum is designed to provide students with the flexibility to pursue other majors or minors, study abroad, and explore their interests outside of the classroom.
Key offerings of the new major include a capstone senior year experience (SYE) featuring hands-on clinical activities or research experience and required health and societal context courses that provide students with a holistic view of medicine.
Learn About Pre-Health Chemistry
Public Health
The public health major will enhance curriculum that reaches beyond traditional biomedicine to examine issues of health and well-being and prepare graduates for careers in the public health field. It evolved from the popular public health minor implemented in 2017, and will provide students with the tools and knowledge to examine factors that impact the health of individuals, groups, and populations on a local and global scale.
A hallmark of the new major is a required experiential component that provides students with hands-on experience through community-based learning (CBL) courses, independent research, or internships that can be completed locally, regionally, or during an off-campus study program.
