Distributive Studies courses provide breadth and help you make, or confirm, your choice of major by sampling a variety of subjects. You will take three courses in each of three areas: Humanities and the Arts; Sciences and Mathematics; Social Sciences and History. You will also have the option to take one course in Interdisciplinary and Emerging Issues, a new and optional category effective beginning Fall 2005. As you learn about different views of the world, you may discover talents and interests you never knew you had. You will also begin acquiring the background you need to make the informed decisions continually required of citizens in a democracy.

Different academic disciplines study the world through different lenses, and no single lens provides a perfectly clear view of everything. You will strengthen your own insight and judgment by learning how several different disciplines focus, and may sometimes distort. The world, with its challenges and opportunities, is not neatly divided into academic disciplines and majors. Scientists and engineers need to know about art, people, and society. Artists and writers need to know about the building blocks of life and the laws of nature.

Please note that there are sub-categories under each CORE Distributive Studies area that must be completed as specified to satisfy the requirements.

Distributive Studies Requirements:

You must take 9 courses from the following areas for a total of at least 28 credits. All CORE Distributive Studies courses have at least 3 credits. Lab Science courses generally have 4 credits. Some Distributive Studies courses have 4 or more credits. Courses MUST be selected from the courses coded as meeting CORE requirements. See list of approved CORE courses at Testudo: www.testudo.umd.edu/ScheduleOfClasses.html .  Click on the CORE list for the term you wish to explore.

Humanities and the Arts
At least 9 credits, 3 courses

One course must be selected from Literature (HL) and one from History or Theory of the Arts (HA). The third required course may be selected from any of the Humanities and the Arts areas (HL, HA, or HO). This means you may select a Humanities (HO) course, or choose a second course from Literature (HL) or the History or Theory of the Arts (HA). You are not required to take a course from the Humanities (HO) list.

Please note that the History or Theory of the Arts (HA) requirement refers to the History of the Arts or Theory of the Arts, NOT to History (HIST) courses.

Sciences and Mathematics
At least 10 credits, 3 courses

Courses must be taken from at least two of the above areas. Students are not required to take a course in Mathematics and Formal Reasoning (MS). However, one course from the Mathematics and Formal Reasoning area may be counted toward the CORE Sciences and Mathematics requirements.

At least one of the Sciences and Mathematics courses must include or be accompanied by a laboratory taken concurrently. For most courses, the lecture and laboratory components are listed together under one course number. However, in a few instances, the lecture and lab components are offered separately with different course numbers. For these courses, the lecture and lab must be taken during the same semester in order to fulfill the CORE Sciences and Mathematics lab science requirement. The Schedule of Classes notes those courses that must be taken in the same semester to be counted for CORE. The lecture portion of any of these pairs will only be counted toward CORE if it is also approved as a CORE non-lab science. 

Social Sciences and History
At least 9 credits, 3 courses

One course must be from the Social or Political History list, while the other two courses must be from the Social and Behavioral Sciences list.

Interdisciplinary and Emerging Issues (IE)
0 or 3 credits, 0 or 1 course
New & Optional Category, effective beginning Fall 2005

The IE category features courses that provide an interdisciplinary examination of issues (theory, questions, methods) across CORE areas, or present a significant portion of content that does not fit into any of the specific CORE areas but deals with contemporary issues, emerging disciplines, or other categories of knowledge, skills, and values that lie outside these areas.

IMPORTANT NOTES ON THE IE OPTION:

• IE is an optional CORE distributive studies category; Students may fulfill CORE requirements without taking an IE course.
• All students under the CORE requirements (continuing and incoming) have this new option.
• Only one IE course may be counted toward fulfilling CORE Distributive Studies requirements.
• Whether a student takes an IE course or not, total CORE Distributive Studies course and credit requirements remain the same: at least 9 courses and 28 credits.”

REMEMBER: TAKING AN IE COURSE IS OPTIONAL. ONLY ONE IE COURSE MAY BE COUNTED TOWARD CORE DISTRIBUTINVE STUDIES. IT MAY BE COUNTED IN ONLY ONE OF THREE WAYS:

OPTION 1: To count the ONE IE course in the Humanities and the Arts Category, the student must select courses from the approved CORE subcategory as follows:

One Literature (HL) and One The History or Theory of the Arts (HA) and One Interdisciplinary and Emerging Issues (IE)

OPTION 2: To count the ONE IE course in the Science and Mathematics Category, the student must select courses from the approved CORE subcategory as follows:

One Life Sciences Lab (LL) or Physical Sciences Lab (PL) and One from (LL, LS, PL, or PS) and One Interdisciplinary and Emerging Issues (IE)

OPTION 3: To count the ONE IE course in the Social Sciences and History Category, the student must select courses from the approved CORE subcategory as follows:

One Social or Political History (SH) and One Behavioral and Social Science (SB) and One Interdisciplinary and Emerging Issues (IE)