04.01.01.04 Humanities/Science elective component
The School expects all of its students to explore a diverse range of academic disciplines, develop strong intellectual perspectives, and be able to voice these convincingly. This component of the curriculum enables students to reflect intelligently on their place in contemporary culture, and prepares them to assume roles of principled cultural leadership.
Freshman Writing Seminar (FWS121)
This seminar introduces students to college-level inquiry and analysis by focusing on critical thinking and academic writing. All students are required to take this course in their first semester, with the exception of the following:
- Transfer students who have completed, with a minimum grade of B-, an equivalent writing course at another accredited college;
- Students who are required to take ESL103 and ESL104 in their freshman year; these students will take FWS121 in their sophomore year.
- Students who earn a passing grade in CAS 105, the required freshman writing course offered by the College of Arts and Sciences, will be considered to have fulfilled the FWS 121 requirement at the Eastman School of Music.
Twenty-one (21) additional credits of general studies (humanities/science) electives
These courses should be largely non-musical in content and/or disciplinary orientation and have substantial academic requirements. Each elective course must carry at least three credits; a student who wishes to take a course for five credits or more and have all of these credits count towards this general studies component must have the permission of the Humanities Department Chair.
To be counted towards B.M. degree requirements at Eastman, humanities and science elective courses must be taken for a grade; no Pass/Fail option is allowed. Credits beyond the required twenty-one additional credits of general studies taken on the River Campus may be graded with the Pass/Fail Option. No humanities courses may be taken at the Eastman School with the Pass/Fail Option.
Courses in the following areas of academic study, as offered by the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music and College of Arts and Sciences, may be used to fulfill these electives:
Eastman School of Music:
| Art History | Film Studies | Italian |
| American Studies | French | Philosophy |
| Anthropology & Religion | German | Political Science |
| Classics | History | Psychology |
| English | Humanities | Women's Studies |
as well as TH241 and TH242 (Computer Applications I, II), offered through the Theory department. Students who are placed in English as a Second Language courses may also count ESL103 and/or ESL104 toward this requirement.
The College (Arts, Science and Engineering):
| African and African-American Studies | Film & Media Studies |
| Anthropology | History |
| Art and Art History | Judaic Studies |
| Art and Art History - Studio Arts* | Linguistics |
| Astronomy | Mathematics |
| Biochemistry | Modern Languages & Literature (excluding labs) |
| Biology | Neuroscience |
| Brain & Cognitive Science | Philosophy |
| Center for Visual Science | Physics & Astronomy |
| Chemistry | Political Science |
| Computer Science | Psychology |
| Dance* | Religion and Classics |
| Earth & Environmental Sciences | Sociology |
| Economics | Statistics |
| English | Women's Studies |
*Students may elect to take up to two courses of three to four credits each of performing (non-musical) or studio arts toward the satisfaction of their humanities and science requirement.
Courses in the other professional colleges of the University of Rochester - the Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development, the Simon Graduate School of Business Administration, the School of Medicine and Dentistry, and the School of Nursing - may only be taken for credit toward the Humanities and Science requirement with permission of the Chair of the Humanities Department at Eastman.
Note that at least eighteen of the twenty-four humanities and science credits must be taken at the University of Rochester, i.e. either through the Eastman School offerings or those of the College of Arts and Sciences. In the case of transfer students, courses accepted for transfer will count towards this 18-credit minimum.
For dual degree students, this general studies component is met by the courses required in their second degree program.
Matriculated students who wish to take one of their humanities and sciences courses at another institution please see section 04.03 Transfer credit for matriculated students who enter as first-time freshmen
Humanities policies and procedures are also published in a separate departmental document available here: Humanities policies and procedures.
Policy Handbook Table of Contents
Course Descriptions Index
Registrar Home