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General Education

The General Education Program provides liberal arts and science-based awareness, knowledge, and skills as an integral part of students’ ongoing learning experience and educational goals. The Program offers opportunities for students to become literate, self-directed, committed to excellence, aesthetically aware, and ethically responsible individuals concerned with integrity and respect for people.

Learning Outcome

Upon completion of the General Education Program, students will be able to accomplish the following:

  • Communication: Demonstrate effective communication skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. (Skills, literate)
  • Cultural Diversity: Demonstrate a scientific knowledge of human behavior and acknowledge the cultural diversity of different peoples of the world. (Liberal arts and science-based knowledge, respect for people, integrity)
  • Human Values: Use an understanding of the historical and philosophical development of current cultures to demonstrate respect for human values and perspectives. (Liberal arts, literate, respect for people)
  • Ethical Behavior: Demonstrate understanding of ethical reasoning by constructing arguments on issues of importance of society (Self-directed, ethically responsible, concerned with integrity, respect for people).
  • Technological Literacy: Demonstrate appropriate technological literacy and skills for personal and professional use. (Knowledge and skills, literate)
  • Health & Well-Being: Demonstrate an understanding of behaviors that best promote personal health and psychological well-being. (Ongoing learning experience, self-directed, committed to excellence)
  • Aesthetic Awareness: Identify and appreciate artistic expressions from historical, philosophical, and cultural perspectives. (Liberal arts, aesthetically aware)
  • Critical Thinking: Use appropriate critical thinking skills to solve problems. (Literate, ongoing learning experience)
  • Scientific Reasoning: Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental concepts of mathematics and science, analytical ability, problem-solving capacity, and the use of the scientific method. (Science-based awareness, ongoing learning experience, literate)

 

General Education Requirements

All candidates for the Bachelor of Science degree and the Bachelor of Arts degree, except those seeking teacher licensure and majors in Industrial Technology, are required to complete the General Education Program. All candidates for the Associate of Arts degree are required to complete the General Education Program. Candidates for the degrees in Associate of Applied Business, Associate of Applied Science, and Associate of Technical Study will find general education requirements scheduled within their outlined courses of study. Students seeking teacher licensure will find general education requirements scheduled within their outlined course of study.

It is expected that students will complete the General Education Program in their first four semesters of full- time enrollment. Requirements in Gateway to Success (LA 10001), English Composition, Reading, Mathematics, and Speech should be scheduled as early in the student’s program as possible.

In Mathematics and Natural Science, a more advanced level course may substitute for the specific General Education requirement listed below. Students should select General Education options in the Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Humanities with some care. In many cases, the General Education course is a prerequisite to more advanced courses needed for a major, minor, or field of concentration. In other cases, the student will receive credit in the major, minor, or field of concentration for the General Education course, as well as fulfill the requirements for the General Education Program.

General Education

General Education

  • Bachelor's Program
  • Minor
  • Associate's Program
  • Certificate

Program Overview

General Education Program provides liberal arts and science-based awareness, knowledge, and skills as an integral part of students’ ongoing learning experience and educational goals. The Program offers opportunities for students to become literate, self-directed, committed to excellence, aesthetically aware, and ethically responsible individuals concerned with integrity and respect for people.

Degree or Certificate
  • Bachelor of Social Work
  • Master of Education
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts
  • Bachelor of Science
  • Bachelor of Technical Studies
  • Bachelor of Arts
  • Associate of Technical Studies
  • Associate of Science
  • Associate of Art
  • Associate of Applied Business
  • Certificate
Campus Location
  • Rio Grande Main Campus
  • Jackson Center
  • McArthur Center
  • Meigs Center
  • Pike Center
College or School
  • Bunce School of Education
  • College of Arts and Sciences
  • College of Professional and Technical Studies
  • Emerson E. Evans School of Business
  • Holzer School of Nursing
  • School of Liberal Arts & Social Science
Modality
Modality tells you whether this program is in-person, online, or hybrid.
  • Some courses offered online
Total Credit Hours
40-60

General Education Required Courses: 

COM 11103 Fundamentals of Speech Communication ...................................... 3

ENG 11103 Composition I ........................... 3

ENG 11203 Composition II ................................ 3

Total Communication Skills hours ........................... 9

NOTE: Admission to English 11103 (Composition I) is determined by placement testing scores. Students without the necessary competencies must enroll in a pre-requisite course deemed appropriate. The credits in this course may not be used to meet any part of the General Education Communication Skills requirement.

HPE 10101 Human Wellness and Physical Fitness .................................................................... 1

Any HPE elective selected from activity courses ............................................................................... 1

Total Health and Physical Education hours ...................... 2

Group I.

Select at least one course from:
ART 10303 Art Appreciation
MUS 10403 Music Appreciation
FPA 10503 Fine Arts ..................................... 3

Group II.

Select at least one course from:
ENG 24103 Literary Imagination HUM 20103 The Humanities
PHR 21103 Philosophical Inquiry ................. 3

 

Group III.

Select at least one course from:
HIS 13103 World Civilization I
HIS 13203 World Civilization II ................... 3
Total Arts/Humanities hours .................................... 9

Group I.
Select at least one course from:

ATH 12103 Anthropology
HIS 12203 American History II (Since 1877)
POL 11103 American National Government........ 3

Group II.

Select at least one course from:

ECO 11103 Contemporary Economics
PSY 11103 General Psychology
SOC 11103 Introduction to Sociology ................. 3

Total Social Science hours ....................................... 6

LA 10001 Gateway to Success............................ 1

Total Liberal Art ...................................................... 1

Group I. Mathematics:

Select at least one course from:

MTH 13404 College Algebra*
MTH 21104 Quantitative Reasoning*
MTH 14505 Pre-calculus
MTH 21404 Intro Probability and Statistics
MTH 15105 Calculus 1 ................................... 4-5

Group II. Biology:

Select at least one course from:

BIO 11004 Plants and People*
BIO 11404 Principles of Biology ....................... 4

 

Group III. Natural Science:

Select at least one course from:

CHM 10404 Principles of Chemistry
NSC 22304 Environmental Science
PHY 10404 Principles of Physics ...................... 4

Total Mathematics and Natural Science ................12-13

NOTE: In addition to this module, each major program will be required to include within the major an appropriate block of instruction in the use of computer productivity skills. This may be a course within the department, outside the department, or scattered throughout a major program’s curriculum.