Science Diploma/Science Merit Diploma

Students who desire a Science Diploma or Science Merit Diploma must complete and submit to the Honors Institute a Science Diploma Application and a personal letter of application, describing the academic and career goals that make the student a desirable Science Diploma candidate. They must also take at least eight science/math courses (seven required courses and one elective course) that follow one of two tracks:

• Track A: Biology, Chemistry, Health or Pharmacy
• Track B: Mathematics, Actuarial Science, Engineering or Physics

Students also take two semesters of a science seminar course that focuses on research and science careers.

These courses provide a diverse and strong educational foundation in upper-division work for students who plan to major in the hard sciences or the health, mathematics or engineering fields. Successful completion of the required courses results in less time spent at the university and a higher probability of admission to limited-access programs. Scholarship money is available to students who qualify, and some universities also provide scholarships for SCC Science Diploma transfers.

• A Science Diploma is awarded to those students who complete the eight science and math courses and science seminar with a GPA of 2.0-3.29 in those courses.
• A Science Merit Diploma is awarded to those students who complete the eight science and math courses and science seminar with a GPA of 3.3 or higher in those courses.

Students must submit their transcripts by the midterm of the semester in which they plan to graduate and have no more than two withdrawals on their transcript. If more than two withdrawals are present, approval must be granted from the Science and Honors Departments to receive a Science Diploma or Science Merit Diploma.

Track A: Biology, Chemistry, Health or Pharmacy

Required courses:

• General Biology I (BSC 1010C)
• General Biology II (BSC 1011C)
• General Chemistry I (CHM 2045C)
• General Chemistry II with Qualitative Analysis (CHM 2046C)
• General Physics I (PHY 1053C)
• General Physics II (PHY 1054C)
• Physics with Calculus I (PHY2048C)
• Physics with Calculus II (PHY 2049C)
• Analytic Geometry and Calculus I (MAC 2311)
• Science Seminar (two semesters; ISC 1932)

Track B: Mathematics, Actuarial Science, Engineering or Physics

Required courses:

• General Chemistry I (CHM 2045C)
• General Chemistry II with Qualitative Analysis (CHM 2046C)
• Physics with Calculus I (PHY 2048C)
• Physics with Calculus II (PHY 2049C)
• Analytic Geometry and Calculus I (MAC 2311)
• Analytic Geometry and Calculus II (MAC 2312)
• Analytic Geometry and Calculus III (MAC 2313)
• Science Seminar (two semesters; ISC 1932)

Elective Courses

Choose any one upper-level course:

• Anatomy and Physiology I (BSC 2093C)
• Anatomy and Physiology II (BSC 2094C)
• Organic Chemistry I (CHM 2210C)
• Organic Chemistry II (CHM 2211C)
• Physical Geology with Lab (GLY 2010C)
• Microbiology (MCB 2010C)
• Analytic Geometry and Calculus II (MAC 2312)
• Analytic Geometry and Calculus III (MAC 2313)
• Statistical Methods I (STA 2023)

For more information, call the Honors Institute at 407.708.2335 or the Science Diploma coordinator at 407.708.2208.

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