Undergraduate
Social Science and Humanities Theme Requirements

All McCormick degrees require seven courses in the Social Sciences and Humanities. Because some of these courses must be thematically related, this requirement is often called the Theme.

View Theme Frequently Asked Questions

How to Fulfill the Requirements

  • Fill out the online theme form that is available in the McCormick Advising System (MAS)
  • Choose seven courses total from two categories - Social & Behavioral Sciences and Humanities (see table below). Nearly all courses from the departments and programs listed in each category will count, but there are a list of disallowed courses from those departments and a list of allowed course from other departments (see tables below).
  • A maximum of five courses may be chosen from a single category
  • Indicate courses that are thematically related (minimum of three, up to all seven)
  • Create a title for their theme and describe it in a brief narrative
  • No more than three 100-level courses
    • Exception: up to four 100-level courses if three are foreign language
  • Additional Allowances
    • Weinberg first-year seminar courses (via petition; primarily for students who transfer in from Weinberg)
    • Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses are allowed. See theAP/IB table.
    • Half-unit (1/2) and one-third (1/3) unit courses are automatically combined
    • Courses used to fulfill other McCormick requirements may not also be used to fulfill this requirement (for example, COMM_ST 102 if it is being used for the Communications/Speech requirement)

(You may need to scroll down and look for the down arrow to see the table.)

TABLE 1: Approved Departments and Programs by Category

Social & Behavioral Sciences

Humanities

ANTHRO – Anthropology

CFS  - Chicago Field Studies

COG_SCI – Cognitive Science

COMM_ST – Communication Studies

CSD – Communication Sciences & Disorders

ECON - Economics

ENVR_POL – Environmental Policy & Culture

GBL_HLTH – Global Health

GNDR_ST – Gender Studies

HDC – Human Development in Context

IMC – Integrated Marketing Communications

INTL_ST – International Studies

LEGAL_ST – Center for Legal Studies

LING - Linguistics

LRDSHP - Leadership

LOC – Learning & Organizational Change

POLI_SCI – Political Science

PSYCH - Psychology

SESP – School of Education & Social Policy

SOC_POL – Social Policy

SOCIOL - Sociology

AF_AM_ST – African American Studies

AFST – African Studies

AMER_ST – American Studies

ARABIC – Arabic

ART – Art Theory & Practice

ART_HIST – Art History

ASIAN_AM – Asian American Studies

ASIAN_LC – Asian Languages & Cultures

CHINESE - Chinese

CLASSICS - Classics - Readings in English

COMP_LIT – Comparative Literary Studies

CONDUCT - Conducting

DANCE - Theatre

ENGLISH - English

FRENCH – French & Italian

GEN_MUS – General Music 

GERMAN - German

GREEK - Greek

HEBREW - Hebrew

HIND_URD - Hindi and Urdu

HISTORY - History

HUM – Humanities

ITALIAN - Italian

JAPANESE - Japanese

JOUR - Journalism

JWSH_ST – Jewish Studies

JAZZ_ST - Jazz Studies

KOREAN - Korean

LATIN - Latin

LATIN_AM - Latin American and Caribbean Studies

LATINO – Latina & Latino Studies

MENA - Middle East & North African Studies

MUS_COMP – Music Studies

MUS_TECH - Music Technology

MUS_THRY - Music Theory

MUSIC – Music

MUSIC_ED - Music Education

MUSICOL - Musicology

PERF_ST – Performance Studies

PERSIAN - Persian

PHIL - Philosophy

PIANO - Piano

POLISH - Polish

PORT – Portuguese

RELIGION – Religious Studies

RTVF – Radio/Television/Film

RUSSIAN - Rusian

SLAVIC – Slavic Languages & Literatures

SPANISH - Spanish 

STRINGS - String Instruments

SWAHILI – Swahili

THEATRE - Theatre

TURKISH - Turkish

VOICE - Voice and Opera

WIND_PER - Wind & Percussion

YIDDISH – Jewish Studies

TABLE 2: Specific courses allowed and NOT allowed to be used for the Theme

Courses Allowed

Courses NOT Allowed 

BUS_INST 303 - Social Sciences

GEOG 1xx - Social Sciences

GEOG 240 - Social Sciences

GEOG 312 - Social Sciences

GEOG 313 - Social Sciences

GEOG 328 - Social Sciences

MMSS 211-1 – Social Sciences

MMSS 211-3 – Social Sciences

MMSS 311-2 – Social Sciences

NAV_SCI 120 – Social Sciences

NAV_SCI 230 – Social Sciences

NAV_SCI 341 – Social Sciences

PRDV 325 – Petition category via
MAS Theme submission portal

PRDV 335-1 – Petition category via
MAS Theme submission portal

PRDV 335-2 – Petition category via
MAS Theme submission portal

PRDV 345 – Petition category via
MAS Theme submission portal

TEACH_ED 329 – Social Sciences

TRANS 310 – Social Sciences

BUS_INST – Business Institutions Program
(except BUS_INST 303 Leadership in Orgs.)

COG_SCI 210

COMM_ST 351

COMM_ST 352

CSD 202

CSD 303

ECON 281

ECON 380-1

ECON 380-2

ECON 381-1

ECON 381-2

ENGLISH 106-1, 2

GEOG 211

GEOG 235

GEOG 341

GEOG 343

GEOG 399

Kellogg Courses

LING 334

PSYCH 201

PSYCH 221

PSYCH 327

How to Choose Your Theme

As you consider picking a focus for your theme, think about which subjects interest you beyond engineering:

  • Do you enjoy reading literature, pondering philosophy, painting, or playing a musical instrument?
  • Do you like learning about other religions or studying psychology?
  • Are there ways that speaking a foreign language or developing your knowledge of economics could further your professional or personal goals?

These are just a few potential starting points for your theme. Each department listed in the table has a website with descriptions of courses. Explore departments that sound interesting to find specific courses.

If you're still unsure if your theme might be approved, follow the acronym “S.T.A.R.”:

  • Succinct Title: You have a concise focus to your theme, as indicated in the title.
  • Thematically Related: The focus courses clearly and directly connect in this area of concentration.
  • Approved Courses: All of your courses listed are from approved departments.
  • Remaining Courses: You fulfill the rest of the categorical requirements.

When to Declare Your Theme

By the end of your sophomore year, complete the Social Science/ Humanities using the online portal in MAS. Look for a the option on your dashboard in MAS. 

You will receive an email indicating whether their theme has been approved.

  • If it is approved, this will be indicated in MAS and the courses will appear in your audit.
  • If it is denied, you will receive an email with suggestions for revisions.