2024-2025 Catalog
Other Programs
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 Return to: Programs of Study
Individual Program of Studies
Some students find that concentration in one of the majors offered at Harvey Mudd does not meet their educational goals. As an alternative, any student may devise an individual program of studies (IPS) designed to serve her or his academic interests. An IPS program is initiated by the student; it must be consistent with the nature and strengths of the College, but it may cross departmental and even college lines.
An individual program of study must have the following characteristics:
- The program must be constructed predominantly from the STEM disciplines and be consistent with the purposes of Harvey Mudd College. It must differ from the other majors in a significant way and must have the approval of at least two faculty advisors, one from the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts and one from one of the technical departments as well as from the Associate/Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs and the Registrar.
- The program should contain at least fourteen courses (forty-two credits) that make up a coherent set. Flexibility to choose among a large number of courses should not be at the expense of depth of concentration. Thus, at least two of the courses of this requirement should be taken in each of the last four semesters, and at least three of the courses should constitute a sequence. Like all majors, an IPS culminates in original research and design opportunities and includes a capstone experience of at least two courses.
- At least seven of the courses submitted under requirement (2) above must be taken at Harvey Mudd College.
- A student may not enter IPS after the sixth semester without prior approval by the Scholarly Standing Committee.
Many individual programs of study are interdisciplinary in nature. For example, a program may center on a field combining two of the traditional majors or on a field in science or engineering that is only partially covered by one of the majors. Alternatively, a program may seek to relate mathematics, physical science, or engineering to an area of the social sciences or humanities. As illustrations of these possibilities, students have designed programs in architecture, environmental studies, geology and politics, and technology. No more than four courses may be “double counted” to satisfy both the IPS major and the humanities, social sciences and the arts requirements.
Off-Campus Major
Students may also choose to complete an off-campus major at one of the other Claremont Colleges in order to satisfy the “major” component of the curriculum. If this is the student’s only major, then the student must also complete a minor in one of the Harvey Mudd College major-granting departments, along with all other graduation requirements, including the Common Core and the program in Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts. See “Minors” below. If the student is seeking to add an off-campus major as a second major, in addition to a regular Harvey Mudd major, then no minor is required.
An off-campus major (OCM) is overseen by the Associate/Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs. A student contemplating an OCM in lieu of a regular Harvey Mudd major should consult with the Associate/Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs about the application process. Since the requirements of the other college may be less than the Harvey Mudd requirements for an OCM (ten full courses or thirty credits), it is important that the student begin this consultation early. All students taking off-campus majors as the sole major will be required to write a senior thesis or engage in some approved capstone experience (e.g., research, Clinic, internship). If the student is seeking to add an off-campus major as a second major, in addition to a regular Harvey Mudd major, then the capstone requirement may be waived at the discretion of the off-campus department offering the major. Waiver of the capstone requirement does not reduce the minimum size of the off-campus major (at least 30 credits / 10 full courses are required).
If the off-campus major is the student’s only major, and courses in the off-campus major overlap with either or both of the Harvey Mudd humanities, social sciences, and the arts concentration or the Harvey Mudd minor, up to four overlapping courses may be allowed to satisfy more than one of these departmental graduation requirements. If the off-campus major is the student’s second major, then there is no restriction on double-counting courses between the off-campus major and the HSA requirement. Any double counting of courses between the student’s off-campus second major and their HMC major must still be approved by the chairs of both major departments.
Minors
A minor, selected from the list below only, is available only to students electing an off-campus major (OCM) in lieu of a regular Harvey Mudd major. HMC minors are not open to participation from students at the other Claremont Colleges. HMC students may not declare an off-campus minor, regardless of their major.
Graduate Courses for Undergraduates
Most graduate courses are open to qualified undergraduates with the permission of the instructor. The following course is open to all undergraduates at The Claremont Colleges:
Students interested in pre-college teaching should contact the Teacher Education Program at CGU to arrange for courses that will meet the requirements for a teaching credential in California.
Emphasis in Data Science
Harvey Mudd College has long been a leader in educating students in subjects fundamental to data science and is guided by our mission to educate leaders who understand the impact of their work on society. The Emphasis in Data Science guides students toward data-scientific curriculum opportunities and practical data-rich experiences across the college in a coherent and cohesive manner.
The Emphasis in Data Science is not a major. Rather, it is a coordinated program of study that allows students majoring in the sciences, engineering, and mathematics the opportunity to apply data-scientific approaches across a variety of applications and understand their work from a range of perspectives, so they may best evaluate their impact on society and the world.
Emphasis Structure: An Emphasis in Data Science requires a minimum of six courses beyond the Core, including a capstone project. The emphasis requires three credits (on or off campus) be chosen from each of the Computing Fluency, Introduction to Probability and Statistics, and Data Science and Values course categories, six credits chosen from the Electives course category, and a capstone experience (4-6 credits). A single course cannot be used to satisfy two requirements in the emphasis, but courses satisfying requirements for a student’s major may also satisfy a single emphasis requirement. It is expected that all courses satisfying EDS requirements will be taken for letter grade.
Requirement: Students must declare their intention to pursue an Emphasis in Data Science in or before their sixth semester.
Emphasis in Environmental Analysis
See information under Emphasis in Environmental Analysis in the Hixon Center for Climate and the Environment page on the left side.
Global Clinic
The Harvey Mudd Clinic is an internationally recognized program initiated at Harvey Mudd in 1963. It brings student teams together with industry, government, and nonprofit organizations to solve real-world industry problems in an academic setting. Built upon this foundation, the Global Clinic Program supports long-term sponsored engineering and science projects in which teams of Harvey Mudd students collaborate with teams of students from partnering schools all over the world. Students work on international team projects with members from different countries, cultures, and institutional backgrounds, with different disciplinary interests and languages, but with a common unifying purpose and overarching project goals. Global Clinic students make a series of presentations and written progress reports during the year, honing their technical writing and public speaking skills. Further details can be found online at www.hmc.edu/global-clinic.
Dual Degree Programs
Harvey Mudd College is currently participating in three dual degree programs with other members of The Claremont Colleges. Additional information for each program is linked to below.
Programs
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