Philosophy of General Education
The university’s general education curriculum provides a broad-based, integrative, and practical learning experience meant to prepare students for responsible civic and cultural engagement in a global context. By completing general education coursework, you will have gained skills and knowledge in arts, humanities, literature, communication, civics, political science, social science, mathematics and applied reasoning, and natural sciences. This level of knowledge and skill helps our students to become effective leaders, creative thinkers, responsible citizens, and ethical decision makers.
The general education categories span six broad areas of study that encompass existing disciplines frequently found in liberal education, while providing the flexibility to explore topics of interest relevant to your degree program. Completion of the courses listed below fulfills the university’s general education requirements within all associate and bachelor's degree programs, but your program may have unique requirements. We encourage you to carefully review the course requirements in your academic plan.
Arts & Humanities (6 semester hours)
Courses in the arts, humanities, and literature provide students with the opportunity to analyze and interpret artifacts within the appropriate historical, cultural, economic, social, or religious contexts. Students gain an appreciation for the myriad ways art, music, literature, cinema, theater, media, sports, and other artistic and creative forms of community and self-expression contribute to the production and reception of ideas, and how these shape all aspects of society both within and across cultural boundaries.
Competency: Explain the value and contribution of the humanities in contemporary society.
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ARAB100 | Arabic I | 3 |
| ARAB101 | Arabic II | 3 |
| ARTH200 | Art Appreciation | 3 |
| ARTH240 | Survey of Photography | 3 |
| ARTH241 | Film and Literature | 3 |
| DSIN141 | Image Enhancement using Adobe Photoshop | 3 |
| FREN100 | French I | 3 |
| FREN101 | French II | 3 |
| GERM100 | German I | 3 |
| GERM101 | German II | 3 |
| JAPN100 | Introduction to Japanese | 3 |
| LITR215 | Literature of American Encounters, Revolution, and Rebellion | 3 |
| LITR218 | From Abolition to #MeToo: Literature of the American Civil Rights Movement | 3 |
| LITR222 | Pivotal Figures in Early British Literature | 3 |
| LITR225 | British Literature from Wordsworth through the Wasteland | 3 |
| LITR231 | Leadership in World Literature: Antiquity to the Early Modern Period | 3 |
| LITR233 | Literature of the Newly Globalized World: The Individual’s Struggle to Adapt | 3 |
| MUSI200 | Music Appreciation | 3 |
| MUSI212 | Jazz and Rock | 3 |
| MUSI250 | World Music and Cultures | 3 |
| PHIL101 | Introduction to Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL110 | Critical Thinking | 3 |
| PHIL200 | Introduction to Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL202 | Philosophy of Science | 3 |
| PORT100 | Introduction to Brazilian Portuguese | 3 |
| RELS101 | Introduction to the Study of Religion | 3 |
| RELS201 | Introduction to World Religions | 3 |
| RUSS100 | Russian I | 3 |
| SPAN100 | Spanish I | 3 |
| SPAN101 | Spanish II | 3 |
| STEM270 | Thinking and Acting Ethically | 3 |
Civics, Political & Social Sciences (6 semester hours)
Explore cultural, economic, historical, political, psychological, social, or technological systems and issues that have shaped and continue to shape societies around the world. Courses explore trends and issues in globalization, emerging technologies, theoretical and practical models used for understanding local, transnational and transglobal problems, and differences in the ways individuals and societies experience and perceive the world.
Competency: Explain the inter-dependence of cultural, economic, historical, political, psychological, social, or technological systems within and across cultures.
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH100 | Introduction to Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH202 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | 3 |
| CHFD220 | Human Sexuality | 3 |
| COMM211 | Social Media and Society | 3 |
| COMM240 | Intercultural Communication | 3 |
| ECON101 | Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON102 | Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ECON201 | Microeconomics for Business (Business Majors) | 3 |
| ECON202 | Macroeconomics for Business (Business Majors) | 3 |
| EDUC200 | Humane Education: A Global Interdisciplinary Perspective | 3 |
| GEOG101 | Introduction to Geography | 3 |
| HOSP110 | Practical Food Safety and Awareness | 3 |
| IRLS210 | International Relations I | 3 |
| LITR212 | Forgotten America--Under Represented Cultures in American Literature | 3 |
| LITR235 | Four Points of the Compass: Culture and Society Around the World | 3 |
| POLS101 | Introduction to Political Science | 3 |
| POLS210 | American Government I | 3 |
| PSYC101 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| RELS250 | Death and Dying | 3 |
| RELS260 | Race & Religion | 3 |
| RELS270 | Hope and Resilience | 3 |
| SOCI111 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| SOCI212 | Social Problems | 3 |
| SOCI220 | American Popular Culture | 3 |
| STEM280 | Exploring Society and Cultures via Science Fiction | 3 |
Communication: Written, Oral, and Multimedia (9 semester hours)
Communication includes interpersonal, intercultural, and professional exchanges of information, including interactive, social, public and mass exchanges. Categories of communication include digital, oral, and written, as well as engaging in multi-modal forms of communication mediated by technology (new media), popular social media, and traditional and non-traditional public relations.
Competency: Be conversant in one or more forms of communication (digital, written, and oral).
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COMM120 | Information and Digital Literacy | 3 |
| COMM200 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| COMM285 | Interpersonal Communications (Public Health Majors) | 3 |
| ENGL101 | Proficiency in Writing | 3 |
| ENGL110 | Making Writing Relevant | 3 |
| ENGL115 | Argumentation and Rhetoric | 3 |
| ENGL210 | Introduction to Literature | 3 |
| ENGL220 | Technical Writing | 3 |
| ENGL221 | Scientific Writing | 3 |
| ENGL226 | Effective Business Communication | 3 |
| HRMT101 | Human Relations Communication | 3 |
| IRLS200 | Information Literacy and Global Citizenship | 3 |
| ITCC231 | Introduction to Information Technology Writing | 3 |
| MGMT100 | Human Relations | 3 |
History (3 semester hours)
Courses explore cultural heritage around the world in both ancient and modern civilizations. Students will recognize the importance of various historical events in analyzing contemporary, social, political, technological, and economic issues.
Competency: Contemplate and interpret the impact and relevance of various historical events on contemporary issues.
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| HIST101 | American History to 1877 | 3 |
| HIST102 | American History since 1877 | 3 |
| HIST111 | World Civilization before 1650 | 3 |
| HIST112 | World Civilization since 1650 | 3 |
| HIST121 | Western Civilization before The Thirty Years War | 3 |
| HIST122 | Western Civilization since The Thirty Years War | 3 |
| HIST221 | African-American History before 1877 | 3 |
| HIST222 | African-American History since 1877 | 3 |
| HIST223 | History of the American Indian | 3 |
| HIST270 | History of Science | 3 |
| STEM185 | The History and Context of STEM | 3 |
Mathematics and Applied Reasoning (3 semester hours)
Focuses on the development of quantitative and qualitative logical literacy. Students will prepare for advanced study by practicing analytical concepts and problem solving techniques. This category focuses on the conceptual and theoretical tools students need to make decisions based on the evaluation of data, and to gather, organize, analyze, and draw inferences from information.
Competency: Utilize qualitative and quantitative analysis in addition to scientific reasoning to problem-solve effectively.
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT100 | Accounting I | 3 |
| ACCT105 | Accounting for Non Accounting Majors | 3 |
| ENTD200 | Fundamentals of Programming | 3 |
| MATH110 | College Algebra | 3 |
| MATH111 | College Trigonometry | 3 |
| MATH112 | Pre-Calculus | 3 |
| MATH120 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| MATH125 | Math for Liberal Arts Majors | 3 |
| MATH225 | Calculus | 3 |
Natural Sciences (3 - 4 semester hours)
Provides students with the ability to use the inquiry-based process of science to describe, evaluate, and consider alternative explanations for scientific findings. Students will apply key concepts, facts, and theories about living systems and the physical universe, and use describe the scientific method and the quantitative tools of science. Students will relate that information to problems of wide global and societal concern.
Competency: Describe the inquiry-based scientific process to formulate hypotheses, make observations, design experiments, collect and analyze data, and reach conclusions.
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL180 | Introduction to Biology 2 | 3 |
| BIOL181 | Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 | 3 |
| CHEM180 | Introduction to Chemistry 2 | 3 |
| ERSC180 | Introduction to Meteorology 2 | 3 |
| ERSC181 | Introduction to Geology 2 | 3 |
| EVSP180 | Introduction to Environmental Science 2 | 3 |
| PHYS180 | Introduction to Physics 2 | 3 |
| SPST180 | Introduction to Astronomy 2 | 3 |
| STEM100 | Introduction to STEM Disciplines (Computer Technology and Electrical Engineering Majors) 2 | 3 |
| BIOL133 | General Biology I with Lab (Health Sciences and Sports and Health Sciences Majors) 2 | 4 |
| 1 | All literature courses require successful completion of ENGL101 Proficiency in Writing or ENGL110 Making Writing Relevant. |
| 2 | Please note that some degree programs specify science courses to fulfill general education requirements, while others allow for a choice of any science course from the list above. |