You can find PDF hard copies of the Requirements and Approved Courses document and curriculum forms for past years on our Forms & Policies page. For the most up-to-date course offering information, please use our website and ExploreCourses. 

STS students are required to take a total of at least 12 courses and 50 units in a single concentration area. All courses must be chosen from the list of approved courses for student’s concentration. Students should have a clear sense of what their particular thematic foci are within the concentration, and select courses related to them. Each curriculum plan is reviewed as a whole to ensure intellectual coherence, engagement with foundational ideas and approaches in STS, and strengths both in the Socio-Cultural and Technical areas. Specifically, your Socio-Cultural courses must expose you to key STS analytical approaches; your Technical courses must allow you to develop strong technical expertise in at least one area. 

When filling out planned coursework on the curriculum form, please group courses by department where applicable. Your initial curriculum plan - and all future changes - will be reviewed and approved by the STS Associate Director and Undergraduate Advisor.

Bachelor of Arts Degree (B.A.) Students

Take 50+ units in a single concentration area. All courses must be chosen from the list of approved courses for student's concentration (course lists are available online or from the STS Office). B.A. students are required to take at least 8 classes from the Socio-Cultural Course menus, inlcuding at least 3 designated as Foundational, and at least 4 classes from the Technical Course menus.

Students are encouraged to pursue sequences of courses that build on one another to increase the coherence of their program and give depth to their skill set and knowledge related to STS.

Bachelor of Science Degree (B.S.) Students

Take 50+ units in a single concentration area. All courses must be chosen from the list of approved courses for student's concentration (course lists are available online or from the STS Office). B.S. students are required to take at least 8 classes from the Technical Course menu, and at least 4 classes from Socio-Cultural Course menus, including at least 3 designated as Foundational.

Students are encouraged to pursue sequences of courses that build on one another to increase the coherence of their program and give depth to their skill set and knowledge related to STS.

STS Concentration Areas: Overview

Communication and Media

Innovation and Organization

Nature and Environment

Life Sciences and Health

Politics and Policy

Self-Designed Concentration

Students interested in designing their own concentration must work with the associate director and have their proposal approved at least 2 quarters prior to your graduating quarter. A proposal (5 to 10 pages) should (a) describe your intellectual objectives in detail, (b) explain why a self-designed concentration is the optimal way to pursue these objectives (as opposed to the five STS concentrations or other majors at Stanford), and (c) list at least 12 courses and 50 units that comprise the plan of study.

B.S. students must include at least 8 Technical courses and at least 4 Social-Cultural courses, while B.A. students must include at least 8 Socio-Cultural courses and at least 4 Technical courses. As with other concentrations, these courses should (a) be clearly related to the intellectual objectives of the concentration, and (b) include sequences of classes that build on one another. Students with a self-designed concentration must fulfill the same core requirements as other STS students. Students with a self-designed concentration must fulfill the same core requirements as other STS students.

Please note that the approval of a self-designed concentration often requires multiple meetings with the associate director, and could take several weeks. Interested students should take the following steps:

  1. Talk to a peer advisor during their office hours.
  2. Carefully examine the examples of approved self-designed proposals on file in the STS office. This will help you familiarize yourself with what is possible and expected in this unique option for a concentration.
  3. Prepare a paragraph that describes your academic interests and a list of courses you plan to take. This list should (a) clearly indicate 8 or 4 Socio-Cultural courses and 4 or 8 Technical courses; and (b) include descriptions from ExploreCourses for each course, copied and pasted. Where available, also attach syllabi for courses that are not part of the STS curriculum.
  4. Meet with the associate director during office hours, or set an appointment via email. For this meeting, bring hardcopies of the paragraph and the list of courses. 
  5. Upon review of your materials, if your interests are deemed appropriate and productive as a self-designed concentration in STS, you will work with the associate director to finalize your proposal and curriculum in the following weeks.

Important Note

All degree courses must be taken (1) for a letter grade where offered and (2) for at least the minimum amount of units approved for STS, even if the course offers registration for fewer credits.