Cluster Programs: About the Cluster Programs
Interdisciplinary Cluster Programs are a central feature of the “Making Connections” curriculum implemented in 2006. As one of the two means of satisfying the junior- and senior-level Supplemental Education requirements that apply to all B.A majors in the College, Cluster Programs provide an “integrative” interdisciplinary experience by approaching a single theme or object of study from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Students pursuing one of the cluster options will take the “core” course required of all students in the cluster and two other courses that complement the core course. The courses need not be taken in any particular order, though the faculty in the clusters will sometimes strongly encourage students to take the core course as the first in the sequence. All clusters include courses from at least two Divisions of the College of Arts and Sciences and students must select courses from at least two of these Divisions.* One or more courses from the professional schools may also be used to satisfy the cluster requirements. No more than one course may come from a student’s primary major.
There is no need to “declare” a Cluster Program in the way that one declares a minor or a major; the degree audit system will simply recognize the clusters as part of the General Education degree requirements, and once a student has taken three courses (including the “core”) from an approved cluster, the Supplemental Education requirement will be satisfied. There is no penalty for changing Cluster Programs, and no deadline for entering a Cluster Program.
Cluster Programs will pass into and out of existence, but any Cluster Program listed on this webpage will operate at least through spring, 2010. Terminal dates will be indicated clearly on the page describing each cluster; if no terminal date is indicated, one can assume that the Cluster will operate indefinitely.
*The four Divisions of the College of Arts and Sciences, with their abbreviations:
Humanities [HM]
Fine Arts [FA]
Social and Behavioral Sciences [SS]
Natural Sciences and Mathematics [NS]