The undergraduate University Certificate program in Science, Technology, and Society (STS) enables students to learn about the dynamic, interactive and creative relationships among science, technology, and society.  Most students can fulfill the 21 credits of the program within the CORE and elective requirements of their major.

Courses relevant to the STS program are drawn from many departments; this demonstrates the currency of science and technology studies across disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. STS is an interdisciplinary field that has been taught for more than 30 years at universities in the United States and Europe, notably in those with strong engineering and public policy programs. 

In addition to coursework, the STS program requires students to attend monthly, STS-related events on campus.  Relevant events appear in the calendar in the left sidebar.

Each student works closely with a faculty mentor when writing the capstone term paper for the program's final course, ENES 440. In recent years, STS University Certificate students have chosen to write their capstone term papers about timely topics, including the interactions among science, technology and society related to nanotechnology, fuel cells, physics research funding, and environmental policy.

Our staff offices open onto the 1st floor study lounge of Chestertown Hall on North Campus.  In this lounge, students may organize activities, and they have ready access to program staff and faculty.

The University Certificate program in STS is open to any student at UMCP. It may be especially interesting to students who have completed the College Park Scholars program in STS.