Clusters
Clusters are sets of related courses. Each Cluster contains a minimum of twelve credits of coursework, which is equivalent, in most cases, to three courses. Each Cluster falls within one of the three academic divisions: Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences and Engineering. In each of these three divisions, students will be expected to complete a formal set of coursework: a major, a minor, or a Cluster.
There are two ways to search for clusters:
- Use the Cluster Search Engine to...
- Search for clusters that share a common characteristic. This is the easiest way to find all clusters that contain a particular course, relate to the same subject, or are from the same department.
- Use the Cluster Directory to...
- See lists of clusters organized by division. This is the easiest way to see what clusters are offered in each division, by department.
Cluster Policies
General | Non-UR coursework | Overlaps | Engineering Students | Modifying Clusters
General
- The average grade within the cluster must be C or better.
- The Search Engine is continuously updated. If you notice an error, please send an e-mail to cascas@uhura.cc.rochester.edu.
- Links to the course descriptions are provided as a convenience. The course descriptions themselves are supplied by the academic departments. If a course description is missing, or seems to be incorrect, please contact the department directly.
- Every Cluster, as specified here in the Cluster Search Engine or through an authorized exception, contains at least two courses that are from the same division as the Cluster. Cross-listed courses are categorized according to the distribution area of the "parent" section. (See Schedule of Courses on the Internet to determine "parent" (P) section.)
Non-UR coursework
- Only courses taken at the University of Rochester can be used to fulfill cluster requirements.
- Courses completed on Study Abroad programs, in general, are considered to be transfer courses and therefore do not count toward any Clusters. Exceptions are sometimes made for courses taken on UR-affiliated programs. Consult an advisor in the Center for Study Abroad and Interdepartmental Programs (Lattimore 206) for details.
- Credit granted on the basis of an Advanced Placement exam score, unless specified as acceptable in the Cluster description, may not be used towards any Cluster.
- Transfer students should refer to their Transfer Credit Information Form or consult with an advisor in the Center for Academic Support to determine how many clusters they need to complete.
Overlaps
- Students are not permitted to use the same course to fulfill the requirements of two different Clusters.
- No more than one course in a cluster may be used toward a concentration or minor being used to fulfill a divisional requirement.
- Students are permitted to satisfy only one distributional area with offerings from any single department or program. (As an example, students may not use the Ethics and Values cluster from the Philosophy Department to fulfill the Humanities division, if they plan to use the Logic cluster, also from the Philosophy Department, to fulfill the Natural Sciences division.)
- The course used to fulfill the primary writing requirement may not be used in a Cluster.
- Upper-level writing courses may count toward Clusters as well as toward the writing requirement.
Engineering Students
- Students who complete one of the professionally accredited Engineering concentrations (i.e., Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering) need to complete only one Cluster outside the area of the major. Students may still need to complete additional humanities and/or social science courses and should consult their departmental advisor for details.
Modifying Clusters
- For more information about any particular Cluster, to request an exception to an authorized cluster, or to propose a new Cluster within one department, please contact the undergraduate advisor in that department. Students may obtain the form "Proposal for Exception to Departmental Clusters" either from the department or the Information Counter outside Lattimore 312.
- Over 250 approved Clusters exist. Even so, students who wish to design their own interdisciplinary clusters, composed of courses from three different departments, may so do. Please contact the Center for Study Abroad and Interdepartmental Programs in Lattimore 206 for more information.
- If a department wishes to add, delete or modify a cluster, it should submit the changes in writing to the Curriculum Committee, in care of the Dean's Office, Lattimore 317.
Comments or questions? Please mail them to: cascas@mail.rochester.edu