Weinberg College
of Arts & Sciences

FD-NS: Natural Sciences

NOTE: Students who started taking classes at Northwestern in Spring 2023 or earlier should refer to the Area I: Natural Sciences page. The information below pertains to students who start at Northwestern after Spring 2023.

ABOUT THE NATURAL SCIENCES REQUIREMENT

The Natural Sciences use a combination of observation, experimentation, and modeling to understand features and mechanisms of the natural world at all levels, from the subatomic scale to the cosmos. Discoveries in the Natural Sciences inform invention and the development of new technologies to solve problems; conversely, new technologies advance discovery and the creation of new knowledge. Courses in the Natural Sciences convey our current understanding of the natural world and the methods by which this understanding is achieved through systematic hypothesis testing. Students learn to appreciate the evidence for our current understanding of nature; the scientific process; as well as the implications, utility, and limitations of scientific inquiry to solve problems and benefit society.

Choosing courses

Students may complete the natural sciences foundational discipline by completing two approved courses with a grade of D or higher. Courses are approved by the Weinberg College faculty committees and can be identified in the Undergraduate Catalog and the quarterly CAESAR class listings. Each year some courses are added to the list and others are deleted; a course must be on the approved list for the year you take it to be applicable to the requirement.

A course that is applied to the natural sciences foundational discipline may at the same time be applied towards a different requirement (such as a major requirement, minor requirement, advanced expression, or perspectives on power, justice and equity) but may not double-count in a second foundational discipline area.

2024-2025 FD-NS Courses

See Natural Sciences in the Undergraduate Catalog for learning objectives and a list of courses. Some courses on the list will not be offered in 2024-25, but in a future year. Some courses on the list have prerequisites.

Mid-year updates will appear below as they become available.