Human Biology, Health, and Society

The Human Biology, Health, and Society (HBHS) major permits students to combine their interests in the biological sciences while exploring human health issues from the perspectives of both the biological and behavioral sciences. HBHS majors select the issues they want to explore in depth from Human Ecology courses that address health and the broad range of factors that influence human well-being. Issues that can be explored include biology and behavior; metabolism, genetics, and health; biology, growth, and development; and food and health policy and health promotion. Most students in this program will proceed to programs of advanced study to pursue careers related to health. This major is offered by the Division of Nutritional Sciences . More information about this program can be found on the Division of Nutritional Sciences page, which includes descriptions of all of the majors that are offered.

Human Biology, Health and Society Major

HBHS Major

The requirements listed below pertain to all students matriculating in August 2021 and January 2022.

In addition to college requirements , students in the HBHS Major must complete specific requirements listed here.

Introductory Chemistry

Introductory Chemistry (8 credits)

This fulfills the college distribution natural sciences requirement.

Choose one of the following options:
(a)   CHEM 2070  General Chemistry I (4 cr) and CHEM 2080  General Chemistry II (4 cr)¹
(b)   (AP Chemistry score of 5 or IB Chemistry score of 6 or 7) and CHEM 2080  General Chemistry II (4 cr)²
(c)   (AP Chemistry score of 5 or IB Chemistry score of 6 or 7) and CHEM 2150  Honors General and Inorganic Chemistry (4 cr)³
¹Recommended for nearly all students, especially those on or considering a pre-health (e.g. pre-med) track.
²Students may use an AP Chemistry score of 5 or an IB Chemistry score of 6 or 7 to place out of CHEM 2070. Pre-health (e.g. pre-med) students should not use AP scores to fulfill chemistry requirements. Students who take CHEM 2070 forfeit AP or IB credit.
³Students should only select option (c) if they are very strong in chemistry and are not considering a pre-health (e.g. pre-med) track.

Introductory Biology

Introductory Biology (8 credits)
Choose one of the following labs:
(a) BIOG 1500 Investigative Lab (2 cr) OR
(b) BIOSM 1500 Investigative Marine Biology Lab (3 cr)

AND choose two out of the three lecture options^1:
(a)    BIOMG 1350  Cell and Development (3 cr)
(b)    BIOG 1440  Comparative Physiology (3 cr) OR²
BIOG 1445  Comparative Physiology (autotutorial) (4cr)
(c)    BIOEE 1610  Ecology and the Environment (3cr) OR²
BIOEE 1780  Evolution and Diversity (3cr)
^{1 Students may use use AP Biology score of 5 or IB HL Biology score of 7 to place out of one introductory biology lecture. Pre-health (e.g. pre-med) students should not use AP scores to fulfill biology requirements.}

^{2 Cannot take both courses within one category to fulfill this requirement.}

Physics

Physics (4 credits)¹

PHYS 1101  General Physics I (4 cr) OR
PHYS 2207  Fundamentals of Physics (4 cr)
1 Students interested in pre-health tracks should also take PHYS 1102  General Physics II OR PHYS 2208  Fundamentals of Physics.

Organic Chemistry Lecture

Organic Chemistry Lecture (3+ credits)
Choose one of the following:
(a)   CHEM 1570  Elementary Organic Chemistry (3 cr, not for pre-health) OR
(b)   CHEM 3530  Principles of Organic Chemistry (4 cr) OR
(c)   CHEM 3570  Organic Chemistry for the Life Sciences I (3 cr) AND CHEM 3580  Organic Chemistry for the Life Sciences II (3 cr) OR¹
(d)   CHEM 3590  Honors Organic Chemistry I (4 cr) AND CHEM 3600 Honors Organic Chemistry II (4 cr)²
1 Students interested in pre-health tracks should take a two-course sequence of organic chemistry lectures (option c or d above).

2 Students who select options c or d above must take both courses in sequence; one course alone will not fulfill requirement.

Organic Chemistry Lab

Organic Chemistry Lab (2-4 credits)
(a) CHEM 2510 Introduction to Experimental Organic Chemistry (2 cr) OR
(b) CHEM 3010 Honors Experimental Chemistry (4 cr)

Physiology

Physiology (3-4 credits)¹
Choose one of the following:
(a)   NS 3410  Human Anatomy and Physiology (4 cr) OR
(b)   BIOAP 3110  Animal Physiology (3 cr)
1 Pre-health students might also consider taking NS 3420  Human Anatomy and Physiology Lab (2 cr), which also counts toward advance biology elective requirement.

Biochemistry

Biochemistry (4-6 credits)
Choose one of the following:
(a)   NS 3200  Introduction to Human Biochemistry (4 cr) OR
(b)   BIOMG 3300  Principles of Biochemistry (4 cr) OR
(c)   BIOMG 3310  Principles of Biochemistry: Proteins and Metabolism (3 cr) AND BIOMG 3320  Principles of Biochemistry: Molecular Biology (2 cr) OR
(d)   BIOMG 3310  Principles of Biochemistry: Proteins and Metabolism (3 cr) AND BIOMI 2900 General Microbiology (3 cr) OR
(e)   BIOMG 3330  Principles of Biochemistry: Proteins, Metabolism, and Molecular Biology (4 cr) OR
(f)   BIOMG 3350  Principles of Biochemistry: Proteins, Metabolism, and Molecular Biology (4 cr)

HBHS Biology Electives

Biology Electives (6 credits)

6 additional credits selected from didactic courses that relate to human biology. Any course that requires one year of introductory biology of above (e.g. another advanced biology course) as a pre-requisite fulfills this category; the below list only provides examples. Course work taken for Biology Electives may not also count for Biochemistry or HBHS Selectives. May not include Special Studies or independent research credits (e.g., NS 4000, 4010, 4020, 4030, 04 4990 or non-DNS equivalent). Possible areas of study include:

•    Genetics, recommended (including BIOMG 2800  and BIOMG 2820 )
•    Microbiology (including BIOMI 2900 , if not used for Biochem req. and VETMI 4310)
•    Neurobiology (including BIONB 2210 , BIONB 2220  and BIONB 4280 )
•    Evolution (may use NS 2750  if not used as an HBHS Selective)
•    Cell Biology (including BIOMG 4320 )
•    Physiology (including BIOAP 4890 . May use NS 3410  or BIOAP 3110  if both are taken)
•    Biochemistry (may not include BIOMG 3300 , BIOMG 3310 , or BIOMG 3320 , BIOMG 3350 , or NS 3200 )
•    Nutrition (may use NS 3030 , NS 3310 , NS 3420 , NS 4200 , NS 4300 , or NS 4410  – if these are not used as a HBHS Selective)

HBHS Survey Course

HBHS Survey Course (3 credits)

NS 1400 Introduction to Human Biology, Health and Society (3 cr)

Social Science Perspective on Health Sciences

Social Science Perspective on Health Selectives (6+ credits)

Courses should cover some aspect of health (including nutrition) from a social science perspective. More than half of the course content must be devoted to consideration of health/life course/disease issues from a social science (e.g. sociology, anthropology, psychology, economics, communications, and other social science disciplines). Courses with a focus on public policy related to health or education/counseling related to health are included in this category. See the Requirements for HBHS majors for regular updates to course options and information; new options are available to all class years.

NS 2450  Social Science Perspectives on Food and Nutrition (3 cr)
NS 4250  Nutrition Communications and Counseling (3 cr)
NS 4450  // AEM 4450  Toward a Sustainable Global Food System: Food Policy for Developing Countries (3 cr)
NS 4480  Economics of Food and Malnutrition (3 cr)
NS 4500  Public Health Nutrition (3 cr)
NS 4570  // ECON 3910  Health, Poverty, and Inequality: A Global Perspective (3 cr)
COMM 4760  Population Health Communication (3 cr)
DSOC 2200  // LSP 2200  Sociology of Health and Ethnic Minorities (3 cr)
DSOC 3020  Political Ecologies of Health (3 cr)
DSOC 3111  // BSOC 3111 // SOC 3130 // STS 3111  Sociology of Medicine (3 cr)
HD 2180  Human Development: Adulthood and Aging (3 cr)
HD 2300  Cognitive Development (3 cr)
HD 2600  // PSYCH 2750  Introduction to Personality Psychology (3 cr)
HD 3290  Self-Regulation Across the Life Span (3 cr)
HD 3300  Developmental Psychopathology (3 cr)
HD 3490  The Science of Well Being (3 cr)
HD 3620  Human Bonding (3 cr)
HD 3700  // PSYCH 3250  Adult Psychopathology (3 cr)
HD 4590  Life Transitions Across the Life Span (3 cr)
HD 4770  Psychopathology in Great Works of Literature (3 cr)
PAM 2350  The U.S. Health Care System (3 cr)
PAM 3110  Pharmaceutical Management and Policy (3 cr)
PAM 3280  Fundamentals of Population Health (3 cr)
PAM 3780  Sick Around the World? Comparing Health Care Systems Around the World (3 cr)
PAM 3870  // PAM 5870  Economic Evaluations in Health Care (3 cr)
PAM 4280  // ECON 3710  Economics of Risky Health Behaviors (3 cr)

Natural Science Perspective on Health Selectives

Natural Science Perspective on Health Selectives (6+ credits)
Courses should cover some aspect of health (including nutrition) from a life science perspective. More than half of the course content must be devoted to consideration of health/life course/disease issues from a life science/biological perspective (e.g. biochemistry, molecular biology, physiology, neuroscience, evolution, animal science, food science, plant sciences, and other natural science disciplines). Course work taken for HBHS Selectives may not also count for Biology Electives. See the Requirements for HBHS majors for regular updates to course options and information; new options are available to all class years.
NS 2750  Human Biology and Evolution (3 cr)
NS 3030  Nutrition, Health and Vegetarian Diets (3 cr)
NS 3060  Nutrition and Global Health (3 cr)
NS 3150  Obesity and Regulation of Body Weight (3 cr)
NS 3310  Nutrient Metabolism (4 cr)
NS 3320  Methods in Nutritional Sciences (3 cr)
NS 3450  Introduction to Physiochemical and Biological Aspects of Food (3 cr)
NS 4200  Diet and the Microbiome (3 cr)
NS 4300  Proteins, Transcripts, and Metabolism: Big Data in Molecular Nutrition (3 cr)
NS 4410  Nutrition and Disease (4 cr)
NS 4420  Implementation of Nutrition Care (3 cr; enrollment restricted – priority to Dietetics students)
NS 6140  Topics in Maternal and Child Nutrition (3 cr)
NS 6310  Micronutrients: Function, Homeostasis and Assessment (2-4 cr)
NS 6320  Regulation of Macronutrient Metabolism (4 cr)
BIOMG 4390  Molecular Basis of Disease (3 cr)
BIOMI 2500  Public Health Microbiology (3 cr)
BIOMI 2600  Microbiology of Human Contagious Diseases (3 cr)
BIOMI 2950  Biology of Infectious Disease: From Molecules to Ecosystems (3 cr)
BIOMI 3210  Human Microbes and Health (3 cr)
BIONB 3215  // FGSS 3210  // LGBT 3210  Gender and the Brain (3 cr)
FSAD 4390  Biomedical Materials and Devices for Human Body Repair (3 cr)
HD 2200  The Human Brain and Mind: An Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience (3 cr)
HD 3250  Neurochemistry of Human Behavior (3 cr)
HD 3660  Affective and Social Neuroscience (3 cr)
MSE 4610  Biomedical Materials and Their Applications (3 cr)
PLBIO 2100  Medical Ethnobotany (3 cr)

Nutritional Science Perspective on Health Selectives

Nutritional Science Perspective on Health Selectives (3-4 credits)
Courses should cover some aspect of health (including nutrition) from a nutritional science perspective. More than half of the course content must be devoted to consideration of health/life course/disease issues from a nutritional science perspective. Course work taken for HBHS Selectives may not also count for Biology Electives. See the Requirements for HBHS majors for regular updates to course options and information; new options are available to all class years.
NS 3030  Nutrition, Health and Vegetarian Diets (3 cr)
NS 3060  Nutrition and Global Health (3 cr)
NS 3150  Obesity and Regulation of Body Weight (3 cr)
NS 4200  Diet and the Microbiome (3 cr)
NS 4300  Proteins, Transcripts, and Metabolism: Big Data in Molecular Nutrition (3 cr)
NS 4410  Nutrition and Disease (4 cr)
NS 4420  Implementation of Nutrition Care (3 cr; enrollment restricted – priority to Dietetics students)
NS 4450  // AEM 4450  Toward a Sustainable Global Food System: Food Policy for Developing Countries (3 cr)
NS 4480  Economics of Food and Malnutrition (3 cr)
NS 4500  Public Health Nutrition (3 cr)

Social Sciences

Social Sciences (6 credits)
This fulfills the college distribution social sciences requirement.

Choose one course in any two of the following four areas:

Anthropology
ANTHR 1400 The Comparison of Cultures (3 cr)

Economics
ECON 1110 Introductory Microeconomics (3 cr) *Counts for Human Ecology credit
ECON 1120 Introductory Macroeconomics (3 cr) *Does not count for Human Ecology credit

Psychology
HD 1150  Human Development: Infancy and Childhood (3 cr)
HD 1170  Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood (3 cr)
PSYCH 1101  Introduction to Psychology (3 cr)

Sociology
DSOC 1101 Introduction to Sociology (3 cr)
SOC 1101 Introduction to Sociology (3 cr)

Calculus/Advanced Math

Calculus/Advanced Math (3-4 credits)
This fulfills the college distribution quantitative and analytical courses requirement.

Choose one of the following Calculus/Advanced Math courses:
(a)   MATH 1105  Finite Mathematics for the Life and Social Sciences (3 cr)
(b)   MATH 1106  Calculus for the Life and Social Sciences (3 cr)
(c)   MATH 1110  Calculus I (4 cr)
(d)    MATH 1120 Calculus II (4 cr)
(e)   A score of 4 or 5 on the AB or BC Calculus AP Exam¹
1 See below under Statistics.

Statistics

Statistics (3-4 credits)
This fulfills the college distribution quantitative and analytical course requirement.

Choose one of the following:
(a)   STSCI 2150  Introductory Statistics for Biology (4 cr) (recommended) OR
(b)   PAM 2100  Introduction to Statistics (4 cr) OR
(c)   AEM 2100  Introductory Statistics (4 cr) OR
(d)   BTRY 3010  Biological Statistics I (4 cr) OR
(e)   ILRST 2100 /STSCI 2100  Introductory Statistics (4 cr) OR
(f)   MATH 1710  Statistical Theory and Application in the Real World (4 cr) OR
(g)   PSYCH 2500  Statistics and Research Design (3-4 cr) OR
(h)   SOC 3010  Statistics for Sociological Research (4 cr)
(i)   A score of 4 or 5 on the Statistics AP Exam*
1 DNS students must take either Calculus/Advanced Math or Statistics at Cornell unless they have earned a score of 4 or 5 on the BC Calculus AP Exam. Students in this case may use AP credit for both Calculus/Advanced Math and Statistics.