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Curriculum in Applied Sciences
The undergraduate program enrolls about 16,000 students from North
Carolina and across the world. The educational progress of these
undergraduates is built on a two tiered structure of a General College,
usually years one and two, where the emphasis is on learning fundamentals
and gaining breadth from a liberal arts environment. That experience
is followed by the College of Arts and Sciences, nominally years
three and four, where students in the Curriculum concentrate on
building competitive depth in science and technological subjects.
In response to the needs of students preparing for the challenging
and ever-changing world of modern technology, the University initiated
the Curriculum in Applied Sciences, offering studies leading to
the BS Degree in Applied Sciences. This program is designed for
students having an interest in the basic problems of science combined
with a desire for practical applications. The term "Applied Sciences"
was selected at UNC-CH to address educational concentration in subjects
often found in departments and schools of engineering and materials
science yet in an institution not having an engineering component
at the undergraduate level.
 Our
program features tracks of study in Biomedical
Engineering, Computer Engineering,
or Materials Sciences. The Materials
Sciences track includes three emphases: Biomedical Materials, Electronic
and Optical Materials and Polymer Science. Within each option our
program stems from strengths in the traditional sciences rather
than from engineering and serves as a bridge between those approaches
providing our graduates entrance into the corporate world of technology
or into graduate and professional programs of biomedical engineering,
materials science, physics, chemistry, medicine, polymer science,
chemical engineering etc. and even into law and business. Since
its inception in 1985, over two thirds of our graduates each year
have gained admission into graduate, medical and other post graduate
professional schools.
Educational Philosophy
Applied Sciences at UNC has brought with it an educational philosophy
substantially different from that of engineering. The traditional
engineering education consists largely of instruction and practice
in the state of the art in a particular branch of technology. However,
with technology now so sophisticated and rapidly changing, such
highly specialized training is often quickly outmoded. In contrast,
the applied scientist is first thoroughly grounded in the fundamentals
of science, especially chemistry and physics, and the mathematical
methods of analysis. Experience is then gained in applying these
scientific and mathematical skills to the solution of important
problems in one of the optional tracks of emphasis.
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