We have designed a purposeful, sequenced, and on-going approach to achieving the student learning outcomes of the General Education Program.

Each major can determine specific ways in which its students meet components of GenEd.  See each program's curriculum guide for specifics.

All baccalaureate programs fulfill the following requirements.

Key Touchpoints

• First Year Experience. The foundation of UC’s First Year Experience (FYE) approach is the responsiveness to ongoing student reflection and a common of set of targeted learning areas.
  • One or more appropriate First Year courses, or learning communities.  The course(s) used to complete FYE might also apply to another GenEd requirement (see below).
  • Begin Fundamental Skills and Breadth of Knowledge (BoK) requirements.
• Mid-Collegiate. Purposeful mid-collegiate programming and student reflection will continue to provide on-going support for students as they proceed through their college career. Components include:
  • One or more mid-collegiate courses or academic experiences that encourage students to engage in experiential learning to increase disciplinary proficiency and promote contextual understanding and knowledge integration (course or experience determined by unit or major).
  • Methodology.  Each academic major program requires academic training in the understanding of the systematic methods and history of the discipline/profession (course or experience determined by unit or major).
  • Mid-Collegiate Writing.  A college-determined course, usually ENGL2089, "Intermediate Composition".  Intermediate Composition will reinforce what students learn in the first year and will focus their attention on where meaning is made.  It also introduces higher-level learning about writing and reading communicated across academic disciplines.  The primary goal of the course is to help students develop rhetorical sensitivity to differences in academic and professional writing across the disciplines (see English Composition).
  • Complete Fundamental Skills and BOK requirements.
• Senior-Year Experience. A senior-year experience that enables students to transition to a profession or graduate school and continue to pursue life-long learning and social responsibility.
  • The capstone experience is designed to demonstrate proficiency in the Baccalaureate Competencies and in the content/skills of the program/major.  As a culminating experience, the capstone should require interdisciplinary and contextual perspectives (course or experience determined by unit or major).  Note: a capstone course is usually 3 credit hours, but can be determined by the unit or major.

Foundational Skills

• English Composition (6 credit hours)
  
  • ENGL1001 "English Composition" to be completed during the first year
  • ENGL2089 "Intermediate Composition" or other designated writing course to be completed during the mid-collegiate years
• Quantitative Reasoning (QR) (3 credit hours)
  • The appropriate level of analytical and/or mathematical literacy determined by each academic unit/program.

Breadth of Knowledge Requirements (BoK)

• Contemporary Topics: UC's GenEd Core is designed to direct students to courses and experiences that prepare graduates to contribute and thrive in a global, diverse, and technological society. Each student should take 2 courses from 2 of the following 3 topics (6 credit hours)
  • Diversity and Culture (DC): analysis and understanding of issues arising from individual and cultural differences.
  • Social and Ethical Issues (SE): social/ethical reasoning from historical and contemporary perspectives.
  • Technology and Innovation (TI): analysis and understanding of how discovery and inventaion (tangible or intangible) impact society.
• Distribution Areas: UC's GenEd program assures exposure to the traditional disciplines that are the hallmark of a liberally educated person.  Students should choose 4 courses from a minimum of 3 distribution areas. (12 credit hours)
  • Fine Arts (FA)
  • Historical Perspectives (HP)
  • Humanities and Literature (HU)
  • Natural Sciences (NS)
  • Social Sciences (SS)

See Definitions for detailed descriptions.

Interdisciplinary Courses may carry up to two BoK classifications when faculty certify that a course fully meets the expectations of each BoK.  Students completing these courses will earn credit for each of the indicated BOKs. This option is meant to encourage and facilitate the completion of course sequences for depth of learning, double majors, and certificate programs.