Frequently Asked Questions & Answers
- What is "STS"?
- What is the intellectual rationale for the STS Program?
- What kind of major is STS?
- Why should a Stanford student consider majoring in STS?
- What can one do with a degree in STS?
See also, the STS brochure (PDF)
5. What can one do with a degree in STS?
Prospective majors should peruse the Program's "100 Job Titles of Current STS Alums" document. This information was collected from the STS LinkedIn Group.
STS graduates have many attractive options open to them. Like their fellow Stanford graduates, most STS B.A. graduates eventually pursue advanced degrees. They have gained admission to and done well at many of the nation's best graduate schools of business, law, education, government, public policy, journalism, medicine, and international affairs. While relatively few STS B.A. graduates go on to get Ph.D. degrees in conventional academic disciplines, some have done so. STS B.A. alumni have earned doctoral degrees, one in history of technology at Oxford University, another in risk analysis in environmental and health policy at Harvard, another in economic history at the London School of Economics, and another in comparative literature at the University of Pennsylvania.
STS B.S. graduates have become management consultants, program managers and strategic marketers in computer companies, and government employees, e.g., at the EPA and with state governments. Others obtained M.S. degrees in computer science, civil engineering, electrical engineering, and industrial engineering. Still others entered medical school--the STS B.S. major provides an excellent pre-med path--and pursued advanced degrees in graduate schools of business, law, government, education, and public policy. A few have started their own companies. Occasionally, an STS B.S. graduate pursues a doctorate in a traditional academic discipline, e.g., electrical engineering or the history of technology.
If you have questions about either STS degree program, wish to declare in STS, or desire more information, contact Colleen McCallion, the STS Undergraduate Academic Advisor. Also feel free to stop by the STS Office (Building 200, Room 19, Main Quad) where you will find information about the B.A. and B.S. majors that explain their respective options and requirements. Five Simple Steps to Majoring in STS, also available at the STS Office, spells out the process to follow to become an STS major.
