What you need to know

To receive credit toward the HASS Requirement for a subject not already designated as a HASS class, you must petition the CUP Subcommittee on the HASS Requirement. Only subjects taken for a letter grade will be accepted.

Types of subjects that may be eligible for HASS Elective credit by petition:

  • Subjects taken through cross-registration at Harvard or Wellesley.
  • Graduate subjects offered within the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences.
  • Six-unit subjects combined for HASS credit.

Not eligible for HASS Elective credit:

  • Internships
  • UROPs
  • Independent studies

What you need to do

  • Download and complete a HASS Requirement Petition.
  • Obtain your advisor’s signature. You may wish to include materials to support your case: e.g. brief statement explaining request, syllabus, and statement of support from instructor.
  • If your proposed substitution is a graduate subject, the instructor for the class will also need to sign your form.
  • Submit your completed petition to hassreq@mit.edu.
  • Seniors in your final term — submit your petitions as soon as possible after finalizing your registration.
  • We will notify you of our final decision by email.

Guidelines for 6-unit subjects

  • You may combine two 6-unit Latin subjects (21L.611 and 21L.612 or 21L.613 and 21L.614) or two 6-unit Greek subjects (21L.607 and 21L.608 or 21L.609 and 21L.610) to form one HASS Humanities or HASS Elective subject by petition to the Subcommittee on the HASS Requirement.
  • You may combine a maximum of four 6-unit performance subjects offered by Music and Theater Arts to form two 12-unit HASS subjects. You do not need a petition to fulfill the HASS Arts Distribution. It will appear automatically in your audit.
  • To combine two 6-unit performance subjects for HASS Elective credit, email hassreq@mit.edu for an audit adjustment.
  • You may combine a maximum of four 6-unit literature samplings (except 21L.340 Pleasures of Poetry) to form two HASS subjects. You do not need a petition to use them to fulfill the HASS Humanities distribution. It will appear automatically in your audit. To count them as a HASS Elective, email hassreq@mit.edu for an audit adjustment.
  • If you have questions about how these 6-unit subjects are reflected in your audit, email hassreq@mit.edu.