The Program

iCons—Integrated Concentration in Science—is a selective, 20-credit undergraduate science program offered by the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Designed for students majoring in the physical and life sciences, engineering, and public health, iCons provides integrative science education in two theme areas: Renewable Energy and Biomedicine/Biosystems. 

Society faces daunting technological problems in areas such as renewable energy, climate change, drug design, and clean drinking water. Complex problems demand multi-faceted solutions. iCons provides meaningful interdisciplinary training for students who aspire to be tomorrow's scientific leaders.

iCons does not replace a major. Rather, it enhances each participant’s major through working on real world issues in interdisciplinary teams – developing skills and knowledge critical for success in careers at the leading edge of science and technology. In iCons, students apply knowledge from their discipline(s) to problems of global significance, such as the cholera epidemic in Haiti, ocean acidification, or the development of algae biofuels.

The iCons Program Student Learning Outcomes

  • Collaborate in diverse teams to critically evaluate societal challenges.
  • Gain confidence in your ability to ask questions and seek answers through scientific means.
  • Use fundamental science principles to create experiments that yield valid insights and address gaps in scientific knowledge.
  • Learn to write, speak, and think as a scientist as you create your own logical arguments and narratives.
  • Articulate an interdisciplinary scientific argument to both scientists and non-scientists.
  • Provide and receive constructive criticism when communicating with experts in different scientific fields.
  • Critically evaluate experimental data from, and approaches to, scientific problems in your own and other fields.
  • Develop an appreciation for the interdisciplinary nature of the scientific process.

The iCons Application Process

Students interested in joining the iCons Program who are pursuing majors in the College of Natural Sciences, the College of Engineering, and the School of Public Health, should submit an application in the fall semester of freshman year. iCons is designed to be undertaken one course per year over the course of four years, and is therefore best suited for entering freshmen. However, sophomores are allowed to apply, knowing that they will have to double up on courses in their Junior year. 

The iCons application is available for completion on the iCons website from early September through mid-October. Students must submit their applications online. Admissions Committee decisions will be communicated to applicants prior to the pre-registration period for spring semester. The application can be found at:  https://icons.cns.umass.edu/webforms/icons-application.

The iCons Curriculum

The iCons curriculum integrates scientific expertise across disciplines, giving students opportunities to work with real-world case studies from day one. In early December, students beginning the program meet for an orientation session, where they create their own mission and propose the topics that will be the focus of iCons 1 in the spring. The program fosters collaborative learning, discovery-based projects, leadership development, and multidisciplinary analytical skills. Tying the experience together, each student begins a digital portfolio in iCons 1, and updates the portfolio as they progress through the iCons Program. Each portfolio will include reflections on academic and personal objectives at the beginning of a course, examples of academic growth and success, and end-of-course meta-cognitive reflections on the nature of the learning experienced in iCons.

Students choose a theme area before registering for the second-year courses, and are expected to initiate their Advanced Scholarly Work (thesis, project, or equivalent) by the spring semester of their Junior year. iCons students are not required to be members of the Commonwealth Honors College, but all iCons courses carry honors credit.

For more details see the iCons web site. In particular, the course descriptions can be found at https://icons.cns.umass.edu/students/courses.

For the majority of participating departments, iCons courses fulfill other program or major requirements. For most students,

  • iCons 1 fulfills a GenEd (Interdisciplinary) graduation requirement
  • iCons 2 fulfills the Junior Year Writing requirement
  • iCons 3 fulfills an upper-level elective or equivalent, and begins the GenEd Integrative Experience Requirement.
  • iCons 4 satisfies the Commonwealth Honors College requirements for a thesis/research project, may fulfill departmental honors requirements, and completes the GenEd Integrative Experience requirement.

For details and exceptions, see: https://icons.cns.umass.edu/sites/default/files/attachments/icons_courses_fulfill_departmental_requirements_as_follows.pdf

The iCons Certificate

Students who successfully complete the iCons program are eligible to receive a certificate as a component of their UMass Degree. In the final semester of iCons (iCons 4 Spring Seminar), students will complete and submit a certificate completion form certifying their completion of the certificate requirements.