The School of Humanities and Social Sciences (H&SS) is home to a broad range of academic disciplines, which both complement the science and technology offerings at Rensselaer and provide challenging and innovative major fields of study.

The mission of H&SS is twofold:

• To provide a core of courses that introduce all Rensselaer students to work in Humanities and Social Sciences;
• To provide innovative undergraduate majors and graduate programs leading to the B.S., M.S., M.F.A., and Ph.D. degrees.

The H&SS Core offers a variety of academic choices for all students working toward a B.S. degree, and is designed to help them strengthen their communication and analytical skills while acquiring the social, cultural, political, and economic knowledge crucial to fulfilling Rensselaer’s purpose of “educating future leaders in science and technology related careers.”

Five degree-granting departments offer undergraduate and graduate degree programs: Arts; Economics; Language, Literature, and Communication; Philosophy, Psychology, and Cognitive Science; and Science and Technology Studies. In addition, students can major in interdisciplinary programs that integrate scientific and technical tools with the arts, social sciences, communication, and humanities. At the forefront of these are Electronic Media, Arts, and Communication (EMAC); Minds and Machines; Product Design and Innovation (PDI); and Ecological Economics, Values, and Policy (EEVP).

Core Program

All students working toward a B.S. degree are required to take a selection of Humanities and Social Science courses that is referred to as the H&SS core. The core consists of 24 credit hours, or six courses distributed in such a way as to afford students a breadth of perspective across the various disciplines as well as a more in-depth experience in at least one area.

Engineering students take two of those credit hours automatically as professional development in their engineering design sequence and take a two-credit H&SS professional development course in their junior year.

Distribution Requirements   To ensure that students have breadth in their core courses, students must select at least two courses (8 credit hours) from each of the lists below.

H&SS interdisciplinary courses may be substituted for courses in either category.

To ensure that students have some depth in their H&SS core, students must take at least two courses within a single area prefix (STSH and STSS can be counted as a single area), at least one of which is taken at an advanced level (above 1000). No course within the depth sequence may be taken as Pass/No Credit.

No more than three 1000-level H&SS courses may be applied toward the H&SS core requirement, no more than 6 credits may be taken as Pass/No credit and at least one course (4 credits) must be at the 4000 level.

Transferring H&SS Core Credit   Students entering Rensselaer in their first year may transfer up to two H&SS courses (up to 8 credit hours) toward satisfying their H&SS core requirement (including Advanced Placement credit). Transfer students from an accredited collegiate program who have completed at least one college year but who come to Rensselaer with first year status may qualify for additional core transfers at the discretion of the H&SS core curriculum adviser.

Transfer students entering Rensselaer at the sophomore level or above are not limited in the number of courses they may transfer for H&SS core credit. All others must take at least 16 credit hours of their H&SS core at Rensselaer.

Students enrolled at Rensselaer who wish to take an H&SS course for core credit at another accredited institution must obtain prior approval for the course from the core curriculum adviser. To apply for approval a student must furnish a catalog description of the proposed course and a filled out copy of Rensselaer’s transfer credit approval form to the core curriculum adviser. A maximum of two courses (up to 8 credit hours) of transfers are allowed (including AP courses).

Independent Study

The Independent Study Program serves to fill specialized educational needs in areas which are not adequately served by regular departmental offerings. Independent Study is an individualized reading or research program that is proposed by a student to a faculty member, and must fall within that faculty member’s area of expertise. The following conditions apply:

• Interested students must demonstrate an ability to work independently, and have the needed prerequisites to undertake the proposed project successfully.
• There is no equivalent course available at Rensselaer or at any of the consortium institutions in the Capital District, or the student is unable to schedule such a course due to unusual curricular demands.
• The faculty member has sufficient time to undertake the supervision of the proposed course of study.
• A written agreement is drawn up spelling out the scope of the work to be done, the expected deliverables, and the evaluation criteria to be applied.
• The amount of work expected and the level at which it is to be carried out must be similar to the demands of an equivalent course.

Independent Study is offered at the discretion of faculty members who may place additional constraints on their participation.

Undergraduate Degree Programs

Bachelor of Science degree programs are offered by individual departments in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. A number of interdisciplinary degree programs, which are offered jointly by two or more departments within the school or with other schools, are also available.

H&SS currently offers the following undergraduate departmental degree programs:

 Communication

 Economics

 Electronic Arts

 Philosophy

 Psychology

 Science, Technology, and Society

For detailed program descriptions and specific requirements for any H&SS undergraduate degree, please click one of the departmental links listed above.

Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Degree Programs

Electronic Media, Arts, and Communication (EMAC)   A B.S. degree that combines communication theory and practice with electronic media arts studio and theory. Offered by the departments of Arts and Language, Literature, and Communication (LL&C).

Ecological Economics, Values, and Policy (EEVP)   A B.S. degree that combines ecological economics, environmental policy studies, and social and cultural theory and practice. Offered by the departments of Economics and Science and Technology Studies (STS).

Minds and Machines (M&M)   A B.S. degree based in the department of Cognitive Science that includes substantial hands-on and research-based work in artificial intelligence, psychology, cognitive science, logic, and philosophy.

Product Design and Innovation (PDI)   An innovative design program offered as a dual major with three possibilities, either Mechanical Engineering and STS, Engineering Science and STS, or Building Science and STS. This program combines engineering or architecture disciplines, STS courses, and design studios.

Accelerated Prelaw Program   An accelerated prelaw program is available through the Department of STS in cooperation with Albany Law School and other law schools. For additional details please consult the Science and Technology Studies departmental listing.

Interdisciplinary Minors

The following interdisciplinary undergraduate minors are offered:

• Ecological Economics, Values, and Policy
• Gender, Science, and Technology
• Interschool Minor in Energy

For the specific requirements for the above minors, please consult the minor listings in Science and Technology Studies (STS).

Graduate Programs

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences offers three types of master’s degrees: a 30-credit-hour M.S. degree, a 30-credit-hour Professional Master’s (intended for individuals who are already in the work force and who seek a special professional focus) and a 60-credit-hour Master of Fine Arts.

Master of Science   Graduate programs leading to the Master of Science degree are offered by the following departments:

• Language, Literature, and Communication
• Economics
• Philosophy, Psychology, and Cognitive Science
• Science and Technology Studies

Professional Master’s   The following interdisciplinary professional master’s are offered:

• Ecological Economics, Values, and Policy (EEVP). Offered by the departments of Economics and STS
• Cognitive Systems Engineering. Offered by the department of PP&CS

Master of Fine Arts   A Master of Fine Arts in electronic arts is offered by the Arts Department.

Certificate Programs   Two specialization certificates are offered by the department of LL&C as options in the master’s degree in technical communication:

• Graphics
• Human-Computer Interaction

Please consult the departmental program listing for additional certificate program information.

Doctor of Philosophy   Programs leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree (Ph.D.) are offered in ecological economics, science and technology studies, and communication and rhetoric. Individual courses and opportunities for directed study are also available in other areas.

The Cooperative Education Program   The Cooperative Education Program is open to graduate students majoring in the following areas at the discretion of their academic departments:

• technical communication and psychology (human factors and industrial/organizational).