Trained chemists may work with (or start their own) companies that apply scientific principles to develop and enhance products, tools, and technological advances in fields such as medicine (medical supplies or pharmaceuticals), basic chemical research, sports technology, and environmental, agricultural, and food science. They may also work in sales marketing, technical training and support, and public relations positions. The following FRINQ, SINQ, Upper-division Cluster, and Senior Capstones are recommended for students in the STEM Business & Industry career pathway.
Career examples
Scientific advisor, manager, or CEO of biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or scientific product company
Advanced degrees are not necessarily required, but students may wish to pursue specialized training or advanced degree programs (e.g., MBA). Strong written and verbal communication skills, and experience in business, human resource and/or project management will be beneficial.
Freshman Inquiry Courses (FRINQ)
You are required* to take one year-long Freshman Inquiry (FRINQ) course (totaling 15 credits), which must be taken in sequence. Ideally, this course should be completed during fall, winter, and spring of your first year.
*All students entering as freshmen are required to take FRINQ, with the exception of those in the Honors Program or Liberal Studies. Transfer students are required to take FRINQ depending on the number of transfer credits they have the term they are admitted to Portland State University. If you transfer with 90+ credits, the FRINQ requirement is waived.
Sophomore Inquiry Courses (SINQ)
Students are required** to take three Sophomore Inquiry (SINQ) courses (totaling 12 credits), linked to three different clusters. Ideally, these courses will be completed during fall, winter, and spring of your second year.
**Transfer students are required to take SINQ depending on the number and type of transfer credits they have the term they are admitted to Portland State University. University Studies credit will be given only for Cluster courses taken from the same Cluster.
We recommend choosing SINQ courses that are linked to the upper-division (junior) clusters listed below. Choose wisely since you are only allowed to take courses for your upper-division course requirement (below) from a cluster linked to a SINQ that you have completed.
Upper-Division (Junior) Clusters
All students are required to complete three courses (totaling 12 credits) from a single upper-division/Junior cluster (one of the three you selected for SINQ). Ideally, these will be completed during fall, winter, and spring of your third year. We recommend choosing these three courses from one of the clusters below. Choose wisely to build knowledge and experience relevant to your career pathway.
Recommended Courses within Clusters (note cross-listing) (see the University Studies website for a complete list of courses within each cluster)
Community Studies
This course addresses social structural issues of communities embedded in their spatial, political, and economic contexts.
- EC 314U Private and Public Investment Analysis
- ESM 355U Understanding Environmental Sustainability
- ESM 356U Understanding Environmental Sustainability II
- GEOG 331U Geography of Globalization
- GEOG 332U Urban Geography
- PA 311U Intro to Civic Leadership
- PA 312U Foundations of Community Leadership
- PHE 444U Global Health
- PHE 452U Gender, Race, Class and Health
- SOC 337U Minorities
- USP 300U Introduction to Urban Studies
- USP 313U Urban Planning: Environmental Issues
- USP 317U Introduction to International Development
- USP 324U Healthy Communities
Environmental Sustainability
This course introduces students to the study of environmental sustainability, and to the ways in which a wide variety of disciplines address environmental issues.
- ARCH 367U Fundamentals of Environmental Design
- CH 371U Environmental Chemistry
- EC 332U Environmental Economics
- ESM 355U Understanding Environmental Sustainability
- ESM 356U Understanding Environmental Sustainability II
- G 352U Minerals and World Affairs
- GEOG 340U Global Water Issues and Sustainability
- GEOG 347U Environmental Issues and Action
- GEOG 348U Cultural and Political Ecology
- PHL 310U Environmental Ethics
- PHL 375U Food Ethics
- SCI 331U Atmospheric Interactions I
- SCI 332U Atmospheric Interactions II
- SCI 335U Water in the Environment I
- SCI 336U Water in the Environment II
- SCI 338U Investigating Forest Ecosystems
- SCI 357U Sustain US/Mexico Border Region
- SOC 341U Population Trends and Policy
- SYSC 334U Modeling Socio-Ecological Systems
- SYSC 350U Indigenous and Systems Perspectives on Sustainability
- USP 313U Urban Planning: Environmental Issues
Freedom, Privacy, & Technology
Privacy and freedom are highly valued, and are to some extent protected by the U.S. Constitution. Recent rapid advance in science and technology, combined with compelling motives to use this technology to control and exploit aspects of human life.
- BI 346U / WS 346U Genes and Society
- PH 382U / SCI 382U Introduction to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
- PHL 308U Elementary Ethics
- PHL 313U Life and Death Issues
- PHL 320U Critical Thinking
- PHL 355U Morality and Health Care
- SCI 359U Biopolitics
- SCI 361U Science: Power-Knowledge
- SCI 363U Ethics in Science
- SCI / WS 365U Science of Women's Bodies (crosslisted with WS 365U)
Healthy People/Healthy Places
This sophomore inquiry will examine the nature and state of healthy individuals in their various environments. Topics will focus on ways to solve and prevent problems that may affect the health and wellbeing of the individual, the local environment and/or the global community.
- EC 316U Introduction to Health Care Economics
- PA 312U Foundations of Community Leadership
- PAH 320U Health Ethics - Contemporary Issues
- PHE 354U Social Gerontology
- PHE 355U Consumer Health
- PHE 371 Community Nutrition
- PHE 443U Environmental Health
- PHE 444U Global Health
- PHE 446U Community Health: Principles and Practices
- PHE 452U Gender, Race, Class and Health
- SYSC 350U Indigenous and Systems Perspectives on Sustainability
- USP 313U Urban Planning: Environmental Issues
- USP 317U Introduction to International Community Development
- USP 350U Concepts of Citizen Participation
- USP 424U Healthy Communities
Knowledge, Values and Rationality
The theme of the cluster is the nature of rationality and its emergence from the interplay of knowledge and values.
- SCI 372U / BI 372U Nanotechnology: Society and Sustainability
- BI 372U / SCI 372U Nanotechnology: Society and Sustainability
- PHE 444U Global Health
- PHL 307U Science and Society
- PHL 308U Elementary Ethics
- PHL 310U Environmental Ethics
- PHL 313U Life and Death Issues
- PHL 314U Computer Ethics
- PHL 316U Social & Political Philosophy
- PHL 318U Philosophy of Medicine
- PHL 320U Critical Thinking
- PHL 324U Introduction to Formal Logic
- PHL 325U Introduction to Formal Logic II
- PHL 330U Language, Representation and Reality
- PHL 350U International Ethics
- PHL 355U Morality and Health Care
- PHL 371U Philosophy of the City
- PHL 375U Food Ethics
- SCI 363U Ethics in Science
- SYSC 350U Indigenous and Systems Perspectives on Sustainability
- UNST 399U Experiential Pathways Cluster Course
Leading Social Change
This course will provide a foundation of leadership theory and will examine models of leadership in relation to the theory and concepts of change.
- COMM 312U Media Literacy
- COMM 313U Communication in Groups
- COMM 314U Persuasion
- COMM 323U Organizational Communication
- COMM / WS 337U Communication and Gender (crosslisted with WS 337U)
- CR 303U Consensus Building: Theory and Practice
- ELP 348U Global Political Ecology
- ELP 350U Leadership for Sustainability
- ESM 355U Understanding Environmental Sustainability
- GEOG 332U Urban Geography
- GEOG 347U Environmental Issues and Action
- GEOG 348U Cultural and Political Ecology
- PA 311U Introduction to Civic Engagement
- PA 312U Foundations of Community Leadership
- PA 313U Fundamentals of Public Service
- PA 314U Special Topics: Student Leadership
- PA 315U Managing People for Change
- PA 417U Ethical Leadership
- PAH 320U Health Ethics - Contemporary Issues
- PHE 446U Community Health: Principles and Practices
- PHL 308U Elementary Ethics
- PHL 309U Business Ethics
- PHL 310U Environmental Ethics
- PHL 316U Social and Political Philosophy
- PHL 320U Critical Thinking
- PS 318U Media, Opinion and Voting
- PS 325U Politics and Legal Enforcement of Morals
- UNST 399U The Engaged Citizen: Social Media and Online Leadership
- UNST 399U The Engaged Citizen: Sustainability
- UNST 399U Experiential Pathways Cluster Course
- USP 311U Intro to Urban Planning
- USP 317U Intro to International Community Development
- WS 306U Global Gender Issues
Science in the Liberal Arts
This course is designed to provide a methodological and interdisciplinary perspective on science and engage students in the collaborative scientific investigation of problems of the sort they might encounter as attentive citizens.
- BI 372U / SCI 372U Nanotechnology: Society & Sustainability
- ECE 383U / SCI 383U Nanotechnology: Simulation and Design
- GEOG 310U / SCI 333U Climate and Water Resources (crosslisted with SCI 333U)
- GEOG 312U / SCI 334U Climate Variability (crosslisted with SCI 334U)
- PH 261U / SCI 315U General Astronomy I (crosslisted with SCI 261U)
- PH 262U / SCI 316U General Astronomy II (crosslisted with SCI 262U)
- PH 382 / SCI 382U Introduction to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
- SCI 313U Environmental Mathematical Modeling
- SCI 314U Environmental Statistics
- SCI 315U / PH 261U General Astronomy I (crosslisted with PH 261U)
- SCI 316U / PH 262U General Astronomy II (crosslisted with PH 262U)
- SCI 321U / ME 304U Energy and Society I (crosslisted with ME 304U)
- SCI 322U Energy and Society II
- SCI 323U Materials for the 21st Century I
- SCI 324U Materials for the 21st Century II
- SCI 325U Science of the Hydrogen Economy
- SCI 331U Atmospheric Interactions I
- SCI 332U Atmospheric Interactions II
- SCI 335U Water in the Environment I
- SCI 336U Water in the Environment II
- SCI 338U Investigating Forest Ecosystems
- SCI 341U Biology Concepts and Applications I
- SCI 342U Biology Concepts and Applications II
- SCI 343U Columbia Basin Plant Community I
- SCI 344U Columbia Basin Plant Community II
- SCI 345U Old Growth Forest Ecology and Management I
- SCI 346U Old Growth Forest Ecology and Management II
- SCI 347U / WS 347U Science, Gender & Social Context I
- SCI 348U / WS 348U Science, Gender & Social Context II
- SCI 351U Northwest Wetlands: Conservation, Restoration and Mitigation
- SCI 352U Science and Policy of Climate Change
- SCI 353U Radiation in the Environment
- SCI 354U Science and Politics of Columbia River Decisions
- SCI 359U Biopolitics
- SCI 361U Science: Power-Knowledge
- SCI 363U Ethics in Science
- SCI / WS 365U The Science of Women's Bodies (crosslisted with WS 365U)
Senior Capstone
This 6 credit Senior Capstone course is your final general education requirement and should ideally be taken during any term of your fourth year. Choose wisely to continue building knowledge and skills relevant to your career pathway, and to gain experience with critical thinking and problem solving, communication and teamwork, self-assessment and organization, and project management.
We strongly recommend choosing a capstone from the Research, Business-Engineering-Technology, Global Perspectives, or Grant writing theme areas such as:
- Research and Society
- Research Experience for Science Majors
- Asset Mapping and GIS
- Grantwriting: Studtainability
- Indigenous Grantwriting
- Multimedia Production Team
- Media Literacy
- Leadership and Mentoring
- Marketing for Non-Profits
- Building EcoDistricts
- Convening Diverse Groups to Resolve Community Issues
- Sustainable Rural Development in NW Argentina