General Education Core Requirements

The General Education Core is a signature feature of our University where you share a common educational experience that comprehensively links undergraduates in every program at the University of Cincinnati and prepares you for a successful career, active participation in your community, and life long learning.  As one of the nation’s top 25 research-intensive universities, UC has taken a leadership role to become more engaged with society and to assume more civic responsibility. 

UC’s General Education Core complements traditional academic programs and majors and prepares graduates for successful lives and careers.  How do we do this?  By promoting and evaluating four student core competencies.

                  Undergraduate Core Competencies:  The Skills for Your Success!

Critical Thinking:  analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of information and ideas from multiple perspectives	Knowledge Integration:  fusion of information and concepts from multiple disciplines
Effective Communication:  competence in oral, visual, and written language; use of resources and technology for communication	Social Responsibility:  application of knowledge and skills gained from the undergraduate experience for the advancement of a diverse society

                                         

                                                       Course Requirements  

Foundation Skills:  Prepares you for academic and life success.        

English Composition:  The English Composition Program empowers students to become confident and responsible writers, both in college and beyond.  Students will take a  three course sequence, as determined by the unit/college where enrolled. (This is typically English 101, 102, with English 289 to be completed during the student's Mid-Collegiate years.)

Contemporary Topics:  Courses that prepare graduates to contribute and thrive in a
global, diverse, and technological society.  Students choose one 3 credit course, or an
equivalent experience in each,  from the following 3 topics.   

                                                    
   

Diversity and Culture:  Analysis and understanding of issues arising from individual and cultural differences.

Social and Ethical Issues:  Social/ethical reasoning from historical and contemporary perspectives.

Quantitative Reasoning:  Study mathematics, logic, or analysis to meet the appropriate level of analytical literacy determined by your unit/college.

Breadth of Knowledge Courses (Distribution Areas):  In order to ensure exposure to the
traditional disciplines that are the hallmark of a liberally educated person, students choose
eight 3 credit hour courses from a minimum of 5 distribution areas.

                                                   

Fine Arts:  These courses aim to teach students to appreciate and recognize the comprehensive role of art as an expression of the cultural values of a society and the need to preserve these expressions for the benefit of future generations.  Courses from the following disciplines may be examples of this distribution area:  dance, drama, music, and visual arts.

Historical Perspectives:  Courses in this area help students understand the development of political, economic, social, and cultural institutions of a particular nation or people.  Courses from the following disciplines may be examples of this distribution area:  history and historical methodology.

Humanities:  Courses in this area help students understand the human condition and the values inherent in it.  This understanding will help the development of insights into and a critical evaluation of the meaning of life.  Courses from the following disciplines may be examples of this distribution area:  classics, communication, English, foreign languages, linguistics, philosophy, rhetoric, and courses not included in the other distribution areas.

Literature:  Courses that include the study of literary texts and criticism in the original language or translation.

Natural Sciences: Courses in this area help students discover the order, diversity, and beauty of nature and in so doing, enable students to develop a greater appreciation of the world around them.  Courses from the following disciplines may be examples of this distribution area:  earth, life, physical sciences, and advanced mathematical sciences.

Social Sciences: Courses in this area help students develop their understanding of the diverse personal, interpersonal, and societal forces that shape people's lives.  Courses from the following disciplines may be examples of this distribution area:  communication, cultural anthropology, economics, human geography, planning, political science, psychology, and sociology.

This will include a methodology course in the major that teaches the “how to,” or provides an understanding of the systematic methods and history of the discipline/profession.  These courses are required courses within the major, and do not provide General Education BoK credits for students in that major.

Capstone Course or Experience

A capstone course or experience provides students the opportunity to demonstrate mastery and integration of Baccalaureate Competencies and the content/skills of the program/major.  The placement and content of this course or experience is determined by the major.

                                                                Benefits to Students

• Your General Education Core is designed to complement all academic majors at UC.
  
  

• If you transfer to a different major/program within UC, your General Education Core can readily transfer from one college to another. 
  
  

• Our General Education Core is purposefully designed to improve the four competencies, skills for life success.  (This means that a lot of time went into the design of the General Education Core including many faculty discussions over many years from diverse academic units of the University) 
   

• With our world-class faculty and a top-notch General Education Core, you will be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for a full and productive life in an increasingly globalized society.