Student Guide: How do I use the Catalog and Program Sheets?

The Catalog is designed to assist you in choosing the program of study that best fits your aspirations and goals. It includes information about admissions guidelines, financial aid, and academic requirements to allow you to make educated decisions about your future. The Catalog also describes aspects of student life at CMU, opportunities for personal growth outside the classroom, and procedures and policies pertinent to your success at CMU.

Program Sheets:

Program sheets can be found in the Programs A-Z section of the Catalog and include institutional degree requirements, program-specific requirements, and suggested course plans. Learn more about each section of your program sheet below.

Institutional Degree Requirements

These are the general requirements for earning each degree at CMU.

Essential Learning Requirements

Every Baccalaureate and Associate degree offered at CMU has Essential Learning Requirements and these requirements may vary by degree. Some degrees require specific Essential Learning courses. It is important that you check your program sheet for specific requirements.

Other Lower Division Requirements

These requirements may vary by degree type. Maverick Milestone and Essential Speech must be taken together. You must complete Essential Learning English and Mathematics requirements and earn at least 45 credit hours before enrolling in Maverick Milestone and Essential Speech.

Foundation Courses

These courses lay the foundation for all major-specific classes you must take. Often, these courses are either pre-requisites for other required classes or are required before application to a program. Not all degrees have a foundation section.

Program Specific Degree Requirements

Some degrees have program specific degree requirements. These typically include additional standards, course requirements, or upper division coursework. Some majors include sections called Core Courses or Concentration Courses.  Core courses are often classes where you develop skills needed for upper-division courses in your major. Concentration courses are classes for further specialization in a field. 

Some degrees include a list of Restrictive Electives in the program specific degree requirements. You will choose classes from a list of courses provided in your program sheet to meet this requirement.

General Electives

Any college level course appearing on a your final transcript that is not listed in the above categories of the program sheet are general electives. General electives help you reach the required number of credit hours for graduation. Some general electives may need to be upper-division courses (300-level and 400-level). General electives do not need to be related to your major and can be used to explore areas of study or pursue personal interests. Each major requires a different number of credit hours in general electives.

Suggested Course Plan

Your department’s suggestions on what order to take classes. The suggested course plan serves as a guide for you to plan your degree path from your first semester through graduation. The course plan is a suggestion and may not reflect the actual path you take to graduation (this may especially be true for transfer students, students with prior college credits, or part-time students).In general, major courses specifically written in the suggested course plan should be taken in the order suggested as they may be pre-requisites for future courses or may only be offered during certain semesters.