The purpose of the Humanities and Social Science Electives (H&SS) is clearly indicated by the following statement taken from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology's (ABET) 1990 criteria for accrediting programs in engineering which states:
"In the interest of making engineers fully aware of their social responsibilities and better able to consider related factors in the decision-making process, institutions must require coursework in the humanities and social sciences as an integral part of the engineering program. This philosophy cannot be overemphasized. To satisfy this requirement, the courses selected must provide both breadth and depth and not be limited to a selection of unrelated introductory courses."
This is accomplished by requiring that students take 14 hours of Humanities and Social Science courses offered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the other schools in the university. In the 14 required hours of courses, the student is required to take one economics course, at least one course designated as a Humanity, and at least two courses in one department.
To assist students in satisfying the H&SS requirements a code has been established and indicated for each course in both the university catalog and the timetable. This code is:
To assist the student in selecting courses that satisfy the H&SS requirements, Suggested Humanities and Social Science Courses presents a list of courses which have been approved by the Department. Students are not limited to taking courses from this list; see Course Substitution Petition below.
Up to 6 hours of non-native foreign language courses can be used to satisfy the H&SS requirement. Courses designated H count as a Humanity. Courses designated as S count as a Social Science.
To permit students to pursue individual interest, a procedure exists to permit courses not listed to be taken. If a student wants to take a course not listed as a H&SS Elective, the student needs the approval of his/her adviser and must document this by filing a Course Substitution Petition with the Department secretary, signed by his/her adviser. This form will be filed in the student�s academic folder.
