BCSA General Education
Carrie Hagan, BXA First-Year & Sophomore Advisor (HOA 211)
M. Stephanie Murray, BXA Junior & Senior Advisor (HOA 211)
BCSA General Education
(15 courses, 122 units minimum)
- Writing (1 course, 9 units, 76-101 required)
- Mathematics (2 courses, 20 units minimum, 21-122 and either 21-259, 21-266 or 21-241 required), Probability (1 course, 9 units minimum)
- Science & Engineering (2 courses, 18 units minimum)
- Economic, Political, & Social Institutions OR Cognition, Choice & Behavior (1 course, 9 units minimum)
- Two additional courses from Dietrich or CFA (2 course, 18 units minimum)
- University Requirement (1 course, 3 units, 99-101 required)
- BXA Required Courses (5 courses, 36 units, 52-190, 52-291, 52-392, 52-401, 52-402)
Writing (1 course, 9 units)
Broadly considered, language is a tool used to communicate, as well as a way to organize non-visual and non-mathematical thinking. This requirement focuses on the social nature of language and the ways in which writing constitutes thinking.
| Units | ||
| 76-101 | Interpretation and Argument -First-year | 9 |
| or 76-102 | Advanced First Year Writing: Special Topics | |
| or 76-106 & 76-107 & 76-108 | Writing about Literature, Art and Culture and Writing about Data and Writing about Public Problems | |
| All undergraduate students must complete the First-Year Writing requirement—the Department of English does not accept any Advanced Placement exemptions. This requirement can be completed in two different ways. Enroll in one of two full-semester courses 101 or 102 (by invitation only), 9 units, or enroll in two of three half-semester mini courses (back-to-back within a single semester) 106/107/108, 4.5 + 4.5 units. | ||
Mathematics & Probability (3 courses, 29 units minimum)
Choose two mathematics courses (20 units minimum):
| 21-122 | Integration and Approximation | 10 |
| 21-259 | Calculus in Three Dimensions | 10 |
| or 21-266 | Vector Calculus using Matrix Algebra | |
| or 21-241 | Matrices and Linear Transformations | |
Choose one probability course(s) (9 units minimum):
| 15-259 | Probability and Computing | 12 |
| 21-325 | Probability | 9 |
| 36-218 | Probability Theory for Computer Scientists | 9 |
| 36-225 & 36-226 | Introduction to Probability Theory and Introduction to Statistical Inference | 18 |
| 36-235 & 36-236 | Probability and Statistical Inference I and Probability and Statistical Inference II | 18 |
Science & Engineering (2 courses, 18 units minimum)
Choose two science courses from differing departments or one science and one engineering course from the following CIT and MCS departments:
| 03-xxx | Biology | |
| 42-xxx | Biomedical Engineering | |
| 06-xxx | Chemical Engineering | |
| 09-xxx | Chemistry | |
| 12-xxx | Civil and Environmental Engineering | |
| 18-xxx | Electrical and Computer Engineering | |
| 27-xxx | Materials Science and Engineering | |
| 24-xxx | Mechanical Engineering | |
| 33-xxx | Physics |
The School of Computer Science maintains a separate up-to-date list of approved science and engineering courses, including deletions and additions.
Economic, Political & Social Institutions OR Cognition, Choice & Behavior (1 course from either category, 9 units minimum)
Economic, Political & Social Institutions
This requirement explores the processes by which institutions organize individual preferences and actions into collective outcomes.
| 19-101 | Introduction to Engineering and Public Policy | 12 |
| 36-303 | Sampling, Survey and Society | 9 |
| 66-221 | Topics of Law: Introduction to Intellectual Property Law | 9 |
| 70-332 | Business, Society and Ethics | 9 |
| 70-364 | Business Law | 9 |
| 73-102 | Principles of Microeconomics | 9 |
| or 73-104 | Principles of Microeconomics Accelerated | |
| 73-103 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 9 |
| 73-230 | Intermediate Microeconomics | 9 |
| 73-240 | Intermediate Macroeconomics | 9 |
| 73-369 | Islamic Economics | 9 |
| 76-425 | Rhetoric, Science, and the Public Sphere * | 9 |
| 79-101 | Making History: How to Think About the Past (and Present) | 9 |
| 79-155 | Introduction to African American Studies | 9 |
| 79-160 | Introduction to the History of Science | 9 |
| 79-189 | Democracy and History: Thinking Beyond the Self | 9 |
| 79-212 | Jim Crow America | 9 |
| 79-237 | Comparative Slavery | 9 |
| 79-246 | War, Genocide, and Gender in Modern Europe | 9 |
| 79-248 | U.S. Constitution & the Presidency | 9 |
| 79-253 | Imperialism and Decolonization in South Asia | 9 |
| 79-255 | Modern Ireland: Politics and Culture from the Famine (1847) to Today | 9 |
| 79-270 | Anti-Semitism Then and Now: Perspectives from the Middle Ages to the Present | 9 |
| 79-275 | Introduction to Global Studies | 9 |
| 79-300 | History of U.S. Immigration Policy | 9 |
| 79-304 | History of Eugenics and Scientific Racism | 9 |
| 79-315 | The Politics of Water in Global Perspective | 9 |
| 79-320 | Women, Politics, and Protest | 9 |
| 79-321 | Documenting Human Rights | 9 |
| 79-330 | Medicine and Society: Health, Healers, and Hospitals | 9 |
| 79-331 | Body Politics: Women and Health in America | 9 |
| 79-370 | Technology in the United States | 9 |
| 79-380 | Hostile Environments: The Politics of Pollution in Global Perspective | 9 |
| 79-383 | The History of Capitalism | 9 |
| 79-391 | Nations and Nationalisms in South Asia | 9 |
| 79-392 | Europe and the Islamic World | 9 |
| 80-135 | Introduction to Political Philosophy | 9 |
| 80-136 | Social Structure, Public Policy & Ethics | 9 |
| 80-244 | Environmental Ethics | 9 |
| 80-245 | Medical Ethics | 9 |
| 80-324 | Philosophy of Economics | 9 |
| 80-334/335 | Social and Political Philosophy | 9 |
| 80-348 | Health, Human Rights, and International Development | 9 |
| 84-104 | Decision Processes in American Political Institutions | 9 |
| 84-110 | The Economics of Politics and Technology | 9 |
| 84-226 | International Relations | 9 |
| 84-275 | Comparative Politics | 9 |
| 84-306 | Latin American Politics | 9 |
| 84-309 | American Political Divides and Great Debates | 9 |
| 84-322 | Nonviolent Conflict and Revolution | 9 |
| 84-324 | The Future of Democracy | 9 |
| 84-325 | Contemporary American Foreign Policy | 9 |
| 84-352 | Representation and Voting Rights | 9 |
| 84-362 | Diplomacy and Statecraft | 9 |
| 84-365 | The Politics of Fake News and Misinformation | 9 |
| 84-380 | US Grand Strategy | 9 |
| 84-386 | The Privatization of Force | 9 |
| 84-387 | Remote Systems and the Cyber Domain in Conflict | 9 |
| 84-389 | Terrorism and Insurgency | 9 |
| 84-390 | Social Media, Technology, and Conflict | 9 |
| 84-393 | The US Congress: Legislative Progress or Paralysis? | 9 |
| 84-402 | Judicial Politics and Behavior | 9 |
| 84-405 | The Future of Warfare | 9 |
| 88-234 | Negotiation: International Focus | 9 |
| 88-255 | Strategic Decision Making | 9 |
| 88-281 | Topics in Law: 1st Amendment | 9 |
| 88-284 | Topics of Law: The Bill of Rights | 9 |
Cognition, Choice, and Behavior
This requirement explores the process of thinking, decision making, and behavior in the context of the individual.
| 70-311 | Organizational Behavior | 9 |
| 70-318 | Managing Effective Work Teams | 9 |
| 70-385 | Consumer Behavior | 9 |
| 80-101 | Dangerous Ideas in Science and Society | 9 |
| 80-130 | Introduction to Ethics | 9 |
| 80-150 | Nature of Reason | 9 |
| 80-180 | Introduction to Linguistics | 9 |
| 80-221 | Philosophy of Social Science | 9 |
| 80-252 | Kant | 9 |
| 80-270 | Problems of Mind and Body: Meaning and Doing | 9 |
| 80-271 | Mind and Body: The Objective and the Subjective | 9 |
| 80-275 | Metaphysics | 9 |
| 80-330 | Ethical Theory | 9 |
| 85-100 | Introduction to Psychology | 9 |
| 85-106 | Animal Minds | 9 |
| 85-107 | The Psychology of Video Games | 9 |
| 85-110 | Cognitive Psychology | 9 |
| 85-130 | Developmental Psychology | 9 |
| 85-150 | Social Psychology | 9 |
| 85-190 | Psychopathology | 9 |
| 85-213 | Human Information Processing and Artificial Intelligence | 9 |
| 85-251 | Personality | 9 |
| 85-413 | Perception | 9 |
| 85-421 | Language and Thought | 9 |
| 88-120 | Reason, Passion and Cognition | 9 |
| 88-230 | Human Intelligence and Human Stupidity | 9 |
| 88-231 | Thinking in Person vs. Thinking Online | 9 |
Additional Dietrich College Courses (2 courses, 18 units minimum)
Complete two non-technical courses. Consult with your BXA advisor to determine the best courses to fulfill this requirement.
University Requirement (1 course, 3 units)
This foundational pass/no pass course is to be completed online in the first semester to develop core competency skills.
| 99-101 | Core@CMU -Fall, First-year (section B; pass/no pass) | 3 |
BXA Required Courses (5 courses, 36 units)
BXA-specific courses give students the opportunity to integrate their areas of concentration by focusing on interdisciplinary approaches and arts-based research techniques.
| 52-190 | BXA Seminar I: Building the Wunderkammer -Spring, First-year (mini-3) | 4.5 |
| 52-291 | BXA Seminar II: Transferring Knowledge -Spring, Sophomore year (mini-4) | 4.5 |
| 52-392 | BXA Seminar III: Deconstructing Disciplines -Spring, Junior year | 9 |
| 52-401 | BXA Seminar IV: Capstone Project Research -Fall, Senior year | 9 |
| 52-402 | BXA Seminar V: Capstone Project Production -Spring Senior year | 9 |