What science classes do you take with an English major?

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Hello all,

I'm considering switching my major to English, as I found out recently that I could still be a scientific researcher with such a major as long as I complete science courses along the English ones. (I was--still sort of am--a Genetics major, but have found the vast majority of my courses so far to be completely uninteresting, and Organic Chemistry has done nothing but make me depressed to the point that I have spontaneously broken down into tears in public and have been unable to eat on at least two occasions for each.) Unfortunately, I do not know WHICH science courses to take! And I have to find a way to convince my mom to allow for this switch should I decide to switch to English instead of Public Health (which I'm also considering).

I am considering English as I have a great love for writing and reading, and it is something that I feel that I'm good at (I'm not the best writer to have ever graced the Earth, mind you, but I am good enough that people who have read my stories have given me compliments. )

I am also looking into Public Health because I'm rather interested in becoming an epidemiologist, as well.

The specialty I wish to pursue as a researcher is Genetics, as I am interested in genetic disorders.

If you are interested in epidemiology and genetics, take lots of statistics, and data analysis. For science courses you want microbiology, bio-chem, molecular biology, and genetics. Generally actual epi classes are not until the graduate school level. Some pharmacology and environmental biology would not hurt either.

(Former Epidemiology grad student who could do everything but SAS programing, stupid splinter skills).

edit: I would suggest focusing the English major part on technical writing. My physics prof and micro prof both got their BA's in English and then got masters and phds in sciences.

What is your major now? Is the main reason you want to switch to English because the classes are easier? After reading your post I just don't see why you would choose English at all given what career path you're after, since in the end you're largely going to have to take all of the same classes if that's what you want to do (including organic chemistry)

English is a very unmarketable degree in terms of employment, and chances are essentially nil that it will get you a job after graduation. That said, I highly recommend against majoring in English for most people. Public health might be slightly better but I don't personally know what you'd do with that degree or what kinds of places, if any, are looking for it. I know that most people in the public health sector are required to have a greater degree of specialization, such as R.N., ultrasound tech, etc. If you want to become an epidemiologist, you'll probably need to get your Ph.D. as well.

If you want to be an actual researcher, you're going to need to get a Ph.D. in genetics or related field. You can do some research with a masters, but a Ph.D. is really almost a necessity if you want to make a career out of it. I would highly recommend keeping a scientific-based undergraduate degree if that's what you want to do. For one, it will drastically improve your chances of getting into a grad school program. For two, you will actually have some employ-ability if you end up not wanting to do the whole grad school thing. And three, you can still get a job as a research assistant, I highly doubt they'd let an English major do that under normal circumstances.

So if you do want to do research, you are going to have to have a strong scientific background, you can't just major in English and get a job doing genetics research. Only way around that may be if you get a BA in english and a masters/Ph.D. in genetics, but even then it may be difficult to get accepted into grad. school, and you will likely have to still take all of the courses required in the bachelors-level genetics program.

If you're serious about pursuing research you'll need a graduate degree. A MS will let you work in the field, but you'll need a PhD if you want to direct your own research.

I've researched several doctoral programs in biomedical research, and the minimum entrance requirements are typically:

1 year of general chemistry
1 year of general biology
1 year of organic chemistry
1 year of physics
1 or 2 semesters of calculus

And these are the minimums. For pursuing research in genetic disorders, I'd suggest additional coursework in genetics, microbiology, immunology, cell/molecular biology, and any coursework specific to human genetics/medical genetics. I'd also suggest getting involved in undergraduate research if at all possible. Taking some kind of statistics class might also be beneficial.

I haven't looked into MS programs too much, but I can't see the minimum entrance requirements being too different.

An even better approach would be to research peer-reviewed journal papers for topics that interest you or are applicable to your interests, see what schools (if any) the authors are affiliated with, and see what their requirements are.

Different schools/programs may have different requirements, but what I posted above should cover you for most schools that I'm aware of, at least in the US.

Also, while it may be possible to land a research position without completing all of the above, it would not be something I would count on.

FYI, I'm an undergraduate biochemistry major working towards entering a doctoral biomedical research program.

FYI, I also struggled with organic chemistry, to the point I was reconsidering my career plans. However, I stuck with it and managed to pass both semesters.

An old friend of mine has a degree in English and is now a singer-songwriter who spends much of his time doing concerts around the country.

In general, though, a degree in English will help qualify you to do things like work as a store clerk.

I know a woman with a bachelor's degree in biology from a major university. After graduation, she got a job working in a medical laboratory doing the same tests day after day after day after day. After two years she quit and looked into alternative employment that was far less boring to her.

The last time I saw her, she had two jobs -- working at the door of a popular club in Houston and washing windows.

Washing windows was actually quite lucrative. She washed windows in private homes and on the first floors of businesses where the windows had to be absolutely perfect. Her best time of year in Houston for washing windows was leading up to major home tours that featured the most beautiful and expensive houses.

Someone else I knew who worked with her on the window washing said that it would take two to three days for the two of them working together to wash every window in a home. They didn't just slop water on it and wipe them off -- they would carefully polish every window so that there wasn't a blemish anywhere on the window.

The point is that undergraduate coursework in science won't really qualify people to do research. A very few may pick up on that and go on their own, but not many. You really need a PhD if you want to do research. Without one, you would likely end up in a laboratory doing the same monotonous tasks as the woman I mentioned above.

It depends on if you're doing an AAS or an AA degree. I would take a look at the degree program requirements to see what sciences are required for completion of the degree.

I did a Creative Writing MA and took Astronomy (which I liked more than the writing!), and it was great. It also meant I could write science-based fiction (eg the story of a star from nebula to supernova) which was really fun!