Nov 23, 2024  
2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
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2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

General Education

An undergraduate student whose enrollment in a curriculum occurs after May 15, 2005, must fulfill the general education requirements in effect at that time. If a student withdraws from the University and subsequently returns or does not remain continuously enrolled (summers excluded), the requirements in effect at the time of return will normally prevail. Any variation in curricular or general education requirements shall be considered under the curriculum year change or the substitution procedure.

Mission Statement

Academic institutions exist for the transmission of knowledge, the pursuit of truth, the intellectual and ethical development of students, and the general well-being of society. Undergraduate students must be broadly educated and technically skilled to be informed and productive citizens. As citizens, they need to be able to think critically about significant issues. Students also need to be prepared to complete undergraduate work and a major course of study.

The mission requires a high level of knowledge about and competence in the following areas:

General Education Competencies

  1. Arts and Humanities
    Demonstrate an ability to analyze and/or interpret the arts and humanities.
  2. Mathematics
    Demonstrate mathematical literacy through solving problems, communicating concepts, reasoning mathematically, and applying mathematical or statistical methods, using multiple representations where applicable.
  3. Natural Sciences
    Demonstrate the process of scientific reasoning by performing an experiment and thoroughly discussing the results with reference to the scientific literature, or by studying a question through critical analysis of the evidence in the scientific literature.
  4. Social Sciences
    Describe and explain human actions using social science concepts and evidence.
  5. Cross-Cultural Awareness
    Explain how aspects of culture are integrated into a comprehensive worldview; and then demonstrate how culture influences human behavior.
  6. Science and Technology in Society
    Demonstrate an understanding of issues created by the complex interactions among science, technology, and society.
  7. Communication
    Effective oral and written communication is the means by which all competencies will be demonstrated.
  8. Critical Thinking
    Demonstrate the ability to assemble information relevant to a significant, complex issue, evaluate the quality and utility of the information, and use the outcome of the analysis to reach a logical conclusion about the issue.
  9. Ethical Judgment
    Demonstrate an ability to identify, comprehend, and deal with ethical problems and their ramifications in a systematic, thorough, and responsible way.

Requirements-33 Credit Hours

To meet general education competencies, 33 total credit hours are required, distributed as follows: I. General Education Coursework-31 credit hours; II. Distributed Coursework-2 credit hours.

I. General Education Coursework-31 hours required

General education requirements in some curricula are more restrictive than those shown below. Science and Technology in Society and Cross-Cultural Awareness requirements may be satisfied by other General Education courses, as indicated in the footnotes below, as long as the student completes a total of 31 hours in area I. and satisfies requirements A-F below:

A. Communication: at least 6 credits

English Composition 3 credits
Oral Communication 3 credits
Or an approved cluster of courses such as:
Note:

* May be satisfied either by the courses above or by an approved departmental cluster of courses, see II. Distributed Coursework. Students taking clusters must still earn at least 31 hours from the General Education Coursework list.

B. Mathematical, Scientific, and Technological Literacy: at least 10 credits

Mathematics 3 credits
Note:

For Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, and Special Education majors only, the approved cluster of MATH 1150 , MATH 1160  and MATH 2160  satisfies the requirement.

Natural Science with Lab 4 credits
Mathematics or Natural Science 3 credits

Any general education Mathematics or Natural Science course listed above or:

C. Arts and Humanities: at least 6 credits

Literature 3 credits

Any 2000-level ENGL literature course

Non-Literature 3 credits

D. Social Sciences: at least 6 credits

Selected from two different fields 6 credits
Note:

AGRB and ECON are considered the same field.

Note:

Science and Technology in Society and Cross-Cultural Awareness requirements may be satisfied by other General Education courses, as indicated in the footnotes below, as long as the student completes a total of 31 hours in area I.

E. Cross-Cultural Awareness: at least 3 credits

F. Science and Technology in Society: at least 3 credits

Note:

1 This course also satisfies the Science and Technology in Society Requirement.

2 This course also satisfies the Cross-Cultural Awareness Requirement.

II. Distributed Coursework: 2 credits

A. Academic and Professional Development: at least 2 credits

Departmental courses approved by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee addressing the general academic and professional development of the student.

B. Distributed Competencies Coursework

Courses in general education and the disciplines incorporate critical thinking, ethical judgment, and both written and oral communication skills into the curriculum. Some curricula use a cluster of courses to meet the oral communication competency.