This degree indicates significant exploration and achievement in the liberal arts, including studies in a foreign language, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.
Program Requirements
General Education Requirements (30-42 hours)
See General Education Requirements.
Area Requirements (18 hours)
In addition to the University Program requirements, each area requirement below must be completed. Courses taken to satisfy the University Program Requirements may NOT be used to satisfy area requirements.
Area 1 - Humanities (6 hours)
Any 100-500 courses in the following disciplines:
ARB - Arabic; ART - Art; ASL - American Sign Language; CHN - Chinese; ENG - English Language and Literature; FRN - French; GER - German; GRK - Greek; HUM - Humanities; JPN - Japanese; LAT - Latin; MUS - Music; OJB - Ojibwe; PHL - Philosophy; REL - Religion; RUS - Russian; SPN - Spanish; TAI - Theatre and Interpretation
Broadcast and Cinematic Arts Courses
These courses also fulfill Area 1 requirements:
| BCA 101 | History and Appreciation of the Cinema | 3(2-2) |
| BCA 290 | French Film and Other Media | 3(3-0) |
| BCA 300 | African and African American Film | 3(3-0) |
| BCA 503WI | Critiquing Mass Media | 3(3-0) |
Note: Courses used to satisfy the foreign language requirement may not also be used to satisfy this requirement.
Area 2 - Natural Sciences (6 hours)
Any 100-500 level courses in the following disciplines:
AST - Astronomy; BIO - Biology; CHM - Chemistry; ENV - Environmental Studies; ESC - Earth Science; GEL - Geology; MET - Meteorology; MTH - Mathematics; PHS - Physical Science; PHY - Physics; SCI - Sciences; STA - Statistics
Note: MTH 101 cannot be used to fulfill the Area 2 Natural Sciences requirement.
Note: ANT 250WI (cross-listed with BIO 250WI/CHM 250WI) may be used to fulfill the Area 2 Natural Sciences requirement.
Anthropology (ANT): Physical Anthropology Courses
These courses also fulfill Area 2 Requirements:
| ANT 110 | Meet Your Ancestors and Other Distant Relatives | 3(3-0) |
| ANT 171 | Human Origins: Introduction to Physical Anthropology | 3(3-0) |
| ANT 173 | Laboratory in Physical Anthropology | 1(0-2) |
| ANT 342 | Principles of Forensic Anthropology | 3(3-0) |
| ANT 347 | Human Evolution | 3(3-0) |
| ANT 351 | Human Variation, Race, and the Mistakes We Make | 3(3-0) |
| ANT 356 | Primate Behavior | 3(3-0) |
| ANT 358 | Diseases and Human Evolution | 3(3-0) |
| ANT 461 | Race, Racism and Human Evolution | 3(3-0) |
| ANT 542/CRM 542 | Methods in Forensic Anthropology: Osteology and Skeletal Analysis | 4(3-2) |
Communication Sciences and Disorders Courses
These courses also fulfill Area 2 Requirements:
| CSD 335 | The Anatomy and Physiology of Speech and Hearing | 3(3-0) |
| CSD 463 | Introduction to Acoustic Phonetics | 3(3-0) |
Computer Science Courses
These courses also fulfill Area 2 Requirements:
| CPS 110 | Information Technology Programming I | 3(3-0) |
| CPS 150 | FORTRAN Programming | 3(3-0) |
| CPS 180 | Principles of Computer Programming | 3(3-0) |
| CPS 181 | Introduction to Data Structures | 3(3-0) |
| CPS 210 | Assembly Language and Computer Organization | 3(3-0) |
| CPS 280 | Alternative Programming Languages | 1-6(Spec) |
| CPS 340 | Advanced Data Structures and Algorithms | 3(3-0) |
| CPS 360 | Computer Design and Architecture | 3(3-0) |
| CPS 410 | Software Engineering | 3(3-0) |
| CPS 450 | Programming Language Concepts | 3(3-0) |
| CPS 530 | Simulation of Discrete Event Systems | 3(3-0) |
| CPS 541 | Databases | 3(3-0) |
| CPS 560 | Digital Computer Design | 3(3-0) |
| CPS 575 | Computer Graphics | 3(3-0) |
Geography (GEO): Physical Geography and Geographic Information Science Courses
These courses also fulfill Area 2 Requirements:
| GEO 105 | Physical Geography | 3(2-2) |
| GEO 201 | Weather and Climate | 4(4-0) |
| GEO 203QR | Introduction to Geographic Information Science | 3(2-2) |
| GEO 205/GEL 205 | Oceanography | 3(3-0) |
| GEO 210 | Landforms | 3(2-2) |
| GEO 303 | Geographic Information Systems | 3(2-2) |
| GEO 308 | Fundamentals of Remote Sensing | 3(2-2) |
| GEO 310 | Surface Hydrology | 3(2-2) |
| GEO 330 | Resource Perception and Utilization | 3(3-0) |
| GEO 334/BIO 334 | Soil Science | 3(2-2) |
| GEO 335 | Biogeography | 3(3-0) |
| GEO 355 | Environmental Catastrophes | 3(3-0) |
| GEO 404 | Global Positioning System | 1(1-0) |
| GEO 500 | Advanced Cartography | 3(2-2) |
| GEO 501 | Principles and Applications of Geographic Information System | 3(2-2) |
| GEO 503 | Advanced Geographic Information Systems | 3(2-2) |
| GEO 505 | Mapping and Surveying Technology: CAD, GPS, and UAS | 3(2-2) |
| GEO 508 | Applications of Remote Sensing | 3(2-2) |
| GEO 512 | Quantitative Methods for Spatial Analysis | 3(2-2) |
| GEO 516 | Advanced Remote Sensing Systems | 3(2-2) |
| GEO 528 | Environmental Modeling with GIS | 3(2-2) |
| GEO 553 | GIS Operations and Practices | 3(3-0) |
Human Environmental Studies Courses
These courses also fulfill Area 2 Requirements:
Area 3 - Social Sciences (6 hours)
Any 100-500 level courses in the following disciplines:
ANT - Anthropology (All ANT courses except those included in Area 2); ECO - Economics; GEO - Geography (All GEO courses except Physical Geography and Geographic Information Science courses listed in Area 2); HDF - Human Development & Family Studies; HST - History; PAD - Public Administration; PSC - Political Science; PSY - Psychology; SOC - Sociology
Fashion Merchandising and Design Courses
These courses also fulfill Area 3 Requirements:
Communication Sciences and Disorders Courses
This course also fulfills Area 3 Requirements:
| CSD 130 | Normal Speech and Language Acquisition | 3(3-0) |
Foreign Language Requirement (0-16 hours)
Completion of the 202 course in any foreign language, including American Sign Language (ASL). This requirement may also be satisfied by passing the 202 examination or equivalent. Two foreign language courses from the University Program Group IV-B may be counted toward satisfying this requirement.
Specialized Studies
Major: Any university-approved major except the Communication Sciences and Disorders major, Environmental Science major, Geology major, Health Administration major, Meteorology major, or majors on specialized degrees, such as BFA, BMus, BMusEd, BSAT, BSBA, BSCmpE, BSEE, BSET, BSME, BSEd, or BSW.
Minor: Minors are optional, however certain majors require a particular minor or one chosen from a list of acceptable minors. See departments for major requirements.
Electives
The number of elective hours will vary depending upon the requirements for the major.
Minimum Total for Graduation: 124 hours
- To graduate from CMU you must complete a minimum of 120 hours, at least 40 of which must be in courses numbered 300 or above. Please note: the combination of some majors and minors may require more than 120 hours for graduation.
- Not all major/minor combinations are allowed. Please consult with a university advisor to confirm your choice.
- No more than a total of 27 hours may be taken from the College of Business Administration and counted towards graduation.
- You should read the Requirements for Graduation in this Bulletin for a complete description.