Dec 04, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

College of Arts & Sciences Exploratory Requirement


College exploratory requirement

The College of Arts and Sciences exploratory requirement provides students with a depth and breadth in the multi- and interdisciplinary knowledge needed in today’s complex world. Through concentrated intellectual engagement in disciplines outside a student’s major, this requirement offers expanded horizons and progressive challenges to more fully develop the scope of a student’s understanding, abilities and accomplishments.

In addition to satisfying the university-wide general education requirements, all students with majors in the College or Arts and Sciences* are required to complete at least three courses outside of their major rubric for a minimum of 12 credits. A student may select these courses from either of the following:

1. A single rubric of their choosing (e.g., ENG) within the College of Arts and Sciences.**

2. A pre-defined thematic set of courses identified on the College of Arts and Sciences website.

Notes

•Courses taken to fulfill the College exploratory requirement must be at the 1000 level or above and must be in a subject taught within the College of Arts and Sciences, with the exception of non-College courses that are part of pre-approved thematic sets.

•Pre- or corequisite courses (courses with a rubric other than the major, e.g., CHM for biology majors) required for any major may be applied toward the exploratory requirement.

•Courses used to satisfy the general education requirements for knowledge applications, U.S. diversity, writing intensive, and capstone may be applied to the exploratory requirement as long as they are outside of the major rubric. Courses used to satisfy a student’s general education requirements in all other categories will not apply.

•Students transferring courses from another institution may apply appropriate credits toward the exploratory requirement and must meet the 12-credit minimum requirement.

•Students who have completed the MACRAO agreement at a community college must complete the exploratory requirement at Oakland University or another four-year institution.

•Completion of a double major or degree or completion of a College of Arts and Sciences minor or concentration satisfies the exploratory requirement.

•Students entering Oakland University under an earlier catalog may choose to follow the exploratory requirement in place of the previous distribution requirement.

*K-12 Music Education, K-12 Studio Art Education, B.M., and B.F.A. majors, Honors College, Liberal Studies, and second degree students are exempt from the exploratory requirement.

**For the purposes of the exploratory requirement, Department of Mathematics and Statistics rubrics MTH, APM, MOR, and STA are regarded as a single rubric. WRT 1020  , WRT 1000  and WRT 1050  may not be used toward the exploratory requirement.