Transition 2007-08
Transition in degree requirements
The new degree requirement in Humanities and Arts will take effect for the WPI entering class in the fall of 2007. All current students, who have yet to complete their Sufficiency Requirement, may follow either of the following options:
1. Current students may complete their Humanities and Arts requirements by following the rules that were in effect at the time that they enrolled. Faculty will be available to advise individual students in ISP/Sufficiency Projects during the 2007-2008 academic year, but we anticipate that most students will enroll in either inquiry seminars or practicums. Students who wish to complete their Humanities and Arts requirement by enrolling in an ISP may only do so with the consent of the instructor. Students completing foreign language Sufficiency course sequences will continue to do so by completing 6 courses in language study. See the List of Sufficiency Project Advisors in 2007-8 (PDF) to identify which faculty are advising sufficiency projects in each term of the academic year.
OR
2. Current students may complete their Humanities and Arts requirement by completing courses in Humanities and Arts and then completing an inquiry seminar or practicum in place of the ISP. Before enrolling in the inquiry seminar or practicum, students need only complete 2 courses in the discipline of the inquiry seminar/practicum. (This is a relaxation of the "five thematically related courses" requirement of the past and does not impose any new requirements on current students). For clarity, students who have enrolled before the fall of 2007 will not be obligated to complete either the breadth requirement (at least one course in two of three disciplinary clusters) or the requirement that one course in the depth area be taken at the 2000 level or above. Advisors, however, should encourage students to select courses that will meet these requirements whenever possible. See the List of Inquiry Seminars and Practicums in 2007-08 (PDF) or the Description of Inquiry Seminars and Practicums in 2008-09 (PDF) to find the faculty, the theme of each seminar, and the terms a seminar is offered.
Students who transfer to WPI will, beginning in the fall of 2007, be obligated to meet the terms of the Humanities and Arts requirement as outlined above. Students who transfer less than six Humanities and Arts courses from another institution must complete an inquiry seminar or practicum to complete the Humanities and Arts requirement. Students who transfer six or more courses in Humanities and Arts will have the option of submitting a CDR form or engaging in additional work (or documentation of work) to earn an "A" on the CDR, in accordance with current transfer rules (see the undergraduate Catalog).
All students, whether enrolled before or after the Fall of 2007, may have the option of completing their Humanities and Arts requirement while enrolled for 1 unit of coursework at an off-campus project center where one-third unit of the coursework shall include an inquiry seminar or practicum. Other than dropping the term "sufficiency," there is no change to the "Off-campus" Humanities and Arts study option (See the undergraduate Catalog).
Please consult the Department Head for more information.
Last modified: April 24, 2008 11:01:14