BAEM Advising Guide

University Liberal Education Requirements

LE Requirements are changing as of Fall 2010

Please see this LE Transition Memo (PDF) for a discussion of the effects of this change on current students.

Liberal Education Requirements for Students entering Fall 2010 or later

If you entered the University of Minnesota Fall 2010 or later you must complete the following Liberal Education requirements: (these will be posted here before fall 2010)

Liberal Education Requirements for Students entering before Fall 2010

If you entered the University of Minnesota before Fall 2010, you may complete either of the LE requirements. The requirements prior to Fall 2010 follow.

Diversified Core

Physical and Biological Sciences - a minimum of two courses totaling at least 8 credits, including:

Physical Science* - One course with a laboratory or field experience, and
Biological Science - One course with a laboratory or field experience.

Social Science and Humanities - a minimum of 15 credits distributed as follows:

Social Science - at least 6 credits.
Humanities - at least 6 credits, including one course in literature and one course in "other humanities." (The new "other humanities" category includes all courses in the current categories of philosophy, visual or performing arts, and other humanities or arts.)
Historical Perspectives -a minimum of one course of at least 3 credits. A course fulfilling the historical perspective requirement may also apply toward the social science core requirement or the humanities core requirement, or a designated theme requirement.

Mathematical Thinking* - a minimum of one course of at least 3 credits.

Designated Themes

One course of at least 3 credits in each of the following thematic areas:

Environment
International Perspectives
Cultural Diversity
Citizenship and Public Ethics

A list of courses that meet these requirements is available from:

One Stop: Liberal Education Requirements

* These requirements are met by courses required for the BAEM degree.

Suggested Courses in the History of Science

One of the educational outcomes of our program is to produce graduates who understand how engineering relates to the global and societal context in which it is practiced. We also want our graduates to behave in an ethical and professional manner. Liberal education electives should be selected, so far as possible, to support the achievement of these outcomes. History of Science courses are very useful for this purpose, in particular the following History of Science courses are highly recommended.

HSci 3331 Technology and American Culture
HSci 3401 Ethics in Science and Technology
HSci 3414 Technology and Western Civilization: To the Industrial Revolution
HSci 3715 Technology and Western Civilization: Since the Industrial Revolution

Last Modified: 2009-04-14 at 10:21:34 -- this is in International Standard Date and Time Notation