Richard Scheines, Bess Family Dean

Sharon Carver, Associate Dean for Educational Affairs

Joseph E. Devine, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies

Kelli Maxwell, Associate Dean for Student Success
www.cmu.edu/dietrich/

The Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences consists of undergraduate programs in English, History, Information Systems, Languages, Cultures, and Applied Linguistics, Philosophy, Psychology, Social and Decision Sciences, and Statistics & Data Science, as well as those offered by the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology. Dietrich College also offers a student-defined major option, numerous interdepartmental majors, the intercollege Bachelor of Humanities and Arts program, and honors and pre-professional programs.

The college embodies one of the most varied groups of students, faculty, staff and alumni in the Carnegie Mellon University community, all united by a common goal: confronting and solving society’s most complex problems. We learn through experience, and we work without silos or walls. Our students and faculty work across traditional boundaries, collaborating with other disciplines to pursue the thrill of discovery. Dietrich College is a place to explore different points of view. And a place to do work that matters.

At Dietrich College, we approach education differently. We mash up the traditional liberal arts with analytical and computational approaches. Beginning in their first year, our undergraduates confront real-world problems like democracy and data, racism or environmental justice through Grand Challenge Seminars that are co-taught by faculty from disciplines across the college and university. In addition, students are required to take General Education courses tied to specific learning goals. These courses help students to acquire and apply new knowledge and skills that are essential to their careers, citizenship and life. In addition to the required courses, students’ schedules also allow for broad exploration of our majors and minors. Experiential learning programs – like internships, undergraduate research, study abroad and community service – enhance our students’ undergraduate education.

Dietrich College students develop deep disciplinary knowledge — but that’s just the beginning. Students learn how to work on teams involving many disciplines. The knowledge landscape changes rapidly, and what students learn today may be outdated tomorrow. At Dietrich, students “learn how to learn,” discovering how to communicate, think and understand the world in ways that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.

Dietrich College alumni report that the skills they learned while in college have helped them land opportunities in a highly competitive job market. Just as importantly, those skills helped graduates follow their passion and succeed in new endeavors outside a more traditional career path. Among the 90% of the Dietrich College class of 2022 reporting, 94% found employment, entered graduate school or pursued other interests, like volunteering or military service.

Degree and Program Options

Dietrich College offers a wide range of majors and minors. In addition, there are a number of special programs which add breadth and enhance a student’s overall experience.

Additional Majors

Dietrich College students may pursue additional majors and/or minors in the college, as well as in other Carnegie Mellon colleges. An additional major refers to the completion of the requirements for a second major while also completing the requirements for the primary major and degree.

Most Dietrich College majors are also available as additional majors; two (Environmental and Sustainability Studies and Health Humanities ) are available only as additional majors. Students from outside Dietrich College can pursue additional majors offered by the college, and would be required to complete only those courses in the college's general education program that are prerequisites to courses required for the Dietrich College major in question.

There are two types of minors in Dietrich College: departmental minors, which are housed in a single Dietrich College academic department; and interdepartmental minors, which are sponsored by more than one academic department and administered through the faculty advisor's academic department. The college's minors are available to students from all colleges in the university.

Department	Name of Minor
English	Creative Writing
English	Humanities Analytics
English	Film and Visual Media
English	Professional Writing
English	Technical Writing
History	Anthropology
History	Social and Political History
Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology	American Politics and Law
Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology	Cybersecurity and International Conflict
Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology	International Relations and Political Science
Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology	Military Strategy and International Relations
Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology	Politics and Public Policy
Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology	Political Science, Security, and Technology
Interdepartmental	African and African American Studies
Interdepartmental	Environmental and Sustainability Studies
Interdepartmental	Gender Studies
Interdepartmental	Health Care Policy and Management
Interdepartmental	Linguistics
Interdepartmental	Neural Computation
Interdepartmental	Religious Studies
Interdepartmental	Science, Technology and Society
Interdepartmental	Sociology
Interdepartmental	Student-Defined (by admission)
Languages, Cultures, and Applied Linguistics	Applied Multilingual Studies
Languages, Cultures, and Applied Linguistics	Arabic Studies
Languages, Cultures, and Applied Linguistics	Chinese Studies
Languages, Cultures, and Applied Linguistics	French and Francophone Studies
Languages, Cultures, and Applied Linguistics	German Studies
Languages, Cultures, and Applied Linguistics	Hispanic Studies
Languages, Cultures, and Applied Linguistics	Immersive Technologies in Arts and Culture
Languages, Cultures, and Applied Linguistics	Japanese Studies
Languages, Cultures, and Applied Linguistics	Russian Studies
Philosophy	Ethics
Philosophy	Linguistics
Philosophy	Logic and Computation
Philosophy	Philosophy
Philosophy	Rationality, Uncertainty, and Choice: Formal Methods
Philosophy	Societal & Human Impact of Future Technologies
Psychology	Cognitive Neuroscience
Psychology	Psychology
Social and Decision Sciences	Behavioral Economics
Social and Decision Sciences	Decision Science
Social and Decision Sciences	Policy and Management
Social and Decision Sciences	Data Science in Society
Statistics and Data Science	Statistics

Multiple Degrees

"Multiple degrees" is defined as more than one undergraduate degree granted by the university (whether simultaneous or sequential). One diploma is awarded for each degree; each degree has one primary major associated with it, and the possibility of an additional major and/or minor.

Dietrich College undergraduate students who wish to earn an additional undergraduate degree with a primary major also from Dietrich College must:

• Satisfy all requirements for the primary major to be linked to the additional degree.
• Complete at least 90 units beyond the total number of units required for the first degree. If the major associated with the additional degree requires less than 90 units, the student would earn additional elective units to reach the 90-unit minimum. If the major associated with the additional degree requires more than 90 units, the student would perforce exceed the 90-unit minimum in order to fulfill all of the requirements for the additional degree’s primary major.
• Comply with Carnegie Mellon's Statute of Limitations Policy: All units required for an undergraduate degree, whether earned in residence, transferred from another institution or granted via advanced placement, must have been earned within eight (8) years prior to the date on which the degree is granted.

Non-Dietrich College undergraduate students at Carnegie Mellon who wish to earn an additional undergraduate degree with a Dietrich College primary major must complete all of the requirements listed above, plus any portion of the Dietrich College general education program not already fulfilled by prior undergraduate course work.

Bachelor of Arts & Bachelor of Science 

Some Dietrich College majors lead to a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree and others lead to a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree option. In some majors students may choose between a B.A. and a B.S. degree.  B.A. degree programs usually require less course work in technical and/or quantitative disciplines, and more depth and breadth in various humanities and social science fields, and (in some cases) the arts. In contrast, B.S. degrees are offered in majors requiring more technical, quantitative or scientific competencies.

Dietrich College General Education Program 

_{*For students entering prior to Fall 2021, click here for the catalog description of the General Education Requirements.}

For students entering Fall 2021 and later*

www.cmu.edu/dietrich/gened 

The Dietrich College General Education curriculum (GenEd) provides robust training and knowledge that complements and strengthens the skills learned in a student’s primary major. The GenEd program contains several unique features including: 1) the anchoring of the curriculum on an explicit set of measurable learning outcomes; 2) a focus on creative multi and interdisciplinary approaches to complex problems; 3) the integration of instruction in core competencies like writing and data science across the entire four-year curriculum; 4) ensuring holistic advising is available to every Dietrich student; 5) the expansion of experiential learning opportunities through research and creative inquiry, paid internships opportunities, study abroad, and community engagement; and 6) the commitment to iterative program-level assessment that includes direct measures of student learning.

The GenEd is built on the foundation of 15 high level learning areas and nearly 50 specific student learning outcomes that guide the program. More information about the learning areas can be found on our GenEd website.

Curriculum Requirements

The GenEd curriculum requirements total just above one third of a student’s overall degree requirements:

Category Type	Units Required
Foundations	54
Disciplinary Perspectives	42
Special Seminars	18
Experiential Learning Activity	1
TOTAL GENERAL EDUCATION	115

Course Categories

1. Foundations (54 units total)

There are six (6) foundations requirements, designed to teach both competencies that transcend disciplinary boundaries and the foundational knowledge and skills particularly important for Dietrich College students to acquire.

Required in Year 1	Units Required
Communication	9 units
Data Analysis	9 units

The Communication requirement may be satisfied through one of the following options:

1. 76-101 (Interpretation and Argument) or 76-102 (Advanced First-Year Writing)
2. Choose 2 mini courses: 76-106 (Writing about Literature, Art, and Culture), 76-107 (Writing about Data), or 76-108 (Writing about Public Problems).

The Data Analysis requirement must be satisfied through the completion of 36-200 (Reasoning with Data). Advanced Standing (AP, IB, Cambridge, Transfer) credit will be accepted for this requirement.

Required in Years 1-4	Units Required
Computational Thinking	9 units
Contextual Thinking	9 units
Intercultural and Global Inquiry	9 units
Scientific Inquiry	9 units

A list of courses for each of the above requirements can be found on the GenEd website.

2. Disciplinary Perspectives (42 units total)

There are five (5) disciplinary perspectives requirements, designed to provide a broad reflective understanding of disciplines both within and outside of the College.

Required in Year 1	Units Required
Humanities	9 units
Social Sciences	9 units

Required in Years 1-4	Units Required
The Arts	9 units
Logic/Mathematical Reasoning	9 units

Required in Years 1-4 (6 units in one of the following three disciplines):

Design

Business

Engineering

A list of courses for each of the above requirements can be found on the GenEd website.

3. Special Seminars (18 units total)

The Special Seminars and Topics offer opportunities for students to engage in high impact learning practices to ensure transformative and integrative learning.

Required in Year 1	Units Required
Grand Challenge Seminar	9 units

Required in Years 1-3	Units Required
Perspectives on Justice and Injustice	9 units

4. Experiential Learning Activity  (1 unit total)

The Experiential Learning Activity provides students with the opportunity to extend their learning beyond the classroom. This may include completing an internship, undergraduate research, community engaged learning, work-based learning or study abroad. This requirement can be fulfilled anytime after the first semester. Several existing courses fulfill this requirement. The experience must be approved in advance by the Experiential Learning team.

_{A list of courses for each of the above requirements can be found on the GenEd website.}

College Services and Programs

The educational programs in Dietrich College are complemented by a number of services, special programs, centers, and computing facilities.

Dietrich College Senior Honors Program

Joseph E. Devine, Director and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies
Location: Baker Hall 154F

From its inception in 1982, the Dietrich College senior honors program has provided outstanding undergraduate seniors with the opportunity to work individually with faculty members throughout the university on original research and creative projects. Admission is based on achievement of a cumulative QPA of at least 3.50 in one's major and 3.25 overall, endorsement of a thesis proposal by the faculty member who will serve as thesis advisor, and department head approval. Honors students enroll in an honors thesis course sequence for both semesters of the senior year (9 units per semester). Upon successful completion of the honors thesis, a student qualifies for graduation with Dietrich College Honors, and will have this designation as well as the thesis title noted on the final transcript.

The Honors Research Scholarship Program is an optional component for students who have applied and been accepted into the college’s Senior Honors Program. Financial support through a stipend and related funds for research-related expenses allows scholars to spend the summer before their senior year undertaking early-stage research and development of their thesis topics. Students apply for this scholarship program in the spring of the junior year, simultaneous with submission of an application and thesis project proposal for the Dietrich College Senior Honors Program.

Community Engagement Fellowship

Kimberly Piatt, Director of Experiential Learning
Location: Baker Hall 160
https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/students/undergraduate/programs/community-engagement-fellowship/index.html

The Dietrich College Community Engagement Fellowship was launched in Fall 2022 and provides students with the opportunity to develop their leadership skills while also learning how to create positive change in their communities. The program spans 5 semesters - Fall, Spring, Summer, Fall, Spring during which students complete a combination of coursework and experiential learning activities. The program curriculum includes: 

• 66-148 (3 Units): Fall Semester: Introduction to Community Engagement
• 66-214 (6 Units): Spring Semester: Connecting with the Pittsburgh Community
• 66-300 (6 Units): Fall Semester: Using Collective Leadership to Pursue Community Goals
• 66-403 (6-9 Units): Spring Semester: Community Engagement Fellowship Capstone Course

At the end of the fellowship, students will engage in a capstone project during which they connect their specific area of passion to what they have learned through the fellowship. This project is flexible and will depend on the student. Students will be expected to present their capstone project to a panel of stakeholders. 

Students in the fellowship receive exclusive access to courses and are able to build fruitful relationships with a cohort of peers and community leaders. Students also receive $3,000 to support their involvement in the community. Additional opportunities, like board membership, conference attendance and others are also offered as part of the experience. 

The application process for each 12-student cohort occurs in the Spring. Any student with a primary major in Dietrich or those pursuing a BHA degree may apply. Students should be in good academic standing but students may request an exception by speaking with the Director of Experiential Learning. Students interested in applying must have at least 2 years as an undergraduate student remaining so that they are able to complete the full sequence of courses.

Humanities Scholars Program

Therese Tardio, Director
Location: Posner Hall 252
www.cmu.edu/dietrich/hsp

The Humanities Scholars Program invites a small cohort of students – usually no more than twenty – to work together to investigate the issues that confront contemporary society. Students are invited to join the program at the time of admission based on the strength of their interest and background in one or more of the humanities. Students participate in a living-learning community during their first year and take a series of academic seminars that draw upon the expertise of humanities faculty and the broader intellectual depth of the campus throughout their time at CMU. The Humanities Scholars Program sponsors campus-wide programs, often in collaboration with other programs, such as the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, the College of Fine Arts, and the Institute for Politics and Strategy. The Humanities Scholars experience culminates in a student’s senior year with a capstone project. Students have the ability to use the resources of the program to further their own research, engage with the community, and develop their own areas of expertise. The program is supported by endowment funding from the university as well as from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations in order to support outstanding undergraduate research in the humanities at the university. For further information, students should contact the Director, Therese Tardio tardio@andrew.cmu.edu

Quantitative Social Science Scholars Program

Mark Patterson, PhD Director
Location: Porter Hall 223 B
www.cmu.edu/dietrich/qsss 

The Quantitative Social Science Scholars Program (QSSS) is designed to help outstanding undergraduates impact society through the use of these advanced quantitative methods. It does so by laying out a structured program of training in advanced quantitative techniques that can be broadly applied across a range of social science disciplines and topics. 

In addition to two seminars completed in the sophomore year, students complete coursework in a concentration area of their choice, selecting specialization in econometrics, statistics and regression, choice modeling, quantitative policy analysis, computational modeling, or psychometrics and measurement. Concentration areas typically consist of 3-4 courses each. The program equips students to undertake sophisticated analysis of their own, and features an integrative senior thesis project that applies their methodological training to a research question of their own choosing in collaboration with a faculty member of their choice.

The program recruits students with a range of interests across the social sciences to create a cohesive interdisciplinary learning community. Majors that could fit well with this program include (but are not limited to) economics; behavioral economics, policy and organizations; decision science; policy and management; international relations and politics; statistics; statistics and machine learning. Students may apply for entry to the QSSS program during the spring of the first year. Applications consist of a student transcript, and statement of interest.

Student-Defined Program

Joseph E. Devine, Director and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies
Location: Baker Hall 154
www.cmu.edu/dietrich/undergraduate/student-defined-majors.html

For students whose educational goals cannot be as adequately served by the curricula of existing programs, the college provides the opportunity to self-define a major or minor. The procedure for establishing such a major centers on a written proposal, submitted to the college dean's office. This proposal consists of two parts:

Program description and rationale: A description of the components of the proposed program of study; a presentation of the objectives of the program of study, why it represents a coherent and (given available faculty, courses, and other resources) viable course of study, and the reason(s) why these objectives cannot be accomplished within one or more of the college's existing programs.

The curriculum: Presentation of a complete outline of all courses that will comprise the requirements for the major or minor, categorized according to that component of the major program to which each belongs (e.g., mathematics prerequisites; research methods; theoretical perspectives; etc.), and second, a semester-by-semester outline that indicates when each course is to be taken (or, for any already taken, when taken). The minimum requirement for graduation is, as with all majors in the college, 360 units of credit.

Proposals and curricula are evaluated for clarity of focus, coherence and depth in related areas, and viability within the context of the college and university offerings. Proposals should generally be developed no later than the sophomore year, and approved majors begin their program generally no later than the junior year.

As with all other Dietrich College majors, Dietrich College student-defined primary majors must fulfill all of the college's general education requirements.

Academic Standards, Regulations and Protocols

Graduation Requirements

Eligibility for graduation in Dietrich College requires that a student:

1. satisfy all Dietrich College general education requirements,

2. satisfy all course requirements in a Dietrich College primary major,

3. achieve a cumulative quality point average of at least 2.00 for all courses taken (or, alternatively, for all courses taken after the 1st year),

4. earn at least 360 units with a minimum of 180 units taken at Carnegie Mellon University,

5. be recommended (certified) for graduation by the faculty of the student's primary major department,

6. meet all financial obligations to the university, and

7. qualify for graduation within eight years of matriculation as a degree candidate.

The college reserves the right to modify these academic standards, regulations, and protocols.

Graduation with University Honors

Dietrich College students who achieve an overall QPA of at least 3.50 will be recommended for graduation with University Honors.

Graduation with College Honors

Students who successfully complete a senior honors thesis under the auspices of the Dietrich College Senior Honors Program qualify for graduation with Dietrich College Honors.

Double-Counting Courses

Double-counting refers to instances when a course taken to fulfill one requirement counts simultaneously toward a requirement in another major or minor program. While the college encourages study in complementary areas where majors and minors frequently share requirements in common, it also wants to keep clear the meaning and integrity of the labels “major” and “minor.” To preserve the integrity of these definitions, double-counting is permitted in Dietrich College on a very limited basis, and only in those instances when the course(s) in question represent only a small portion of the second program.

The college and its departments have developed program-specific guidelines for this practice that appear throughout the Dietrich College section of this catalog, and particularly in the case of major and minor programs that students frequently pursue in combination.

Dietrich College Credit Policy for Non-Carnegie Mellon Courses

The following policies govern the practice of Dietrich College undergraduates taking courses elsewhere and requesting that credits for these courses transfer to their Carnegie Mellon University academic record. Courses taken elsewhere will be considered for transfer credit if the institution offering them is fully accredited, and if the courses in question are judged to be acceptable for the purposes proposed by the student.

Approval

Dietrich College undergraduates who wish to take courses at another institution and request that credits for these courses transfer to their Carnegie Mellon University record should familiarize themselves with Dietrich's transfer credit policies . Students must receive approval before taking any courses at another institution in order to guarantee that they will receive transfer credit upon successful completion of the course(s).

Limits

Undergraduate students may take a maximum of 180 units and transfer these back for credit toward the Carnegie Mellon degree.

Exceptions

These limits do not apply to courses and credits taken through cross-registration via  the Pittsburgh Consortium for Higher Education (PCHE), and approved study abroad or exchange programs. Exceptions to these restrictions may be made only by way of written petition to the Dietrich College Office of Undergraduate Studies.

In general, approved courses taken elsewhere will transfer as elective credit, unless otherwise approved by the college or relevant academic department.

Grades

Courses taken elsewhere must be taken for a regular letter grade (not pass/no credit or pass/fail) in order to be granted transfer credit. As a matter of college policy, Dietrich College students must earn a final grade of at least "C" in order for the credit to transfer. A “C-” grade is not transferable when its equivalency is below a 2.00 on a 4.00 scale, or 70%. In cases when courses proposed for transfer credit are to apply to requirements in a Dietrich major or minor program, the program's department may set a higher minimum final grade in order for credit to transfer. Only units, not grades, transfer for courses taken elsewhere, and thus do not affect a student's Carnegie Mellon QPA. Ungraded or pass/fail courses may receive credit if the transcript key indicates that the mark represents a grade of C or better. Students should consult their academic advisor before taking courses at another institution for which they want to receive transfer credit.

External Transfer Students

A candidate for the bachelor's degree must complete a minimum of 180 units of coursework at Carnegie Mellon. If a bachelor's degree has already been obtained at another institution, courses that count toward that degree may not be used again as transfer credit toward a Carnegie Mellon University undergraduate degree.

Internal Transfer Students

This policy applies retroactively to students who enter Dietrich College through internal transfer. Courses previously approved for transfer credit may be re-evaluated for consistency with relevant Dietrich College or program policies and standards.

Course Overloads

Overloading is defined as taking more than the equivalent of five full-semester courses in one semester; for Dietrich College students, overload means registering for more than 52 units in one semester.

Eligibility to overload is defined as having a QPA of at least 3.25 in the last completed semester, based on a course load of at least 45 factorable units, and a current cumulative QPA of at least 3.00. Students new to the college and university (i.e., first-year students and new external transfer students) may not overload during their first Carnegie Mellon semester.

Eligibility to overload based on QPA does not automatically allow the student to register for an overload. Rather, students must complete an overload petition, and meet with their primary academic advisor to discuss the proposed overload. If approved, the academic advisor will increase the student's unit maximum for the relevant semester.

The first opportunity to register for a course overload is after registration week for the proposed overload semester. Registration week for the spring semester is usually the third week in November; for the fall semester, it is usually the third week in April. Consult the official university academic calendar for the exact dates.

If as a result of final grades for the current semester a student approved to overload for the next semester falls below the QPA overload eligibility criteria, the academic advisor may withdraw the overload permission. Students thus affected are responsible for resolving this in consultation with their academic advisor.

Physical Education and Stuco* Courses

A maximum of nine units of credit for any combination of Physical Education (69-xxx) and StuCo (98-xxx) courses may be counted as credit toward graduation requirements. Physical Education and StuCo courses are not included when calculating a student's QPA or when calculating units to determine eligibility to carry a course overload.

*StuCo refers to "student-led courses" — i.e., courses designed by students, and approved to be offered for academic credit.

Internships-for-Credit

An internship-for-credit is a supervised, professional work experience with clear links to a student's academic program, performed primarily or totally outside of a regular course structure, and for which a student earns academic credit. Students doing an internship for academic credit must be registered through the academic department of the faculty member supervising the internship, and must register for the internship course during the term (including the summer) when the internship work is being performed. There is no additional tuition charge for credit-bearing internships that are taken during the academic year as part of a normal, full-time course load. Students registered for internships during the summer will be billed for tuition at the per-unit rate set by the university.

To receive academic credit, the internship:

• must conform to the criteria for internships-for-credit set by the National Association of Colleges and Employers and the U.S. Department of Labor

• requires the involvement of a Carnegie Mellon faculty sponsor and an on-site supervisor in the design, oversight and evaluation of the internship;

• must include regular or periodic meetings between the student, the faculty sponsor, and/or the internship site supervisor to monitor progress and offer feedback on student performance;

• requires an end-product for submission to the faculty sponsor. This usually takes the form of a paper, but may also include a presentation, or some other approved form;

• may be taken for a regular letter grade or pass/no credit as per the policy of the department through which the internship course is taken. With department approval, the internship may be counted toward program requirements.

• can vary from 3-18 units in any one semester, and is limited only by the college rule of a maximum of 27 units of internship credit that can be applied to graduation requirements.

Additional policies and practices regarding internships-for-credit vary among the college's academic departments. Departments are not obligated to allow internship credit for its majors, and are free to determine whether an internship may be used to fulfill requirements or serve only as an elective. An internship-for-credit is a graded experience. Each department will determine appropriate criteria for the grade if an internship is approved for credit.

Credits for internships are generally earned according to the following scale:

• 9 units = the equivalent of 1 day (9-12 hours) per week during a full semester

• 18 units = the equivalent of 2 days (12-20 hours) per week during a full semester

A Dietrich College student may not earn more than 18 units of internship credit during a single semester or count more than 27 units of internship credit toward fulfillment of graduation requirements.

In instances when the internship sponsor requires that a student receive academic credit from the home institution, the student should contact the Dietrich College Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies for information and advice about available options.

Dietrich College Dean's Honor List

Each semester the college recognizes those students who have attained outstanding semester quality point averages by naming them to the Dietrich College dean’s honor list.

Students who complete at least 45 factorable units and attain a semester QPA from 3.50 through 3.74 are named to the Dean’s List, with Honors; if the semester QPA is 3.75 or higher, students are named to the Dean’s List, with High Honors.

Students who complete at least 36 or up to 44 factorable units and attain a semester QPA of 3.75 or higher are named to the Dean’s List, with Honors.

In addition, it is generally the case that students are not eligible for the dean's list who receive one or more "Incomplete" grades at the time when final semester grades are recorded.

Transferring into Dietrich College

Students exploring the possibility of transferring to the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences must first have satisfied all the appropriate transfer criteria and met with the relevant academic advisor before applying. 

Students may then submit an application to transfer into Dietrich College, which will be reviewed by the Director of Advising in consultation with the relevant academic department. Decisions regarding transfer requests will be based on evidence of adequate prior academic performance and on the applicant's prospects for success in the college and intended major.

Upperclass students can submit an application for transfer at any time. However, first-year students can submit an application for transfer to Dietrich College only after mid-semester grades have been posted in the second semester of their first year.

Course Failures and Course Repetitions

Students who fail a required course must repeat and pass it (or take and successfully complete another approved course that fulfills the requirement). If a failed course is a prerequisite to more advanced course work within a particular course sequence, the failed course must be repeated before moving on to the higher level course. 

Failed courses that are repeated and passed, or courses that are passed but repeated in order to obtain a higher grade, remain on the student's record and are included in calculating the student's QPA. Students who repeat a course that they have already passed will not be able to apply the second set of units for the course toward graduation requirements.

Academic Actions

Dietrich College is committed to ensuring that students are able to identify their personal, academic and professional goals; seek out and utilize resources to achieve those goals; and reflect on and refine those goals from matriculation to graduation.  At the end of each semester, a student's academic progress and performance is reviewed to determine standing in the next academic semester. Academic actions are designed to support student success and create opportunities for students to reflect and utilize additional campus resources. 

In order to maintain good academic standing, Dietrich College students must attain at least a 2.0 minimum quality point average for each semester (as well as cumulatively), and also make and maintain adequate progress toward completing their degree requirements. For purposes of academic standing, default grades for incomplete grades are considered in QPA calculations. Adequate progress towards graduation means that students are successfully completing at least 80% of attempted units in a semester. Grades of N, W, or R grade do not count as completed units.

Academic Concerns

Academic concerns serve to alert the student that the college is concerned about their academic progress and/or one or more actions they have taken or failed to take. A student will receive a notice of academic concern when their academic performance does not meet the minimum standard of 2.0 or they are not making adequate progress toward completing their degree requirements. In addition, a student may receive a notice of academic concern for matters such as repeatedly failing required courses or repeatedly failing to attain minimum-level passing grades in prerequisite courses; failing to complete C@CM by the end of the first semester; failing to make sufficient progress through their declared primary major or the general education program; or receiving multiple incomplete grades over two consecutive semesters.  Students who receive a notice of academic concern must meet with their advisor to discuss support resources, review their progress, and plan adjustments as needed. 

Academic Warning

A student who has been issued an academic concern in the previous semester is placed on academic warning when their academic performance does not meet the minimum standard of 2.0 or adequate progress toward completing their degree requirements is not being made. All Dietrich students have the potential to be successful and academic warning is meant to signify to the student the college's desire to help them get back on track so they can achieve their goals. The term of academic warning is at least one semester and students with an academic warning are not permitted to overload. The Student Success Plan process outlined in the academic warning letter has been designed to notify students of specific academic requirements and identify avenues of support to help students succeed. 

A student is removed from academic warning and returned to good academic standing when both the semester and cumulative quality point averages meet at least the stated minimum, and when adequate progress toward completing degree requirements is being made.  A student who has had one semester on warning and is not yet meeting minimum requirements but is making significant progress may be continued on academic warning.

Academic Suspension

Academic suspension is the usual action taken when a student already on academic warning fails to meet the minimum semester or cumulative requirements. The minimum period of academic suspension is at least one and typically two semesters (not including summer). During their academic suspension, a student will work with their advisor to reflect on the circumstances leading up to the suspension, identify the issues that prevented them from achieving academic success, and take actions to address these issues to ensure a successful return and sustained recovery during their CMU career. Such actions could include a work or internship experience, academic coursework at another college or university, and/or other supportive services as appropriate.

Midway through the semester before a suspended student is eligible to return to the university, the student will be contacted via email by the Associate Dean for Student Success or designee with detailed instructions about the process for requesting approval to return and re-enrollment.

Once cleared to return from academic suspension, the Enrollment Services office will be notified and the student will be eligible to enroll.  While on academic suspension, students are considered to be on a mandatory “leave of absence,” and are governed by college and university policies concerning such leaves. See subsequent discussions of “Leave of Absence and Withdrawal from the College.” 

Students returning from academic suspension do so on final academic warning. Students on final academic warning must achieve a term QPA of at least 2.0 in the two semesters following their suspension. The final warning process ends and students return to good academic standing after receiving semester QPAs of 2.0 or higher for two consecutive semesters and a cumulative QPA of 2.0 or higher. Failure to achieve two consecutive semesters of 2.0 QPAs may result in being dropped from Carnegie Mellon University. 

Students who return to good standing after having been academically suspended will return to final warning for one semester if their term QPA does not meet or exceed a 2.0 during their remaining semesters enrolled at Carnegie Mellon. 

Academic Drop

A student is dropped for academic reasons from the university and is not permitted to re-enroll when they continue to perform at levels below the minimum set by the college despite the academic warning intervention, and show no indication of being able to reach an acceptable level of performance or maintain steady progress toward completing graduation requirements. 

Appeals

Students have the right to appeal Academic Actions decisions to the Dietrich College Dean or appointed designee. All appeals must be received in writing by the deadline printed in the academic standing notification. Additional information about appealing an academic action decision can be found in The Word: Student Handbook.

Student Success & Experiential Learning

Dietrich College Student Success Center

Kelli Lammie Maxwell, Associate Dean for Student Success
Location: Baker Hall 160

Dietrich College is committed to ensuring students have the programs, opportunities, and resources necessary to reach their personal and academic goals. We view a college education as more than a major or job training, but as an opportunity for a broad-based development of mind and character, and as an opportunity to build a strong foundation for students’ lives and careers. We work to ensure equitable and transparent policies and procedures for students as well as opportunities for students to connect with faculty and staff throughout the College. Through the Dietrich College Student Success Center and major departments, we provide four-year holistic advising that assists students with academic choices, career development, opportunities outside of the classroom, as well as physical and mental well-being; and through Experiential Learning, we also offer a number of Dietrich College-specific and university-wide opportunities and programs to ensure students have access to high-impact experiences outside of the classroom, like internships, community service, undergraduate research, and study abroad.

Advising

Andrew Ramey, Director of Advising
Location: Baker Hall 160
https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/advisory-center/

The Dietrich College for Humanities and Social Sciences is committed to providing holistic advising for all students. Dietrich College advisors provide individualized support for students on their academic, professional, and personal journeys by connecting them with resources across campus, explaining major, minor, and general education requirements, and challenging students to venture outside their comfort zones to explore new learning opportunities at Carnegie Mellon and beyond. Undeclared first year students are assigned an academic advisor from the Dietrich College Student Success Center upon matriculation. Advisors in the Student Success Center are experts at supporting students, beginning with summer onboarding to prepare students for the transition from high school to college and continuing to provide guidance through to major declaration. After major declaration, students are assigned to an advisor in a department who can assist students in identifying additional opportunities in their major, facilitate connections with faculty, and ensure graduation requirements are met.

Experiential Learning

Kimberly Piatt, Director of Experiential Learning
Location: Baker Hall 160
https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/gened/fall-2021-and-beyond/experiential-learning/index.html

Experiential Learning occurs when a student participates in an opportunity that allows them to apply what they are learning in the classroom to a real-world context. This may include internships, undergraduate research with a faculty member, community engaged learning, study abroad or work-based learning through structured consulting projects. Beginning with the class of 2028, all Dietrich College students are required to complete at least one high-quality Experiential Learning activity during their time at Carnegie Mellon University. To support these efforts, the college has a variety of resources available which can be found online, by talking to an academic advisor or by connecting with the Director of Experiential Learning.

Study Abroad

https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/gened/fall-2021-and-beyond/experiential-learning/study-abroad.html

Opportunities and funding support for study and travel abroad is available through several sources, many administered by the university, and many others available externally. The Office of International Education is the first place to look for information about study or travel abroad, including funding. Two programs housed in Dietrich College are part of this portfolio of study/travel abroad funding programs:

The Department of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics Study Abroad Scholarship Program offers scholarships to undergraduate students for accredited study abroad programs, limited in some instances to students who are majoring or minoring in a modern language and in other instances to students studying a particular language. Scholarship funds can be applied to tuition, room, board, airfare to the host country and book expenses.

The Dietrich College Study/Travel Abroad Grant Program provides support for both traditional study abroad programs, and for non-study abroad experiences such as service learning opportunities, internships, research, or conference travel.  The program uses a rolling application schedule for its grant funds, and works closely with the University’s Office of International Education in advising students about eligible programs and potential funding sources, completing applications, and preparing for the intended program abroad experience.

Undergraduate Research

https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/gened/fall-2021-and-beyond/experiential-learning/research.html

Students are strongly encouraged to engage in research under support of a faculty member. Numerous opportunities are available for research positions that are paid or eligible for credit. Students may also explore options from the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholar Development. Questions about undergraduate research can be directed to an academic advisor or to the director of experiential learning. 

Research Training Program

https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/students/undergraduate/programs/research-training-program.html

The Research Training Program provides students with the opportunity to explore undergraduate research under the mentorship of a faculty member. These occur as one semester, nine-unit courses. The program is open to second-semester first-year students and sophomores with a 3.0 QPA or by petition.

Dietrich College Internship Opportunity Grants

www.cmu.edu/dietrich/students/undergraduate/resources/internship-opportunity-grants.html

Dietrich College encourages students to pursue interesting and professionally relevant internship opportunities. Often, however, the very positions that provide students with the most challenging and high-quality work experiences are either unpaid or modestly paid. To help compensate students for taking on work experiences that will be invaluable in helping them define and move toward their career goals, the Dietrich College  Internship Opportunity Grant Program seeks to make it more financially possible for students to take advantage of such worthwhile internship opportunities.

Undergraduates with primary majors in Dietrich College, as well as BHA students, are eligible and encouraged to apply. Current sophomores and juniors receive preference. NOTE: Graduating seniors are not eligible.

Students are expected to find their own internships. There are many resources available to help in finding internships, including the Career and Professional Development Center's internship database. Preference for grants is given to students who find positions in the public sector or non-profit agencies.

Dietrich College Pittsburgh Summer Internship Program

https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/students/undergraduate/experiential-learning/internships/summer-internship-program/info-for-students.html

The Dietrich College Pittsburgh Summer Internship Program is designed for undergraduates who have not yet had a meaningful internship and are seeking to engage and connect with non-profit organizations and start-ups in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh-area companies and organizations host Dietrich College students for a 10-12 week summer internship, working around 20 hours per week. Students that secure an internship through the program receive a $3,300 stipend provided by the college

Because of the program’s strong local focus, all interns are required to work in the City of Pittsburgh during the summer, not remotely, so as to ensure that they get the most out of this experience. Participants are also required to attend professional development workshops hosted by the program and focused on a variety of topics including communication, professional etiquette, giving/receiving feedback, and networking.

Carnegie Mellon University Washington Semester Program

The Carnegie Mellon University Washington Semester Program (CMU/WSP), sponsored by the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology (CMIST), is a semester-long program in which students live, intern, and take CMU classes in Washington, DC. Full-time undergraduates from any course of study at the university may participate in the program. Students earn forty-eight units for the Carnegie Mellon University Washington Semester Program, interning about twenty-four hours per week in any sector or field of interest within Washington, DC, while taking classes taught by Carnegie Mellon faculty. 

Applications are accepted on a rolling admission basis with a final deadline of October 1, for spring semester participation, and March 1, for fall semester participation. Students should contact the Washington Program Manager to discuss the specifics of the program and the deputy director to discuss how the CMU/WSP may fit into their curriculum. Students who participate in the CMU/WSP may qualify for a minor in Politics and Public Policy.

Internships-for-Credit

An internship-for-credit is a supervised, professional work experience with clear links to a student's academic program, performed primarily or totally outside of a regular course structure, and for which a student earns academic credit. Students doing an internship for academic credit must be registered through the academic department of the faculty member supervising the internship, and must register for the internship course during the term (including the summer) when the internship work is being performed. There is no additional tuition charge for credit-bearing internships that are taken during the academic year as part of a normal, full-time course load. Students registered for internships during the summer will be billed for tuition at the per-unit rate set by the university.

To receive academic credit, the internship:

• must conform to the criteria for internships-for-credit set by the National Association of Colleges and Employers and the U.S. Department of Labor
• requires the involvement of a Carnegie Mellon faculty sponsor and an on-site supervisor in the design, oversight and evaluation of the internship;
• must include regular or periodic meetings between the student, the faculty sponsor, and/or the internship site supervisor to monitor progress and offer feedback on student performance;
• requires an end-product for submission to the faculty sponsor. This usually takes the form of a paper, but may also include a presentation, or some other approved form;
• may be taken for a regular letter grade or pass/no credit as per the policy of the department through which the internship course is taken. With department approval, the internship may be counted toward program requirements.
• can vary from 3-18 units in any one semester, and is limited only by the college rule of a maximum of 27 units of internship credit that can be applied to graduation requirements.

Additional policies and practices regarding internships-for-credit vary among the college's academic departments. Departments are not obligated to allow internship credit for its majors, and are free to determine whether an internship may be used to fulfill requirements or serve only as an elective. An internship-for-credit is a graded experience. Each department will determine appropriate criteria for the grade if an internship is approved for credit.

Credits for internships are generally earned according to the following scale:

• 9 units = the equivalent of 1 day (9-12 hours) per week during a full semester
• 18 units = the equivalent of 2 days (12-20 hours) per week during a full semester

A Dietrich College student may not earn more than 18 units of internship credit during a single semester or count more than 27 units of internship credit toward fulfillment of graduation requirements.

Additionally, the Office of the Vice Provost for Education has options available to students seeking credit for internships. Students may take 99410 in the Fall or Spring or 99411 or 99412 during the summer.

Students seeking to use an internship to meet their experiential learning requirement, or those for whom the internship sponsor requires that a student receive academic credit from the home institution, the student should contact the Dietrich College Director of Experiential Learning for information and advice about available options.