All college students should be required to take basic STEM courses to get a degree

[GuyOnInternet]

I believe the following list of basic STEM courses should be required for all college students to get a Bachelor's degree. Nothing advanced, simply the basics. A grade of C or better would be required.

Physics 101 and 102
Biology 101 and 102
Chemistry 101 and 102
Calculus 1 and Statistics 101
Computer Science 101 and Data Structures and Algorithms

I believe that basic scientific literacy as well as an exposure to Computer technology would be a good thing for any college graduate to have and this would benefit society.

 

[rightwinger]

Why?

Most do not need STEM level courses

 

[Oddball]

I believe the following list of basic STEM courses should be required for all college students to get a Bachelor's degree. Nothing advanced, simply the basics. A grade of C or better would be required.

Physics 101 and 102
Biology 101 and 102
Chemistry 101 and 102
Calculus 1 and Statistics 101
Computer Science 101 and Data Structures and Algorithms

I believe that basic scientific literacy as well as an exposure to Computer technology would be a good thing for any college graduate to have and this would benefit society.

Too many of them need remedial courses, to learn the crap they supposedly learned in High school.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

I believe the following list of basic STEM courses should be required for all college students to get a Bachelor's degree. Nothing advanced, simply the basics. A grade of C or better would be required.

Physics 101 and 102
Biology 101 and 102
Chemistry 101 and 102
Calculus 1 and Statistics 101
Computer Science 101 and Data Structures and Algorithms

I believe that basic scientific literacy as well as an exposure to Computer technology would be a good thing for any college graduate to have and this would benefit society.

I’d much rather see this in high school, seeing as how Chinese students are beating the shit out of us academically. American kids are dumber than bricks.

 

[odanny]

Unless you're an engineering major, the only ones required there are chemistry and biology.

Most American college students cannot pass basic college level STEM courses. I totally agree that there should be more emphasis on requiring at least some of them.

 

[Dekster]

I believe the following list of basic STEM courses should be required for all college students to get a Bachelor's degree. Nothing advanced, simply the basics. A grade of C or better would be required.

Physics 101 and 102
Biology 101 and 102
Chemistry 101 and 102
Calculus 1 and Statistics 101
Computer Science 101 and Data Structures and Algorithms

I believe that basic scientific literacy as well as an exposure to Computer technology would be a good thing for any college graduate to have and this would benefit society.

Well first, you are basically arguing that Bachelor of Arts degrees be eliminated. I took a year of physics, year of biology, year of chemistry and AP calculus in high school. Took a programming class in like 8th grade. I also took a one semester of a science class in high school called Quantitative Physical Science. I would have taken the other semester but it wasn't required and it conflicted with my 4th year French class schedule which I needed to get the Smarty Pants Diploma. All of this set me up to be the only person to do well in a summer school college Biology 101 class where the Department Chair Prof decided he was going to teach us organic chemistry instead and let the instructor teach biology during the lab class.

"STEM" is really just a way to say the basic crap they have already been teaching for decades.

 

[candycorn]

I believe the following list of basic STEM courses should be required for all college students to get a Bachelor's degree. Nothing advanced, simply the basics. A grade of C or better would be required.

Physics 101 and 102
Biology 101 and 102
Chemistry 101 and 102
Calculus 1 and Statistics 101
Computer Science 101 and Data Structures and Algorithms

I believe that basic scientific literacy as well as an exposure to Computer technology would be a good thing for any college graduate to have and this would benefit society.

Not the worst idea ever. I wouldn't require Physics myself but the other stuff? No problem with that.

 

[Polishprince]

If someone is incurring a massive student debt so they can get a degree in Lesbian Poetry, so they can qualify for a job as a Starbucks barista, what the hell do they need Calculus or Physics for?

 

[odanny]

Not the worst idea ever. I wouldn't require Physics myself but the other stuff? No problem with that.

I took 2 semesters of physics, and I'm often reminded of some of the things I've learned from those semesters. I used the distance formula so often in class that I still remembered it probably 10 years later. At least one semester should be mandatory.

 

[Dekster]

If someone is incurring a massive student debt so they can get a degree in Lesbian Poetry, so they can qualify for a job as a Starbucks barista, what the hell do they need Calculus or Physics for?

First year physics is really just applied calculus (as is statistics to a lesser degree). I actually do think the maths need to be pushed forward but not so much the sciences unless you are pursing a degree requiring them. Well I did until they switched to this new math crap having to add all the extra nonsense steps to hide that people are too lazy to learn their multiplication tables. I think being competent at more advanced math really has a lot of coattails in terms of problem-solving and being able to more readily mix methodologies in decision making. I guess it comes down to making you not afraid to use common sense approaches. Like I said, however, until this new math came along. It is just a variation of that silly finger math thing they sold in infomercials back in the day.

 

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

I believe the following list of basic STEM courses should be required for all college students to get a Bachelor's degree. Nothing advanced, simply the basics. A grade of C or better would be required.

Physics 101 and 102
Biology 101 and 102
Chemistry 101 and 102
Calculus 1 and Statistics 101
Computer Science 101 and Data Structures and Algorithms

I believe that basic scientific literacy as well as an exposure to Computer technology would be a good thing for any college graduate to have and this would benefit society.

It's hard for me to know how to measure myself against what you're suggesting so that I can comment on the classes you suggested but I can tell you this:

• Took Biology & Chemistry 101 in high school
• Took Physics 101 in my undergrad
• Signed up for both Calculus and Statistics in my undergrad studies as electives and dropped both of them because they were two difficult for me and neither was a requirement for my degree program
• I was required to take an introductory course to computer programming for my original undergrad major (aeronautical science) and I loved it so much that I switched my degree program to aeronautical studies with a concentration in computer science with classes such as COBOL, FORTRAN, ASSEMBLY programming and the other data structures et al to follow

You can't expect a student to jump into calculus if they haven't taken and passed the prerequisites that will allow them to understand and complete the courses - algebra, trig, geometry, etc. Also calculus was a requirement for an aero engineering degree but not the others if I recall correctly.

 

[MarathonMike]

I believe the following list of basic STEM courses should be required for all college students to get a Bachelor's degree. Nothing advanced, simply the basics. A grade of C or better would be required.

Physics 101 and 102
Biology 101 and 102
Chemistry 101 and 102
Calculus 1 and Statistics 101
Computer Science 101 and Data Structures and Algorithms

I believe that basic scientific literacy as well as an exposure to Computer technology would be a good thing for any college graduate to have and this would benefit society.

I'm with you, however I would tweak your course list to:

Bio1
Chem1
Stats1 and Stats2
Python
MatLab

It's basically the same idea as yours but perhaps a bit more useful in the real world.

 

[The Duke]

You used to have to take a test to get into college.

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

I believe the following list of basic STEM courses should be required for all college students to get a Bachelor's degree. Nothing advanced, simply the basics. A grade of C or better would be required.

Physics 101 and 102
Biology 101 and 102
Chemistry 101 and 102
Calculus 1 and Statistics 101
Computer Science 101 and Data Structures and Algorithms

I believe that basic scientific literacy as well as an exposure to Computer technology would be a good thing for any college graduate to have and this would benefit society.

If the Corporations Don't Pay Students for Their Grades, They Get What They Pay For

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

a variation of that silly finger math thing they sold in infomercials back in the day.

Many Is Derived From "A Handful," Which Has Been Reversed to Mean "A Few"

Mathematics comes from a Greek root that was prehistorically related to the Latin word for "hand." Manthano was its first person singular. The actual Greek word that replaced it to mean "hand" is related to the word for "pour."

 

[Libby von H]

I believe the following list of basic STEM courses should be required for all college students to get a Bachelor's degree. Nothing advanced, simply the basics. A grade of C or better would be required.

Physics 101 and 102
Biology 101 and 102
Chemistry 101 and 102
Calculus 1 and Statistics 101
Computer Science 101 and Data Structures and Algorithms

I believe that basic scientific literacy as well as an exposure to Computer technology would be a good thing for any college graduate to have and this would benefit society.

I've taken all of them. It is too much. The patient is starved but you've bloated him to death.
One solid science course graded toughly and you have to make that minimum grade --- that would do it.
YOu need to learn what science is before you learn various sciences.