Individualized Cognate Courses


If you have questions regarding cognates or courses eligible to be used in individualized cognates, please log in to Navigate to schedule time to speak with your academic advisor.

Beginning in Fall 2021, UM students can fulfill the Areas of Knowledge general education requirement by creating an individualized cognate. Only courses (UM as well as transfer courses) with an Area of Knowledge course attribute in CaneLink can be used in an individualized cognate. All three courses in an individualized cognate must have the appropriate Area of Knowledge course attribute. Courses used in an individualized cognate cannot be double counted toward any other degree requirement. An individualized cognate must be a minimum of 3 courses (9 credit hours). Individualized cognates use the following academic plan codes: AT_0080 (Arts & Humanities), PS_0070 (People & Society), and ST_0026 (STEM). For information on thematic cognates, use the cognate search engine.

Below is a searchable list of current courses that can be used in an individualized cognate.

NOTE: The course a student takes to fulfill the quantitative skills proficiency requirement cannot be double counted by including it in an individualized cognate. Also courses with a grade of CR (except for test credits that are accepted with a UM equivalency from AP, IB, GCE, Cambridge Pre-U, CAPE, and CLEP programs) cannot be used to fulfill general education or other degree requirements like individualized cognates.

The courses below are currently effective for the: Spring 2026 Term

Subject Course No. Course Title Area of Knowledge Designation Typically Offered Credits (Min/Max)
POL 533 Courts and Controversy People and Society By Announcement Only 3/3
POL 534 Applied Policy Analysis People and Society Fall, Spring, Summer 3/3
POL 536 U.S. Health Care Crisis: Politics and Policies People and Society Fall 3/3
POL 537 Microeconomics for Public Policy People and Society Spring 3/3
POL 540 Human Resource Management in Public Service People and Society Spring 3/3
POL 541 Philosophy of Law People and Society By Announcement Only 3/3
POL 544 Chinese Foreign Policy People and Society Spring 3/3
POL 545 Environmental Policy Making People and Society Summer 3/3
POL 546 Public Policy Process and Implementation People and Society Fall, Spring, Summer 3/3
POL 547 Congressional Representation People and Society Fall, Spring, Summer 3/3
POL 548 Civic Participation and Democracy People and Society By Announcement Only 3/3
POL 549 Energy Policy: Technology, Politics, and Society People and Society Fall 3/3
POL 550 Advanced Seminar on American Politics People and Society Spring 3/3
POL 551 Productivity in the Public and Non-Profit Sectors People and Society Summer 3/3
POL 553 The Environmental Movement: Groups, Beliefs and Values People and Society Spring 3/3
POL 555 Total Quality Public Service Management: Achieving High Performance Government People and Society Fall 3/3
POL 556 Politics and Ethics People and Society Spring 3/3
POL 558 From Electronic Government to Digital Governance People and Society Fall 3/3
POL 559 International Organizations People and Society Spring 3/3
POL 565 The World Before European Domination People and Society By Announcement Only 3/3
POL 566 Activism People and Society Fall 3/3
POL 568 Indigenous Politics from a Global Perspective People and Society Fall 3/3
POL 569 LGBTI Politics People and Society Fall, Spring 3/3
POL 571 Sex, Babies, and the State People and Society By Announcement Only 3/3
POL 572 Government and Business People and Society Fall, Spring 3/3
POL 575 The Politics of Civil- Military Relations People and Society Fall 3/3
POL 576 On Violence: The Politics of Extremes People and Society Spring 3/3
POL 577 Security in South Asia: The Conflicts of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India People and Society Spring 3/3
POL 578 Energy and Security in Eurasia People and Society By Announcement Only 3/3
POL 580 Ethnicity, Nationalism and Secession People and Society By Announcement Only 3/3
POL 581 Comparative Political Economy of Post-Industrial Democracies People and Society Fall, Spring 3/3
POL 582 International Development Policy People and Society Fall, Spring, Summer 3/3
POL 584 Contemporary Latin American Politics People and Society Fall Even Years 3/3
POL 585 Post-Communist Russian Foreign Policy People and Society By Announcement Only 3/3
POL 586 Conflict in the Middle East and Africa People and Society Fall 3/3
POL 587 Illicit Trade in the Global Economy People and Society Spring 3/3
POL 588 Politics in China People and Society Fall 3/3
POL 591 International Security People and Society Spring 3/3
POL 592 International Political Economy People and Society Fall 3/3
POL 593 International Relations of the Middle East People and Society Spring 3/3
POL 594 European Security People and Society By Announcement Only 3/3
POL 595 Special Topics in Political Theory and Methods People and Society By Announcement Only 3/3
POL 596 Special Topics in Public Administration, Policy, and Law People and Society By Announcement Only 3/3
POL 597 Special Topics in International Relations People and Society By Announcement Only 3/3
POL 598 Special Topics in Comparative Politics People and Society By Announcement Only 3/3
POL 599 Special Topics in American Politics People and Society By Announcement Only 3/3
POL 614 Popular Culture and Politics People and Society Summer 3/3
POR 201 Intermediate Portuguese I Arts and Humanities Fall, Spring 3/3
POR 202 Intermediate Portuguese II Arts and Humanities Fall, Spring 3/3
POR 295 Transfer Credit Arts and Humanities Fall, Spring, Summer 1/3