Each year, about 1,500 students take the course, most of whom are in their first or second semester at Mines.  

NHV classes are designed to provide students a small classroom community with substantial feedback and 1:1 support from the instructor on writing and research. The smaller class sizes also support wide-ranging and engaging class discussions on important topics related to students’ future careers.

Students cannot test out of NHV. To transfer credits to replace NHV, a student would need to have previously taken and passed both an Environmental Ethics and English Composition II course at the college level or a course developed as an equivalent to HASS 100: Nature and Human Values at Mines.

If a student receives a 5 on the Advanced Placement (AP) English Language Arts Exam or transfers credit to Mines for an English Composition II college-level course, that student is eligible to take HASS 111: Nature and Human Values Short Form. 

NHV Short Form is an accelerated NHV course that focuses primarily on personal and professional ethics while reviewing academic research skills. 

Students should talk to their advisors about whether or not they meet the requirements for short form.

For further questions about short form eligibility or placement, reach out to HASS advisor Dr. Mairead Case at mcase@mines.edu.

No, the Thorson First Year Honors Program is a year-long program that replaces both NHV and Design I with its own specialized instruction.  

NHV Is a 3 credit hour course. Students engage in seminar style discussion which requires completing readings and watching lecture videos outside of class. Student also complete research and written assignments per the instructors guidelines.

NHV provides enough background context for students who have no prior knowledge of ethics to succeed in the class.  Students who have previously taken courses in ethics often find the signature course experience and the focus on professional and environmental ethics enriching.

NHV is usually taken in a student’s first year at Mines in the fall or spring semester. NHV sections are also offered in the summer semesters when there is sufficient demand. NHV serves as a prerequisite for other HASS classes at Mines, so it is to the student’s benefit to take NHV as early as possible.

If a new Mines student is unable to take NHV in the fall semester due to fully enrolled course sections, it is often much easier for that student to register for NHV sections in the spring semester. Students should ask their advisor for help planning the appropriate sequence of courses and registering in a timely fashion.

Instructors of NHV hold a Masters degree or PhD in a field related to composition, ethics, or environmental studies. NHV course instructors also have experience providing meaningful feedback on student writing, leading inclusive conversations about ethics and the environment, and working with existing program curricula.

The course has its own textbook, written and edited by HASS Department faculty, that contains required course readings and content related to engineering, ethics, and communication. You can get this textbook on the Mines bookstore website. Specific information is below:

While Mines is a STEM-focused institution, NHV provides the foundations for students to:

• Be able to apply ethical theories to real-life situations
• Understand the broader social, environmental, and cultural contexts of engineering ethics
• Become the well-rounded engineers which employers are looking for
• Develop a critical reading lens, writing abilities, communication skills, and argumentative strategies

Students in NHV will research topics related to their interests in the context of engineering, earth, energy, technology, and society, while learning to work with a range of research sources and stakeholders.