Windmills in a field at sunset

Karsten Wurth

Understanding today's challenges. Reimagining our future.

Science, Technology, and Society is a dynamic interdisciplinary major providing students with a liberal arts education for the twenty-first century.

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One of the only Stanford majors to offer both Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees.

STS majors gain a broad understanding of how science, technology, and society interact, while developing depth within two or three focus areas. STS graduates have forged successful careers in many fields, including business, engineering, law, public service, medicine and academia.

We offer a variety of concentration options: Catastrophic Risks and Solutions | Communication and Media | Innovation and Organization | Life Sciences and Health | Politics and Policy | Social Dynamics of Data and Information.

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Michael Dziedzic

Why STS?

Student reading in library stacks

Elliot Reyna

Concentrations

students in a library

 Linda A. Cicero

Honors Program

Architectural details of the sandstone arcades in the Main Quadrangle of Stanford University.

Linda A. Cicero

Faculty

Jacob Hellman

Faculty Spotlight

Jacob Hellman: Lecturer, Program in Science, Technology, & Society

Professor Hellman did not discover STS until graduate school. And he discovered it a bit by accident. When enrolled in graduate school in San Diego, he joined some graduate colleagues who at a conference on STS research. As he looked through the program, he was wide-eyed to see all the fascinating…

Events and News:

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Photo by Matheus Bertelli

The STS Lectures: Science & Technology Studies Today

This lecture series showcases cutting-edge work by scholars from Science & Technology Studies, an interdisciplinary field encompassing history, sociology, anthropology, media studies, and other social sciences that address scientific and technological change.

Brain Cancer Chromosomes.

Race in Science, Technology & Medicine

This series brought together Black, Indigenous and other scholars and professionals of color (BIPOC) from around the nation to explore the intersections of race, racism and scientific practice. Speakers shared personal experiences and how they design their work for equity and justice, addressing race in such issues as energy infrastructure, nuclear arms control, algorithmic accountability, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and synthetic biology.

Faculty Bookshelf

I am so grateful for my STS education. My STS background has equipped me to move seamlessly through industries. STS empowered me to incorporate a framework driven by critical thinking as well as social, scientific, and ethical concerns in all areas of my work and personal life.
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Celine Foster
STS Student and Peer Advisor, Class of 2021