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Distribution Courses

Students must complete at least one course in each of three major distributions – the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. It is important to note that courses approved for the Integrative Core have earned their designations by both providing a particular content and structuring a part of their course around an approved Integrative Core learning goal. Thus, only some of the courses which study content within a particular distribution earn core credit. Only courses which are designated as HUM (Humanities), SOC (Social Science), or SCI (Natural Science) earn credit toward completion of the core. Complete listings of approved distribution courses can be found attributed to specific courses in the Courses section of this Bulletin*. Semesterly Distribution course offerings are available via the Banner Self-Service Schedule Search.

Humanities Experience (HUM – 1 course, 3 credits)

In addition to learning about the humanities, these courses are designed to integrate knowledge to help students offer informed interpretations of texts, art, or other cultural products or practices within their social, cultural, and/or historical contexts.

Natural Science Experience (SCI – 1 course, 3 credits)

In addition to learning about the natural sciences, these courses are designed to demonstrate scientific literacy by effective communication of concepts and processes within the discipline.

For Natural Science courses with a corequisite lab, students must take both the lecture and the lab to earn core credit.

Social Science Experience (SOC – 1 course, 3 credits)

In addition to learning about the social sciences, these courses are designed to integrate knowledge to help students demonstrate how social science insights and approaches can be used to understand contemporary social, economic, or political issues.

*Note: The Core Committee reviews and approves all new core courses. While the course attributes noted on each course in this Bulletin are accurate when the Bulletin was released, it cannot reflect changes made since that time. Verify Core Designations online during the registration process by seeking the relevant course codes (QA, EGC, ISJ, etc.) in the Banner registration program.