Graduation Requirements

Within the context of a liberal education, the Humanities and Social Science (HSS) curriculum fosters in our students the desire and ability to think critically, communicate effectively, succeed in a global context, and exhibit ethical and responsible leadership. To this end all students must take a minimum of nine courses (36 credits) in HSS. These courses may be chosen from the HSS offerings, within the restrictions below. (A student taking an area minor in HSS must take a minimum of ten to eleven courses; see below.) Click here to view the course catalog.

Your Humanities and Social Sciences Experience at Rose-Hulman

Courses in the Humanities and Social Sciences provide the liberal arts component of your engineering, mathematics, and science curriculum. The core components of your Humanities and Social Science experience include:

• A Diversity of Courses
  Since our department covers a diversity of academic disciplines, our courses are organized into three thematic categories: Global Studies (GS), Ideas and Arts (IA), and Society and Values (SV). Students are required to take two courses in each of these categories (6 total) as well as one additional course (for 7 total) in any of the three categories. (Two additional courses are required if RH330 Technical Communication is not required of any of the student's majors. Technical communication may be taken as one of the additional courses if not required by the student's major(s). The section of course descriptions lists courses currently available in each category.
• Communicating Effectively
  In order to ensure that our graduates are able to communicate effectively to diverse audiences, all students, with few exceptions (see student handbook), are required to take RH131 Rhetoric and Composition. Freshmen, unless exempted or taking a foreign language, are normally enrolled automatically in the course in either the Fall or Winter Quarter. To further enhance your communications skills, most majors also require RH330 Technical and Professional Communication. Both of these courses are required to be taken on campus; you cannot transfer these credits. Students who have taken either a freshman writing course and/or a technical writing course at another college will be granted free elective transfer credit, but are not exempted from either RH131 or RH330. RH131 and RH330 constitute your 8th and 9th required HSS course.
• Engaging with Other Languages and Cultures
  Since the 21st century workplace is ever more likely to involve working with foreign-language partners, students are highly encouraged to elect to include foreign languages in their programs. Up to 4 foreign language courses may be counted toward your general HSS requirements (one in each of the three thematic categories, plus you one 'extra' course). Within foreign language study and minors, students should be aware that there are special requirements for receiving credit, for travel abroad, for non-native English speakers, etc., and they should consult the handbook for more information.