Degree Requirements

CASE Breadth of Inquiry

The Breadth of Inquiry requirement is designed to help students to acquire broad familiarity with the general areas of human knowledge. Every student pursuing a degree in the College takes courses in the Arts and Humanities, Social and Historical Studies, and Natural and Mathematical Sciences.

Courses to be considered for CASE Breadth of Inquiry credit must be conducted as formal classes. A course can carry only one Breadth of Inquiry designation.

For a complete list of courses that fulfill the Breadth of Inquiry requirement, please use the CASE Course Designations tool.

CASE Arts and Humanities (CASE A&H)

Courses in this area examine the complexity of human experience, interrogate the range of human thought and emotion, interpret varieties of aesthetic expression, and grapple with moral issues. Such courses analyze written texts and works in literature, the visual arts, music, and the other performing arts, as well as philosophical and religious thought, and intellectual and cultural traditions from both contemporary and historical perspectives. They also develop the abilities to think rationally and to construct and assess opinions, ideas, and arguments. The approach may be comparative, historical, or analytical, but the emphasis is on developing students' interpretive and critical skills.

B.A., B.A.J., B.F.A., and B.L.S. students

Students must successfully complete, with a grade of D− or higher, four (4) courses designated as CASE A&H. The College, however, will allow up to two (2) courses designated as IUB General Education A&H to substitute for up to two (2) courses of the CASE A&H requirement.

B.S. students

Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in the College of Arts and Sciences will, depending on the B.S. degree being pursued, be required to complete between two (2) and four (4) CASE A&H courses with a grade of D− or higher. In all cases, the College will allow up to two (2) courses designated as IUB General Education A&H to substitute for up to two (2) courses of the CASE A&H requirement.

See the entry for the department or program that offers the B.S. degree in question to determine the number of courses required.

CASE Social and Historical Studies (CASE S&H)

Courses in this area analyze social institutions, the behavior of individuals in social contexts and historical settings, and changes in social conditions over time. Such courses study the political, economic, and cultural institutions of society, from individuals in social interactions to the international system of nation-states and transnational organizations and actors as well as changes in the human condition over time, including the inception, development, and transformation of institutions and civilizations, ideas, genres, or forms of representation.

B.A., B.A.J., B.F.A., and B.L.S. students

Students must successfully complete, with a grade of D− or higher, four (4) courses designated as CASE S&H. The College, however, will allow up to two (2) courses designated as IUB General Education S&H to substitute for up to two (2) courses of the CASE S&H requirement.

B.S. students

Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in the College of Arts and Sciences will, depending on the B.S. degree being pursued, be required to complete between two (2) and four (4) CASE S&H courses with a grade of D− or higher. In all cases, the College will allow up to two (2) courses designated as IUB General Education S&H to substitute for up to two (2) courses of the CASE S&H requirement.

See the entry for the department or program that offers the B.S. degree in question to determine the number of courses required.

CASE Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CASE N&M)

Courses in this area provide an understanding of physical and biological phenomena, introduce students to systematic investigation of those phenomena, show the value of scientific inquiry and hypothesis testing, review the state of the science related to scientific theories and natural laws and the evidence for them, and establish the role and approaches of mathematics. Courses cover the natural sciences, introducing and emphasizing basic principles of the chemical, physical, and life sciences, and expand students' understanding of the physical world and scientific inquiry about it, as well as analytical reasoning and mathematics. Courses may focus on forms of reasoning or the nature and processes of cognition and computation.

B.A., B.A.J., B.F.A., and B.L.S. students

Students must successfully complete, with a grade of D− or higher, four (4) courses designated as CASE N&M. The College, however, will allow the following substitutions:

  1. Up to two (2) courses designated as IUB General Education N&M may substitute for up to two (2) courses of the CASE N&M requirement; or
  2. One (1) 5-credit-hour course designated as IUB General Education N&M with a substantial lab component may substitute for two (2) CASE N&M courses of the CASE N&M requirement.

Note: MATH-D 116 will not count toward substitution option 1 above.

B.S. students

Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in the College of Arts and Sciences will, depending on the B.S. degree being pursued, be required to complete between two (2) and four (4) CASE N&M courses with a grade of D− or higher. In all cases, the College will allow the following substitutions:

  1. Up to two (2) courses designated as IUB General Education N&M may substitute for up to two (2) courses of the CASE N&M requirement; or
  2. One (1) 5-credit-hour course designated as IUB General Education N&M with a substantial lab component may substitute for two (2) CASE N&M courses of the CASE N&M requirement.

Note: MATH-D 116 will not count toward substitution option 1 above.

See the entry for the department or program that offers the B.S. degree in question to determine the number of courses required.