Registrar's Office

General Education Program

Through the General Education Program the University strives to achieve goals that complement and support its mission. Broadly, the program seeks to prepare graduates for lives of learning. On a more focused level the program seeks to prepare students for the study of a major academic discipline. The faculty believes that it is the responsibility of the University to produce graduates who will contribute to the advancement of civilization. Therefore, the faculty seeks in the General Education Program to provide students with a foundation of intellectual skills and knowledge to enable them to lead productive and ethical lives. The program aims to enable students to think critically, to analyze information, and use it to make logical decisions.

The General Education Program seeks to have students understand and appreciate the best of what humanity has created and produced the aesthetic and intellectual accomplishments.

The General Education Program is buttressed by four goals which the University aims to achieve for all students who matriculate as undergraduates. The General Education Program strives to:

  1. Provide students with a foundation for learning and for intellectual growth in an academic discipline;
  2. Prepare students for successful lives in an increasingly technical, dynamic, and complex society;
  3. Raise the intellectual aims and aspirations of students; and
  4. Develop in student’s high ethical standards, and a responsibility for the quality of life on earth.

These goals are pursued through a set of learning outcomes or objectives. The level of mastery of a given learning outcome is determined by the evaluation metrics. The learning outcomes and evaluation metrics provide a rationale for the courses and experiences that constitute the curriculum of the General Education Program.

General Education Curriculum  
English, ENG 101 & 102 6
Mathematics, MATH 147 & 148 6
Physical Science, SCI 105, 106* 3
Biology, BIOL 103, 104 3
Chemistry, CHEM 101 3
History, HIST 101 & 104 6
Foreign Language
6 hours in one language
 6
Social Science, SOC 101
 3
Economics, ECON 201 3
Fine and Performing Arts, ART 210 3
Literature, ENG 200 3
First Year Experience, FYE 101 & 102 2
Total: 47
*3 hours of a Biological Science and 6 hours of a Physical Science or 6 hours of a Biological Science and 3 hours of a Physical Science

Another major element of the General Education Program is a service learning requirement. All students must complete 160 hours of service learning that have been approved by the Director of Service Learning.

Some courses in the General Education Program have been designated as service learning courses. These are English 101 & 102, First Year Experience 101 & 102, History 101 & 104, Mathematics 147 & 148, and Social Science 101. A student in one of these courses can earn 20 service learning hours. The maximum number of service learning hours that can be earned this way is 80. The other 80 hours are earned by engaging in projects approved by the Director of Service Learning. Students are encouraged to consult with their advisors and the Director of Service Learning early in their matriculation about opportunities for service.
The undergraduate curriculum consists of the following elements:
  
General Education Program
47 hours
Major and Cognate Requirements
60 hours
Free Electives
18 hours
The free electives are limited only by the level of the courses taken:
  
100 level courses
3 hours
200 level courses
6 hours
300 and 400 level courses 9 hours