The College of Arts and Sciences exploratory requirement provides students with a depth and breadth in multi- and interdisciplinary knowledge needed in today’s complex world. Through concentrated intellectual engagement in disciplines outside a student’s major, this requirement offers expanded horizons and progressive challenges to more fully develop the scope of a student’s understanding, abilities and accomplishments.
In addition to satisfying the university-wide general education requirements, all students with majors in the College or Arts and Sciences* are required to complete at least three courses outside of their major rubric for a minimum of 12 credits. A student may select these courses from either of the following:
1. A single rubric of their choosing (e.g., AH, ENG, SOC, etc.) within the College of Arts and Sciences.**
2. A pre-defined thematic set of courses. Courses have been identified by faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences to assist students in selecting courses to satisfy this requirement. The initial list of pre-defined sets include the following (as of May 18, 2011):
- LIN1 Language, Culture, and Society
- MTD1 Compose Your Own Music
- MTD2 Explore the Performing Arts
- MTD3 World Music
- PS1 American Political Actors and Processes
- PS2 American Political Institutions
- PS3 Comparative Politics
- PS3 International Relations
- PS4 Law and Courts
- PS5 Political Theory
- PS6 Public Policy and Administration
- PS7 The Politics of Diversity
- PSY1 Explorations in Psychology
- PSY2 Explorations in Biological Psychology
- WRT1 Professional and Technical Writing
- WRT2 Writing and New Media
Details concerning each of these sets is summarized in
Initial Pre-defined Exploratory Sets, a PDF file.
A second set of Pre-defined Exploratory Sets were approved to be offered for the first time in the 2012-2013 academic year. These sets include the following (as of May 18, 2012):
- INT1 Studies of the Family
- INT2 Professional Ethics
- INT3 Studies of Interpersonal Interaction
- INT4 Exploring the Arts
- INT5 Writing in Many Forms
- INT6 Multidisciplinary Perspectives of Cinema
- INT7 Race Relations in America
- INT8 Formal Logic
- INT9 Art and Theory Through the Ages
- INT10 Cognitive Science
- INT11 Language and Reality
- INT12 Classics
- INT13 Studies in the History and Culture of Judaism
- INT14 Studies of African History and Culture
- INT15 Studies of Chinese History and Culture
- INT16 Studies of Japanese History and Culture
- INT17 Studies of Latin American History and Culture
- INT18 Studies of Middle Eastern History and Culture
- INT19 Multicultural Perspectives of Religion
- PHL1 Natural Philosophy
- PHL2 History of Philosophy
- PHL3 Ethics, Law and Government
Details concerning each of these sets is summarized in Additional Pre-defined Exploratory Sets, a PDF file.
Notes:
- Courses taken to fulfill the College exploratory requirement must be at the 100 level or above and must be in a subject taught within the College of Arts and Sciences, with the exception of non-College courses that are part of pre-approved thematic sets. WRT 102, 104 and 150 cannot be used to satisfy the exploratory requirement.
- Pre- or co-requisite courses with a rubric other than the major (e.g., CHM for biology majors) that are required for any major may be applied toward the exploratory requirement.
- Courses used to satisfy the general education requirements for knowledge applications, U.S. diversity, writing intensive, and capstone may be applied to the exploratory requirement, as long as they are outside of the major rubric. Courses used to satisfy a student’s general education requirements in all other categories will not apply.
- Only courses in which a student has earned at least a 2.0 may be applied to the exploratory requirement.
- Students transferring courses from another institution may apply appropriate credits toward the exploratory requirement and must meet the 12-credit minimum requirement.
- Students who have completed the MACRAO agreement at a community college must complete the exploratory requirement at Oakland University or another four-year institution.
- Completion of a double major or a College of Arts and Sciences minor or concentration satisfies the exploratory requirement.
*K-12 Music Education, K-12 Studio Art Education, B.M., and B.F.A. majors, Liberal Studies majors, students seeking a second degree and Honors College students are exempt from the exploratory requirement.
**For the purposes of the exploratory requirement, Department of Mathematics and Statistics rubrics MTH, APM, MOR, and STA are regarded as a single rubric.