University-Wide Requirements

University-wide requirements must be satisfied by all undergraduates, regardless of major. There are three types of university-wide requirements: Freshman Seminar, Ways of Knowing courses, and Required Capacities:

Freshman Seminar

All undergraduate students must complete a semester of Rice 101, a three hour seminar course. Rice 101 is intended as an to introduction for students to the intellectual community of the university and is therefore to be taken during the freshman year. All students are required to register for Rice 101 in either the Fall or Spring semester of their first year on campus. If a student does not make a passing grade in Rice 101, that student must register again for the course in the semester immediately following. Rice 101 may not be taken Pass/Fail.

Ways of Knowing

All undergraduate students must complete two or more of the courses designated in the General Announcements in each of the following "Ways of Knowing" categories:

  • Approaches to the Past (2 courses)
  • Encounters with Texts and the Arts (2 courses)
  • Interpreting Human Behavior: Individual, Social, and Cultural (2 courses)
  • Engaging Science and Technology (4 courses, two of which must be designated for scientific reasoning)

Many courses in the General Announcements will be designated in more than one of the "Ways of Knowing" categories. These designations will be assigned by the faculty Committee on University-wide Requirements. Each of these courses may be taken to satisfy any one of the Ways of Knowing requirements for which it is designated, but may only be counted once by the student in satisfying these requirements. Courses taken to satisfy major requirements may also be used to satisfy Ways of Knowing requirements. Courses satisfying the Ways of Knowing requirement may not be taken Pass/Fail.

Required Capacities

Students must complete courses in the curriculum designated as intensive in the following required capacities:

  • Writing
    Students must complete four courses designated as writing intensive.
  • Quantitative Reasoning
    Students must complete one course designated as intensive in quantitative reasoning.
  • Oral Discussion and Presentation
    Students must complete one course designated as intensive in oral discussion and presentation.

Because these requirements may be satisfied by courses which are also used to satisfy major requirements or Ways of Knowing requirements or may be satisfied by electives, these courses are presumed NOT to add to the total number of courses required for each student.

Course Check-List *

Writing Intensive

(4 courses)

Oral Presentations

(1 course)

Quantitative Reasoning

(1 course)

Breadth

(11 courses)

Major Requirements
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Freshman Seminar

(Rice 101)
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Rice 101

Approaches to the Past

(2 courses)
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Engaging Science and Technology (4 courses)
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Interpreting Human Behavior (2 courses)
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Encounters with Texts and the Arts (2 courses)
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Electives
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* Language Competency Requirements and Physical Edcuation Requirements are considered separately.


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Last updated 8/28/98 by Priscilla Jane Huston