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Carnegie Mellon University-Wide Studies Courses

About Course Numbers:

Each Carnegie Mellon course number begins with a two-digit prefix that designates the department offering the course (i.e., 76-xxx courses are offered by the Department of English). Although each department maintains its own course numbering practices, typically, the first digit after the prefix indicates the class level: xx-1xx courses are freshmen-level, xx-2xx courses are sophomore level, etc. Depending on the department, xx-6xx courses may be either undergraduate senior-level or graduate-level, and xx-7xx courses and higher are graduate-level. Consult the Schedule of Classes each semester for course offerings and for any necessary pre-requisites or co-requisites.

99-020 Doing Modern Research: AI, Open Science & Navigating the New Research Landscape
Fall and Spring: 6 units
How do you find, organize, and make sense of scholarly knowledge given the millions of academic research papers published each year? In this mini course, you will learn how to develop a research question and use high-quality AI and free software tools to find, organize, and assess research literature to support it. Throughout this process, we will explore topics such as the ethics of generative AI, how research is conducted, and scholarly identity. Special attention will be paid to open science and its impact on equity, inclusion, and public trust in research. Students will explore academic research in interdisciplinary topics, as well as topics of their own choosing. Students will gain skills they can apply to other course projects, research experiences, or in the workforce to guide decision-making.
99-023 CMUPD Citizens Police Academy
Fall and Spring: 1 unit
Discover what it’s like to be a part of law enforcement at Carnegie Mellon University! The Citizens Police Academy offers an inside look at the training, responsibilities, and community partnerships that define our department. Join us for this engaging, hands-on experience. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn directly from CMUPD officers, ask questions, and gain valuable insights into campus safety and policing. CMU's Citizens Police Academy is a six-week course for faculty and staff held on Wednesday evenings at 300 South Craig Street (building attached to the CMU Police Station). The purpose of the Academy is to help bridge the gap between the CMU Police Department and the greater CMU community. Participants will learn more about the different training techniques, education and barriers that police officers face daily. The CMU Police Department hopes this experience will help educate the CMU community about the role and functions of CMU police and foster deeper connections and understandings between the students, faculty, staff and officers to create more positive interactions and a safer community. The department also hopes to dispel myths and misconceptions about our department and all police.

Course Website: https://www.cmu.edu/police/resources/citizens-academy.html
99-101 Core@CMU
Fall and Spring: 3 units
Core@CMU is an engaging, online learning experience where you'll develop your core competency skills in the Core4 domains - (1) Collaboration and amp; Teamwork, (2) Communication and amp; Presentation, (3) Information and amp; Data Literacy and (4) Intercultural and amp; Global Literacy. This foundational course is an essential first step in your educational journey at CMU, setting you up for academic, personal, and professional success across any field of study. 99-101 is a remote course and coursework is designed to be completed asynchronously. Additionally, there are opportunities for synchronous engagement that will be offered in both in-person and remote modalities. Dates and times for these optional elements of the Core@CMU experience will be announced in the course Canvas site.

Course Website: http://www.cmu.edu/c-cm/
99-190 Managing Stress, Restoring Harmony
Fall: 6 units
The course is designed to explore the subject of stress and how it can best be managed to achieve optimal health and wellbeing. Topics addressed will include: the environmental, mental and emotional components of stress, factors that affect the experience of stress, how stress contributes to illness, and an overview of various stress management techniques. Several lectures will be supported by Carnegie Mellon faculty and staff.
99-250 Seminar for Peer Tutors
Fall and Spring: 1 unit
SPECIAL PERMISSION REQUIRED: YES The purpose of this training course is to provide undergraduates with the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to become effective Peer Tutors. Throughout the course, students will be exposed to the mission and goals of Academic Development and the Peer Tutoring Program. The class lasts approximately nine weeks and is generally offered in the spring term from February through April. The course explores the roles and responsibilities of the tutor while offering insights into effective tutoring strategies through interactive discussion and role plays. In addition, trainees work hands-on with experienced tutors to troubleshoot potential problems and situations. Students will gain experience in group dynamics, communication skills, study strategies, referral resources, leadership, and creating a supportive learning environment. Teaching practice is an integral part of the training program. Students must complete an application in person or electronically at: https://www.cmu.edu/acadev/jobs/index.html and then be interviewed by the instructor(s) to determine if the student possesses the basic qualifications.

Course Website: http://www.cmu.edu/acadev/studentjobs/
99-264 Introduction to Life Design
Fall and Spring: 3 units
"What do you want to be when you grow up?" is a dysfunctional question that is asked by society to every child. The nature of this question implies individuals should have a single goal that they desire to reach - and that happiness/success will be achieved when this goal is reached. Instead, Introduction to Life Design asks individuals to explore what they want to grow into as life unfolds. Students in this course will identify what work and life mean to them, explore how their social identities influence how they engage with the world, ideate future possibilities, and learn how to explore those possibilities by prototyping experiences. This class is for juniors and seniors who want to learn how to create and navigate a life of meaning. Attendance is required at the Friday sessions because small group sharing is an integral part of the course pedagogy.
99-265 CMUQ ADDvocate: Anti-Discrimination Dialogue
Fall and Spring: 9 units
The aim of this multidisciplinary course is to establish a firm, education-based understanding of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion topics in Pittsburgh, Qatar and Worldwide to enhance students' classroom and university experience. This course consists of 9 units to provide students with a thorough overview of DEI topics. Through a series of lectures by subject experts, this course aims to educate and raise consciousness of discrimination, racism and bias in the real world. The course encourages students to critically examine their personal beliefs and opinions about race and discrimination. Students will also evaluate and analyze inequalities and systems of privilege that promote marginalization within key topics such as gender bias in research, discrimination in education, and discrimination practices in the healthcare system. Assessments include low-stakes assignments attached to weekly content and a final advocacy project. This course will also highlight strategies to become an active bystander and advocate for fair treatment in all our communities.
99-270 Summer Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship
Summer
This course consists of student participation in projects focused on undergraduate research or creative inquiry under the direction of a Carnegie Mellon faculty member. Tenure track, teaching track, research track, librarian track, and special faculty may serve as SURA mentors. The subject of the inquiry, the number of units, and the criteria for grading are to be determined by the student and the faculty mentor. This agreement should be formalized in a one-page apprenticeship verification form that includes documented approval from the faculty mentor with a copy to be submitted to the Undergraduate Research Office. The students are responsible for finding a faculty member who is willing and able to supervise them on campus over the summer. In addition to the research experience, course requirements include a series of workshop sessions over the course of the summer that will introduce students to the basics of research design. Students will also be expected to present and/or attend the campus-wide undergraduate research symposium, Meeting of the Minds, in May of the following year. Students may register for a maximum of nine units with work to be completed over an eight-week period during the summer all term.
99-352 IDeATe: Soft Fabrication Skills
Fall and Spring: 1 unit
PLEASE NOTE: The specific meeting dates for the A3 section of this micro course are Saturdays Jan 17, Jan 24, Jan 31. Textiles are a ubiquitous part of our everyday tactile experience. This workshop series aims to introduce textile techniques to participants with diverse backgrounds across the CMU campus. The fabrication skills and concepts that will be covered in this course will be taught from an interdisciplinary approach to merge practices in arts and technology. Students will learn methods of working with fabric such as hand and machine sewing, felting and knitting, along with merging aspects of digital fabrication and physical computing using flexible materials. Through discussions and demos, participants will have the opportunity to explore new methods of fabrication to integrate into their own practice.

Course Website: https://courses.ideate.cmu.edu/99-352
99-353 IDeATe: Design Essentials for Laser Cutting
Fall and Spring: 1 unit
PLEASE NOTE: The specific meeting dates for the A3 section of this micro course are Sunday Jan 18, Jan 25, Feb 1. The specific meeting dates for the B3 section of this micro course are Saturday Feb 7, Feb 14, and Feb 21. This mini course is designed to get students ready to use a laser cutter. We will cover essential design considerations unique to laser cutting such as material choice, tolerances, available methods of assembly, and techniques for improving cut quality. The bulk of the class time is spent hands-on learning to design and create a laser cutter ready vector file as well as learning how to safely operate the IDeATe Laser cutters. The primary software we use is Adobe Illustrator, with some time also spent in Photoshop for learning how to integrate raster images like photos and drawings into lasercut objects. Students who complete this course will be able to use the IDeATe facility's laser cutters on their own for future course work or personal projects.
99-355 IDeATe: Introduction to Arduino
Fall and Spring: 1 unit
PLEASE NOTE: The specific meeting dates for the A3 section of this micro course are Fridays Jan 30, Feb 6, and Feb 13. The specific meeting dates for the B3 section of this micro course are Sundays Feb 8, Feb 15, and Feb 22. This practical course is designed to quickly take students from beginner to basic functional knowledge of the Arduino microcontroller in three 5-hour sessions. You can expect to learn a) how to write and upload simple code for the Arduino to perform basic logic functions like reading a switch to change a motor's direction, b) how to integrate a variety of physical inputs including knobs, distance sensors, and light sensors, c) how to integrate a variety of physical outputs such as motors, lights, and speakers, and d) how to put all of these together to build simple self-contained low-cost low-power systems. The course culminates in students producing an artful and/or functional interactive creation of their own design. Enrolled students have access to IDeATe's well-equipped Physical Computing Laboratory in the basement of Hunt Library. Undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and staff interested in learning new skills in an interdisciplinary environment are welcome. There are no technical prerequisites.

Course Website: http://courses.ideate.cmu.edu/99-355
99-357 IDeATe: Pragmatic Photography
Fall and Spring: 1 unit
Pragmatic Photography is a digital imaging course for the non-photographer. A tech-first approach provides a strong grounding in the core concepts and techniques of image-based media. This course will enable students to create photographs for project documentation. This class will not require special cameras or software; students will use commonly-available photo-editing software to create images using DSLRs, point and click cameras, or their cell phones. The course focuses on general principles that apply across different equipment and software.
99-358 IDeATe: Introduction to the Unity Game Engine
Fall and Spring: 1 unit
PLEASE NOTE: The specific meeting dates for the A3 section of this micro course are Saturdays Jan 24, Jan 31, Feb 7. The specific meeting dates for the B3 section of this micro course are Sundays Feb 8, Feb 15, and Feb 22. This course is designed for students with little to no experience working with game engines as entry point into the field of game development. Students will learn the basics of the Unity3D engine and to creatively and effectively build their own simple games. This course will cover topics such as navigating and using the engine, basic game programming in C#, user interface development and introductory game design principles. Students will be assessed based on the functionality of their games and will receive further feedback on their implementation, execution and creativity.
99-361 IDeATe Portal
Spring: 9 units
IDeATe Portal courses introduce students to key aspects of critical, creative, and technical practice and prepare them to engage in productive interdisciplinary Collaborative Studio coursework in IDeATe minor areas. Section A: Learning about Learning will provide an introduction to the science of learning. Students will explore the different ways that people learn, the factors that influence learning, and how to apply this knowledge to their own learning and in designing experiences in educational settings. Section B: Intelligent Environments is a hand-on, project-based course that introduces students to the issues and challenges of creating workable, affordable, and adaptable intelligent environments. Section C: Garments covers the process of design, patterning, and construction of garments or other wearable items - to support creating experimental pieces for the body. Full descriptions of each section topic are available at the Course URL.

Course Website: https://ideate.cmu.edu/courses/portal-and-section-details.html
99-362 IDeATe: Intelligent Learning Spaces
Spring: 9 units
Intelligent Learning Spaces explores the interactions between how humans, objects, and environments learn. Through hands-on-projects, students discuss, analyze, define, and apply theory from education, psychology, architecture, game design, technology, and the arts to their project work. Students investigate precedents and existing experiences to create their own learning manifestos Imagination, in-class participation, speculation, empathy and 360-degree awareness are key components of this class. Building off their own learning experiences, students apply their manifestos to games, apps, robots, installations, exhibits, and more. Students will develop their creative inquiry skills and apply critical perspectives through project-based work that requires experimentations, making, reflection, and documentation.
99-363 IDeATe: Spatial Storytelling
Spring: 6 units
Spatial Storytelling promotes the use of digital storytelling methods and methodologies across disciplinary topics. In this Spring mini, students are guided through the process from identifying a research problem, collecting data from diverse sources, learning specific geospatial mapping tools, and finally crafting narrative. They will work with spatial information (geospatial data) to build complex multimodal narratives around social issues. By the end of this course, students will know: what are spatial data, how to find and identify different types of spatial data, how to create a story based on data, and how to analyze data in geospatial software. Students will be able to develop constructive critique and data literacy skills to critically review peer work across disciplinary topics. Using competencies gained over the semester, students will create an online interactive narrative and present it to the broader community.
99-386 Global Issues and AI: Cities and Communities
Intermittent: 3 units
THIS COURSE IS A WEEKEND MICRO-COURSE: Oct 23-25, 2026 "Global Issues and AI" critically investigates the paradoxical impact of artificial intelligence on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Through the lenses of health, labor, urbanization, and climate, students analyze the tension between AI's potential to accelerate or hinder global progress. The course explores the promises and pitfalls of emerging technologies to bridge the divide between the Global North and South. Future semester stackable micro-courses will include: Spring 2027- Global Issues and AI: Climate Action Fall 2027- Global Issues and AI: Health and Well-being Spring 2028- Global Issues and AI: Work and Economic Growth
99-401 ePortfolio/Capstone
All Semesters
Registration by special permission. This course is for CMUQ students who have declared a minor or are engaged in a certificate program. Students should contact the instructor(s) for permission to enroll. This course is a series of lessons/modules with guided activities to enable students to reflect on and synthesize their academic course of study. The activities may include independent research, reflective exercises, team projects, feedback from faculty, as well as external speakers and recent graduates who have expertise to share. Under the guidance of a faculty advisor, a student may undertake a project that is reflective in nature and synthesizes the student's academic coursework and educational experience throughout their minor or certificate program at CMUQ. The final project may be in various formats approved by the faculty advisor. The course will be offered in IPO or hybrid mode with all modules available through Canvas and/or Zoom. Each semester, the course will be facilitated by the students' course/project advisors. Additionally, students will regularly meet individually with the course instructor in person or through Zoom.
99-402 ePortfolio/Capstone
All Semesters
Registration by special permission. This course is for CMUQ students who have declared a minor or are engaged in a certificate program. Students should contact the instructor(s) for permission to enroll. This course is a series of lessons/modules with guided activities to enable students to reflect on and synthesize their academic course of study. The activities may include independent research, reflective exercises, team projects, feedback from faculty, as well as external speakers and recent graduates who have expertise to share. Under the guidance of a faculty advisor, a student may undertake a project that is reflective in nature and synthesizes the student's academic coursework and educational experience throughout their minor or certificate program at CMUQ. The final project may be in various formats approved by the faculty advisor. The course will be offered in IPO or hybrid mode with all modules available through Canvas and/or Zoom. Each semester, the course will be facilitated by the students' course/project advisors. Additionally, students will regularly meet individually with the course instructor in person or through Zoom.
99-403 Interdisciplinary Leadership Development Seminar
Fall and Spring: 9 units
The seminar is predicated on the six-pillar leadership model of the Center for Leadership Studies, built on the foundation that effective leaders must at once visionary, ethical, engaging, tactical technical (including sub-expert conversancy for team development), and reflective (including formal assessment and redirection, as well the core competencies of a reflective practitioner. The components of the experience include assigned media of 120’, including note taking, delivered via written, video and audio (podcast) media. The first of two meeting days each week (T/R) will include focused discussion and elucidation of the topic of the week, buttressed by these assigned media. The second of two meeting days per week will include special guests, case studies, role plays, and other experiential opportunities to deepen student understanding and to practice their underlying leadership skillset. (The special guests are CEO’s, leaders and influencers in a variety of for-profit and non-profit organizations, reflective of the disciplines reflected in the course composition.) Each week will also include two hours of “experiential opportunities” (EO’s) to allow students to tailor experience to their own personal and professional ambitions. (These include joint experiential opportunities spanning all sections facilitated centrally, as well as individual one:one sessions with the Executive Fellows leading each seminar.) Lastly, each week culminates with a 2-hour (1,200 word +/-) reflective journal that is submitted for detailed Executive Fellow feedback, allowing each student to document and exposit on their own leadership progression. Requires faculty approval - contact Michael Murphy at mm1v@andrew.cmu.edu
99-408 Get Career Ready: Unlocking Pathways to Success
All Semesters: 3 units
This course gives students the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their chosen careers. By the end of the course, students will set meaningful career goals, create a plan to achieve them, develop their employability skills, and strategically position themselves for success in the competitive job market. Students will also gain insights from professional guest speakers who will share their experiences, perspectives, and industry-specific knowledge.
99-409 Summer Research
Summer: 1 unit
This course allows undergraduate students from all fields to participate in research (including artistic/creative inquiry) under the direction of a Carnegie Mellon faculty member. Tenure track, teaching track, research track, librarian track, and special faculty may serve as research supervisors. Students should have previously participated in summer research via the Summer Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship and/or the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship before enrolling in 99-409 (students who are unsure of whether 99-409 is appropriate for them should consult with the Undergraduate Research Office). Students will need to complete a supervisor agreement form to be eligible for participation in this 1-unit course. Students are responsible for finding research supervisors. In addition to the summer research with the faculty member, students will be expected to write a brief (one- to two-page) research report about their summer work. This course is not eligible for Curricular Practical Training for international students; please contact the Office for International Education for more information regarding CPT.
99-530 Senior Preparation Seminar
Fall and Spring: 6 units
This mini course provides graduating seniors a chance to reflect on their experiences as students at Carnegie Mellon; intellectually, socially and as leaders in this community. In addition to its reflective component, the course will also look at how to prepare for upcoming transitions into post college roles and responsibilities. The course explores intrapersonal, interpersonal, and external factors at play for recent graduates.
99-786 Global Issues and AI: Cities and Communities
Fall: 3 units
THIS COURSE IS A WEEKEND MICRO-COURSE: Oct 23-25, 2026 "Global Issues and AI" critically investigates the paradoxical impact of artificial intelligence on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Through the lenses of health, labor, urbanization, and climate, students analyze the tension between AI's potential to accelerate or hinder global progress. The course explores the promises and pitfalls of emerging technologies to bridge the divide between the Global North and South. Future semester stackable micro-courses will include: Spring 2027- Global Issues and AI: Climate Action Fall 2027- Global Issues and AI: Health and Well-being Spring 2028- Global Issues and AI: Work and Economic Growth
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