The Humanity and Technology (HAT) major empowers students to integrate their interests in science and technology with passions in the humanities and arts, raising innovative questions and undertaking new lines of inquiry not available to humanists or scientists working in isolation.
Combining the interpretive, critically reflective tools of the humanities with the collaborative, experimental methods of the sciences, you will design and develop new approaches, advance new understandings, and build new models of community and collaboration that will prepare you to be a leader in addressing the world’s most pressing issues at the interface of humanity and technology.
Core principles
The HAT community of faculty and students adheres to three core principles:
- We are interdisciplinary, connecting humanists, artists, scientists, and engineers in a spirit of innovative collaboration
- We are praxis-driven, combining hands-on making with critical reflection on the process
- We are design-oriented, creating spaces for open-ended thinking together, allowing new, sometimes surprising connections and approaches to emerge.
Structure
As a HAT major, you will gain core skills and competencies in two academic areas, one in the humanities or arts and one in STEM. You will also take integrative core courses with fellow HAT majors focused on connecting your two fields and developing leadership skills. Finally, you will complete a year-long senior capstone project in which you design and build something that integrates your two areas using an applied technology (e.g., AI/ML, data visualization, mixed reality, gaming, etc.).
Requirements
NOTE: You can easily make HAT a secondary major, with your other major fulfilling the requirements for your humanities or STEM area, thereby double-counting at least 15 credits!
I. Integrative Core (15-18 credits)
HTEC 101: Introduction to Humanity and Technology (3 credits)
HTEC 301: Humanity and Technology: Toward a Just and Sustainable Socio-technical World (3 credits)
Two electives from a list of courses that integrate humanities with STEM, for example “Equations that Changed the World,” “Responsible AI,” “Climate Change Science and Society,” “Embodied Religion and Mixed Reality,” and “Philosophy of Science” (6 credits)
II. Two Focus Areas
Focus Area I: Humanities. Complete the requirements for a minor in an A+H (Arts
and Humanities) program. Students may fulfill this requirement by majoring in one
of these programs. (15-18 credits)
Focus Area II: STEM. Complete the requirements for a minor in a STEM+N
(Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Nursing) program. Students
may fulfill this requirement by majoring in one of these programs. (15-18 credits)
III. Capstone Project
HTEC 399 Parts A and B (fall and spring semesters of your senior year, for a total of 3-6 credits).
Please see the 2025-2026 CWRU General Bulletin for the full curriculum and available electives.
What can I do with this major?
HAT graduates will be able to say with confidence: “I am not just a scientist or technician, nor am I limited to ‘soft’ skills. I am an effective leader who knows how to integrate my knowledge and skills in science and technology with my knowledge and skills in the humanities, and that’s what your organization needs.”
Here are just a few of the many potential career paths for HAT majors: AI ethics, science communication and journalism, science- or technology-specific law, education technology, environmental policy and sustainability, tech startups, and healthcare technology. Not to mention the many career paths that have not been invented yet!
Interested in exploring the Humanity and Technology (HAT) Major? Read some of our frequently asked questions or email hat-info@case.edu.
River is an undergraduate student at CWRU with a passion for creative writing (esp. science fiction) and data science (especially natural language processing). They also have concerns about the climate crisis, which they believe calls for creative, ethical engagement with new and emerging technologies. They have discovered Humanity and Technology as an ideal program for integrating their interests and commitments.
Below a sample plan of study in Humanity and Technology for River, excluding the courses needed to fulfill general education requirements:
Year one
HTEC 101 Introduction to Applied Technology, Humanities, and Science
ENGL 203 Introduction to Creative Writing (Focus Area 1 — English)
ENGL 213 Introduction to Fiction Writing (Focus Area 1 — English)
ENGR 131 Elementary Computer Programming (Focus Area 2 — Applied Data Science)
STAT 201R Basic Statistics for Social and Life Sciences Using R (Focus Area 2– Applied Data Science)
Year two
ENGL 258 Science Fiction (Focus Area 1 — English)
PHIL 204 Revolutions in Science (integrative elective requirement)
DSCI/COGS 330 Cognition and Computation (Focus Area 2 — Applied Data Science)
DSCI 352 Applied Data Science Research (Focus Area 2 — Applied Data Science)
Year three
HTEC 301 Humanity and Technology: Toward a Just and Sustainable Socio- technical World
HUMN 305 Coding for the Humanities (integrative elective requirement)
ENGL 303 Intermediate Writing Workshop: Fiction (Focus Area 1 — English)
ENGL 387 Literary and Critical Theory (Focus Area 1 — English)
DSCI 351 Exploratory Data Science (Focus Area 2 — Applied Data Science)
Year four
HTEC 399A Capstone I for Humanity and Technology Majors (2 credits)
HTEC 399B Capstone II for Humanity and Technology Majors (4 credits)
River’s capstone project uses natural language processing and machine learning to design, train, and build a model that serves as a conversation partner for creative writers, filmmakers, and gamers to develop science-fictional story worlds that imagine just and sustainable socio-technical futures for humans in a more-than- human world that is facing a potentially catastrophic ecological and political collapse. Their application is accompanied by a written paper in which they explain both the literary and narrative theoretical perspectives and the ecological and ethical commitments that inform their engagement with creative fiction writing, NLP, and machine learning.
The short answer is ‘yes!’ Exams for professional school (e.g. GRE, MCAT) require a mixture of humanities and STEM knowledge in order to be competitive. At CWRU, all the pre-health tracks include natural sciences, social sciences and humanities in their required curriculum, and many pre-med and pre-health classes not only fit within a major requirement, but can also fulfill a breadth requirement for general education.
Yes! The HAT degree will prepare you not only for the current job market, but also for emerging specialties. Engineering and select research fields will still expect a bachelor’s in engineering and science, however HAT is a good secondary major, if you want to integrate your humanities and STEM interests.
For example, you might want to pursue a mechanical engineering degree with a subspecialty in sustainable engineering, but also love history. The skills you gain through both courses of study—the collaborative, group-oriented approach of engineering, designing and building models, combined with the critical reading, writing and presentation skills of history—will give you a strong skill-set for industry and entrepreneurship. Employers today place a high value on communication skills (both written and verbal), teamwork and the ability to receive and use constructive criticism. Being able to accept and learn from mistakes, ask questions, and communicate in a timely fashion are all skills emphasized in the HAT curriculum.
CWRU students often double major or pursue a dual degree (when you have degrees from different schools, such as adding a management or engineering degree to your major in the College of Arts and Sciences). Plenty of students also pursue a pre-health or pre-law track, with the various requirements folded into their majors and general education requirements. With a HAT major, you will have room to volunteer, explore research and internship opportunities, engage in experiential learning, and join a campus group.
In addition, if your STEM focus area is in engineering or computer science, you are eligible for the Cooperative Education Program, and all students are eligible for the Practicum Program and resources through the Center for Career Success. There are hundreds of campus organizations to join, including academic societies, Greek life, and affinity groups, to award-winning dance teams and a capella groups, theater and improv, music ensembles, writing, and arts groups.