Degree Requirements

CASE Curricular Requirements

"CASE" (College of Arts and Sciences Education) is an acronym the College uses to distinguish its specific degree requirements from those of other Indiana University Bloomington schools (Kelley, Jacobs, SPEA, SPH, etc.) and from the requirements of campuswide General Education. The College's degree requirements are well-aligned with campuswide General Education, but they are not identical. All of the College's degrees incorporate

  • English Composition—teaches students to read critically, summarize, apply, analyze, and synthesize what they have read, discussed, and researched—skills developed in this course are transferable to a wide variety of college courses and experiences.
  • Mathematical Modeling—provides rigorous instruction in fundamental mathematical concepts and skills presented in the context of real-world applications.
  • Critical Approaches to the Arts and Sciences (CAPP)—helps first- and second-year students begin to develop an understanding of the fundamental questions asked and methods employed by the various disciplines represented in the College. CAPP classes can be included in course work applied towards the Breadth of Inquiry requirement described below.
  • Public Oral Communication—prepares students in the liberal arts to communicate effectively with public audiences.
  • Intensive Writing (IW)—provides students with additional, focused practice in writing, preferably in their major field, under the guidance of an instructor well-acquainted with the standards of good writing in that discipline. IW classes can be included in course work applied towards the Breadth of Inquiry requirement described below.
  • Breadth of Inquiry—11- to 12-course cluster that helps students to acquire broad familiarity with the general areas of human knowledge by taking courses in the Arts and Humanities, Social and Historical Studies, and Natural and Mathematical Sciences.
Two additional CASE requirements are Culture Studies and Foreign Language. 
  • Culture Studies—Two-part requirement where students complete a course on Diversity in the U.S. (DUS) and a course on Global Civilizations and Cultures (GCC). DUS and GCC classes can be included in course work applied towards satisfaction of the Breadth of Inquiry requirement described above. This requirement is included in all B.A., B.F.A. and B.L.S. degrees and in some B.S. degrees.
  • Foreign Language—provides the fundamental skills for communicating with people from other cultures and offers insights into other patterns of thought and modes of expression. Students pursuing B.F.A. and B.A. degrees must establish proficiency in a single foreign language through the second semester of the second year of college-level course work. Students pursuing B.S. degrees should check the Foreign Language requirement for their particular degree program since the requirement varies from one degree to the next.  B.L.S. students are not required to complete study in foreign language, but may apply these courses towards degree.