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University Core

As part of all Tepper School degrees, students are required to complete general education coursework in the liberal arts and sciences. These courses connect students to the vast array of academic disciplines offered at CMU and offer an opportunity for students to explore intellectual interests in new ways to meet their academic goals.

The University Core offers deliberative choice in selecting courses to meet the general education that aligns with university competencies. Students select courses from particular CMU departments as well as two courses as free electives.

UNIVERSITY CORE REQUIREMENT 1: CMU FIRST YEAR WRITING (9 UNITS)

Semester Long Writing Course :

  • 76-101 Interpretation and Argument
  • 76-102 Advanced First Year Writing: Special Topics

OR Select 2 Mini Writing Courses:

  • 76-106 Writing about Literature, Art and Culture
  • 76-107 Writing about Data
  • 76-108 Writing about Public Problems

UNIVERSITY CORE REQUIREMENT 2: SCIENTIFIC REASONING (9+UNITS)

  • Any Biological Sciences course 03-100 or higher
  • Any Computer Sciences course 15-100 or higher
  • Any Physics course 33-100 or higher
  • Any Chemistry course 09-100 or higher
  • Any Psychology course 85-102 or higher

UNIVERSITY CORE REQUIREMENT 3: INFORMATIONAL LITERACY (9+ UNITS)

  • Any Philosophy course 80-100 or higher
  • Any Information Systems course 67-100 or higher
  • The following courses from Social and Decision Sciences: 88-120 Reason, Passion and Cognition, 88-230 Human Intelligence and Human Stupidity, 88-255 Strategic Decision Making, 88-275 Bubbles: Data Science for Human Minds

UNIVERSITY CORE REQUIREMENT 4: GLOBAL, CULTURAL, AND DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES (18+ UNITS)

  • Any History course 79-100 or higher
  • Any English course 76-200 or higher
  • Any Languages, Cultures, and Applied Linguistics course 82-100 or higher

Please note that this requirement requires at least 18 units (two or more classes) to complete.

UNIVERSITY CORE REQUIREMENT 5: FREE ELECTIVES (18+ UNITS)

Any Carnegie Mellon academic course excluding Business (70-xxx), Economics (73-xxx), Physical Education (69-xxx), StuCo [Student-Led] (98-xxx), or 21-270 Introduction to Mathematical Finance.

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