Ensuring Breadth of Study
The HASS-D Requirement ensures breadth of study for every MIT student, regardless of major. To meet it, students must take 3 subjects from 3 different HASS-D categories. These subjects must be taken for a letter grade or under the Freshman Pass/No Record option. Students may take more than 3 HASS-Ds; "extra" HASS-Ds will count toward the 8-subject HASS-Requirement as HASS-Electives.
HASS-D subjects are designed with specific aims in mind and, unless stated otherwise, must meet certain criteria.
The HASS-D Categories
Literary and Textual Studies—Category 1
Subjects in this category are devoted to the interpretation of texts, to literary traditions, and to literary genres.
Language, Thought, and Value—Category 2
Subjects in this category focus on the concepts, principles, and modes of expression basic to our efforts to understand individuals and their place in the universe
Visual and Performing Arts—Category 3
Subjects in this category are drawn from the visual arts, music, drama, dance, and film. Some are historical and analytical; others are more directly concerned with the creation of art.
Cultural and Social Studies—Category 4
Subjects in this category study human societies by examining social, cultural, economic, political, and religious organizations and behavior.
Historical Studies—Category 5
Subjects in this category study the development of people, institutions, and countries over time.
Click here for the HASS-D course listings and schedule for Fall 2009.
Click here for the HASS-D supplemental course descriptions.
The HASS-D Foreign Language Option
Students may substitute one Level 3 or Level 4, third- or fourth-semester, (intermediate-level) language subject for one HASS-D. If the subject is taken at MIT, it will automatically count toward the HASS-D Requirement.
Timing Tip!
We strongly encourage you to take your HASS-D subjects in your freshman and sophomore years—to begin satisfying the HASS-D Requirement, and also to sample offerings in different fields. Ideally, your HASS-Ds will help you identify a field for further exploration in your HASS concentration, or in a minor or major. HASS-Ds are assigned through The HASS-D Lottery in which seniority is not considered. Waiting until your last semester could mean taking a HASS-D that is low on your list, or even getting “lotteried out” of a HASS-D you need to graduate.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology