General Science Degree: Can You Study All 3 Sciences?

[Ukitake Jyuushirou]

hi

i am wondering if it is possible in this day and age to study a science degree that specialise in all 3 science of biology, chemistry and physics?

i have been contemplating about biochemistry which melds chemistry and biology but i also like physics and would like to specialise in that field if possible.

does anyone know if that is possible today?

 

[Pietjuh]

Perhaps something like molecular biophysics?

 

[Hootenanny]

I know the Cambridge do a natural sciences degree, which allows you to chose modules for any of the science degrees. I friend told me that they make you do mostly mathematics in your first year though.

 

[0rthodontist]

At my school there is a Science major, which offers a general broad education in science at an introductory level. It is not intended for graduate or professional work, but rather for teachers, science writers, or science "administrators." It doesn't sound particularly rigorous since if you are going for breadth, you don't get to take many advanced courses.

You could just do a triple major in biology, chemistry, and physics, or make one or two of those into a minor. A double major in biochemistry and physics might be an option.

If you have not started college yet then I think you don't have to decide now. Even if you have started college then you can take the introductory courses in physics and biochemistry, and then decide what you like more.

 

[rho]

I know the Cambridge do a natural sciences degree, which allows you to chose modules for any of the science degrees. I friend told me that they make you do mostly mathematics in your first year though.

Well i wouldn't say it's mostly maths in the first year. There is a lot of maths but you do get to do three experimental courses in the first year from this list: http://www.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/natsci/part1a.html"

 

[Ukitake Jyuushirou]

i am at university of queensland first year. i am taking all 3 sciences except that the physics that i am taking is not calculus based (thank god!). how bad is physics + integration/differentiation ?

 

[ZapperZ]

Please note that a "general science" degree, by definition, does not provide you with a "specialized" knowledge of any of those fields. You do not graduate with the same level of knowledge in chemistry, biology, and physics as those who majored in chemistry, biology, or physics. That is just impossible to do, unless you triple major in all of them.

Zz.

 

[Jeff Ford]

Most programs I've seen that are general science are geared towards producing high school science teachers.

 

[JasonRox]

i am at university of queensland first year. i am taking all 3 sciences except that the physics that i am taking is not calculus based (thank god!). how bad is physics + integration/differentiation ?

It's actually easier in my opinion.

That's if you are good with Calculus.

 

[Ukitake Jyuushirou]

i did intergration and differentiation back in high school and it was almost 3 years ago i did excel in mathematics and earning a 2nd highest distinction in it, so it would be safe to say i probably can handle physics with calculus

as zapperz pointed out, wat i really hope to do is to triple major in all 3 sciences, is it possible to do that in this day and age where everything is so specialized?

 

[ZapperZ]

as zapperz pointed out, wat i really hope to do is to triple major in all 3 sciences, is it possible to do that in this day and age where everything is so specialized?

If you have unlimited time, unlimited resources, unlimited ability, and unlimited patience, you can major in all three. There's nothing to prevent you from doing that.

And then, you have to decide what exactly you want to be when you grow up. Most people tend to some some clue already BEFORE embarking on such a project.

Zz.

 

[G01]

This is my opinion. You can either know a lot about one thing and a little about everything else, or you can know something about everything, but not enough about anything.

Scientists are in the first group. A scientist specializes in one field and works with others who specialize in other things and together they get the job done. You do not need to major in all three sciences to be successful. In fact if you do the triple major track, you may end up in the second group, knowing something about everything, but not enough about anything. My sugestion is to think hard about which science you prefer the most and study that one. To say that you like them all and can't decide is just delaying the inevitable. Everyone eventually needs to decide what they want to do. If you want to teach general science in high school, then go ahead and major in general science, but if you want to do research, or teach at a university level, then your going to eventually have to decide. And, yes if you choose biology you will not learn as much about physics as a physics major, but if you have to know anything about physics for your research, you probably going to end up working with a physicist. Good luck to you.

 

[0rthodontist]

I am planning a double major with a minor if I can fit it in, and I don't think you necessarily have to lose on specific strength depending on what choices you make. Computer science and math are extremely related, and the strength I am sacrificing by majoring in both is the software design and "technician" type knowledge. But since I am not so interested in those, this does not kill me. In other words, depending on how much course choice you have, you may be able to specialize _within each major_ in a way that leads towards a single cross-major goal.

Depending on your situation, I don't think you have to decide right now what career path you want. So long as you have at least one skill that can support you, you're ok. Apparently many educated people change their field of work not infrequently in the course of their lives.

Your best bet if you want to triple major is to take a lot of tests to exempt out of degree requirements, max out on your course load, and take summer and winter courses when offered.

 

[Ukitake Jyuushirou]

i'd most likely stick with a biology + chemistry (biochem) since my physics marks arent as good as the other 2 subjects. frankly, based on past experience i tend to suck in Newtonian physics but i did better with the general relativity and quantum physics part. does that happen a lot with ppl in the physics world?

for those who excel in physics, how do u study this subject? my approach has been to do a lot of maths and read up. but i dun quite understand all the concept when i read it and my english isn't very good either.