Areas of Inquiry
Last updated: April 8, 2026 at 1:32 PM
Courses are offered by academic departments and programs to support educational programs and objectives that are departmental, interdisciplinary, and university-wide in scope. In addition to the four schools, academic departments and programs are structured into areas of inquiry: Creative Arts, Humanities, Science, and Social Science. Because the organization of undergraduate degree requirements makes reference to this structure, it is important that students familiarize themselves with it.
Most typically, the courses offered by a department or program will have membership in one area of inquiry. Some courses, however, may have membership in more than one area. Also, some interdisciplinary programs do not fit neatly into a single area of inquiry; individual courses within such programs may reside in different areas of inquiry.
The area of inquiry membership of courses has been incorporated into the "requirement codes" appearing in the course listings. A legend for the codes may be found in the "Requirement Codes" section of this Bulletin. The course offering information published each fall and spring also indicates to which areas particular courses belong. If in doubt about the area membership of a particular course, consult the Office of the University Registrar.
Creative Arts
Courses in the area of creative arts teach the history of the visual and performing arts, engage students in the creative process itself, and develop artistic skills and aesthetic sensibilities.
Humanities
The humanities offers undergraduates a systematic introduction to our literary and philosophical heritage.
- East Asian Studies
- English
- European Cultural Studies
- French and Francophone Studies
- German Studies
- Hispanic Studies
- Near Eastern and Judaic Studies
The following languages are also offered: Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Latin.
Science
Courses in the area of science provide the basic scientific training preparing students for entry into graduate school or for work at the intermediate level in their scientific fields.
- Applied Mathematics
- Biochemistry
- Biological Physics
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Environmental Studies
- Linguistics
- Mathematics
Neuroscience - Physics
- Psychology
Social Science
In addition to the basic coverage of the social sciences provided by the departmental disciplines noted below, the area of social science also supports a number of cross-disciplinary programs which offer an opportunity to minor and, in some cases, major in their programs.