"STSC to me was more of a humanities approach to pre-med that allowed me to investigate and understand the unique historical events in medicine, technology and society that led to our current health system. These topics fascinated me and I am still passionate about maintaining this historical perspective. Additionally, it makes for interesting conversation in interviews just talking to people I meet around the hospital. Instead of saying "I majored in biology" and having that be it, I go through the whole explanation of the STSC major .... I'm promoting the major one person at a time!"

“The STSC major has helped me in my career. In my work I focus on pricing very unique assets knows as "longevity & mortality linked assets" which are dependent on the economic impact of longer living populations or the risk of pandemics and other sudden increases in mortality rates around the world. Believe it or not, the history of scientific breakthroughs has been a very important element in my analysis."

"I am using many of the research and analytical skillsets I acquired as an STSC major in in my work in finance, but just as importantly, to understand and assess
different industries and the roles that our investments play within those industries."

"STSC allows me to focus on what I am interested in, while helping me take a step back and see how it fits into a broader perspective. I am interested in education, education reform, public policy, the role of corporations, and how huge concentrations of power affect education.  I have been able to pair my technology classes within the major with education reform classes and other courses on public policy. At this point, I know that I want to work in education, and I feel that my background will help me bring a new perspective to this huge national problem."

"STSC provides a unique opportunity to study not just how and why things happened throughout history, but also answer why they happened. The department allows for a lot of freedom in designing your courses and submajor that really interest you. There are many opportunities to incorporate other disciplines and departments into your major requirements. This major afforded me the opportunity to study a wide range of historical events and ideas and incorporate them into a cohesive understanding of them. If you wish to pursue a highly unique degree that will have your friends and family asking, “What are you majoring in again?”  I highly recommend it."

"Early in my classes at Penn I took a few STSC classes and fell in love the material.  The classes are the best advertisement for the major.  I had never even heard of the major and it wasn't even on my radar when I took the classes." 

"The most important idea I learned was that history doesn't happen in a vacuum.  It is fluid, and new ideas and insights can change our knowledge of an event the meaning of which was thought to be set in stone.”

"I chose to be a STSC major because I liked the small classes and close interaction with excellent faculty members. I also enjoyed the variety in types of classes.I learned how to think critically, which I find an invaluable quality.  STSC taught me to take any piece of writing or evidence with a grain of salt and it gave me the tools necessary to evaluate historical and other documents. I also learned valuable interpersonal and public speaking skills from class discussion. I also learned basic ideas about the relationship between technology, science, medicine and society. I learned how social factors can influence so-called benign areas such as science and technology. I also learned valuable public speaking skills from class discussion."

"The STSC major is great for the student looking for a unique area of study. The faculty, which is excellent, is always willing to meet with students. STSC majors graduate with not only great stories about interesting classes but valuable tools for critical thinking and writing that pay off in the real world."