The founders of Harvey Mudd College held that “technology divorced from humanity is worse than no technology at all.” To explore the meaning of the founders' vision, students choose a one-semester Integrative Experience (IE) course that explores the interaction between science, technology and society. Students may choose either a faculty-initiated course or a student-initiated course.

The Curriculum Committee will be responsible for determining whether a course or experience meets the IE guidelines. With the exception of student-initiated courses, a course to be taken for IE credit must be approved by the Curriculum Committee prior to the pre-registration period for the semester in which the course is to be offered or the project is to be undertaken. The list of currently approved Integrative Experience courses and guidelines for creating an individual Integrative Experience is maintained by the Office of the Dean of Faculty.