Upper School Science
The Haverford School science department strives to produce graduates who demonstrate a well-developed scientific intellect. Crucial to this goal is the development of critical thinking and the ability to synthesize and analyze available information.
Boys learn to apply their knowledge in multiple sciences and across disciplines. We mold active learners who are capable of independent, cooperative, and collaborative work using the available technology and tools. We emphasize the students’ responsibilities as global citizens, including as stewards of their environment, ethical decision makers, and comprehensive historical perspective-holders. We consistently model and encourage personal qualities that will sustain open-mindedness, creativity, imagination, and curiosity. Through this process, we nurture and help the boys sustain the inherent awe, passion, and wonder that science can inspire.
Haverford students are required to complete three years of core laboratory science: physics, chemistry, and biology in that order.
The core courses are sequential in that they are designed to build on another and to prepare students to choose from a rich array of science electives and provide a strong foundation for college study and future careers in science. Below you will find descriptions of the advanced (denoted by an *) and standard course offerings.
Core Courses
Elective Courses
- Advanced Laboratory Research Cooperative
- Advanced Physics*
- Astronomy
- Electronics*
- Engineering
- Environmental Ethics and Policy
- Global Impacts of Infectious Disease*
- Molecular Biology*
- Organic Chemistry*
- Physiology*
Advanced Laboratory Research Cooperative
Advanced Physics*
Astronomy
Electronics*
Engineering
Environmental Ethics and Policy
Global Impacts of Infectious Disease*
Molecular Biology*
Organic Chemistry*
Physiology*
Highlights
- Advanced Laboratory Research Cooperative
- STEAM Day
- Leading research equipment, including Benchtop Scanning Electron Microscope
- Electives with real-world connections, including Global Impacts of Infectious Disease