Carnegie Mellon University

Nontechnical Breadth Requirements

A.  First-Year Course Requirements

38-101  EUREKA!:  Discovery and Its Impact
76-10X  First-Year Writing Course
99-101  Computing @ Carnegie Mellon

B.  Science and Society Course Requirements

38-304 Reading and Writing Science or
Choose to take one of the preapproved electives

C.  Engage courses

38-110  ENGAGE in Service
38-220  ENGAGE in the Arts
38-230  ENGAGE in Wellness: Looking Inward
38-330  ENGAGE in Wellness: Looking Outward
38-430  ENGAGE in Wellness: Looking Forward

D.  Cultural/Global Understanding Course Requirement

Any student who finds an appropriate CMU course which is not on the list and might fulfill this requirement can contact Tara Primiero to see if the course can be added to the list. Study abroad and transfer courses will be considered for this category. However, this requirement cannot be fulfilled with AP, IB, or Cambridge credit.  Students must complete 9 units of this requirement.

19-291  Special Topics: Environmental Systems on a Changing Planet
57-173  Survey of Western Music History
57-209  The Beatles
57-306  World Music
66-213  The American Railroad: Decline and Renaissance in the Age of Deregulation
70-342  Managing Across Cultures
76-217 Literature & Culture of the 20th and 21st Century
76-221  Books You Should Have Read By Now
76-232  Introduction to African American Literature
76-239  Introduction to Film Studies
76-241  Introduction to Gender Studies
76-386  Language & Culture
79-104  Global Histories
79-145  Genocide and Weapons of Mass Destruction (beginning Fall 21)
79-189  History of Democracy: Thinking Beyond the Self (beginning Fall 21)
79-201  Introduction to Anthropology
79-202  Flesh and Spirit: Early Modern Europe, 1400-1750
79-202  The Other Europes: The Habsburgs, Communism, & Central/Eastern Europe, 1740-1990
79-205  20th & 21st Century Europe
79-208  Witchcraft and Witch-Hunting
79-210  Identity, Nationhood, and State
79-211  Modern Southeast Asia: Colonialism, Capitalism, and Cultural Exchange
79-214  Paris in Revolt: History, Literature, and Film
79-216  Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire
79-217  The War in Vietnam
79-219  Modern Cuba: A Travel Guide for Millennials, 1898 to the Present
79-220  Screening Mexico: Mexican Cinema, 1898 to Present
79-222  Between Revolutions: The Development of Modern Latin America
79-222  China and the Second World War
79-223  Mexico: From the Aztec Empire to the Drug War
79-227  Modern Africa: The Slave Trade to the End of Apartheid
79-229  Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1880-1948
79-230  Arab-Israeli Conflict Since 1948
79-231  American Civil Rights Movement: From Garveyism to Black Power
79-232  Arabian Peninsula Environmental History
79-233  The United States and the Middle East since 1945
79-234 Technology and Society
79-235  Caribbean Cultures
79-240  Development of American Culture
79-241  African American History: Africa to the Civil War
79-242  African American History: Reconstruction to the Present
79-244  Women in American History
79-245  Capitalism and Individualism in American Culture
79-250  Voting Rights: An Unexpected History
79-255  Irish History
79-257  Germany and the Second World War
79-261  The Last Emperors: Chinese History and Society, 1600-1900
79-262  Modern China: From the Birth of Mao ... to Now
79-263  Mao and the Chinese Cultural Revolution
79-264  Tibet and China: History and Propaganda
79-265  Russian History: From the First to the Last Tsar
79-266  Russian History: From Communism to Capitalism
79-267  The Soviet Union in World War II: Military, Political, and Social History
79-275  Introduction to Global Studies
79-280  Coffee and Capitalism
79-283  Hungry World: Food and Famine in Global Perspective
79-284  Modern War: Geopolitical Conflict in Historical Perspective
79-307  Religion and Politics in the Middle East
79-328  Photographers and Photography Since World War II
79-343  Education, Democracy, and Civil Rights
79-345  Roots of Rock & Roll
79-349  The Holocaust in Historical Perspective
79-350  Early Christianity
79-358  Nazi Ghettos: From Spatial Segregation to Killing Zones
79-375  Science & Religion
79-377  Food, Culture, and Power: A History of Eating
80-100  Introduction to Philosophy
80-101  Dangerous Ideas in Science and Society
80-250  Ancient Philosophy
80-251  Modern Philosophy
80-253  Continental Philosophy
80-254  Analytic Philosophy
80-255  Pragmatism
80-276  Philosophy of Religion
82-xxx  Any course from Modern Languages
84-380  Grand Strategy in the United States
85-350  Psychology of Prejudice
85-352  Evolutionary Psychology
99-3xx  Any of the "Country Today" courses

D.  Nontechnical Elective Requirements

To fulfill this requirement, students must complete a minimum of four nontechnical courses totaling at least 36 units. These courses should be from the College of Fine Arts, the Tepper School of Business and/or Dietrich College. Lists of exceptions can be found in the links below. A maximum of 18 units may be fulfilled with AP, IB, and Cambridge credit.
  • Additions: a non-comprehensive list of courses that do satisfy the Nontechnical Elective Requirements.
  • Deletions: a non-comprehensive list of courses that do NOT satisfy the Nontechnical Elective Requirements.