General Education Designation

1. Courses may be proposed for General Education designation after approval as permanent (X00-X89) or experimental (X90-alpha) courses. Courses are proposed for designation by departments, not by individual faculty members, and are proposed with Forms F - P.

2. All proposals for General Education designation require the submission of Form F (Section I of General Education Designation Proposal), which requests certain information and attachments and serves as a signature sheet. Form F must be signed by the department head/chair. In addition, each proposal must include one or two Section II forms (G - P). These request information about the specific designation(s) requested. For each designation proposed, the department must submit six copies of the proposal. [That is, if a course is proposed for the Literature designation ( AL ), six copies must be submitted. If the course is proposed for the Literature and Diversity designations (ALD), twelve copies must be submitted.] Proposals for General Education designation go directly from the department chairs to the Provost's Office for distribution to the General Education Council; proposals are not reviewed by college curriculum committees or deans.

3. The General Education Council shall maintain standing subcommittees to review proposals for each designation. The subcommittees shall make recommendations to the Council on approval or disapproval of each course proposed. If the General Education Council approves the course for designation, the chair shall forward the Council's recommendation to the Secretary of the Faculty Senate. The Secretary shall cause the course designation to be placed on a Senate Agenda with an appropriate motion. No course designation shall be placed on the Faculty Senate Agenda unless it has been previously approved by the General Education Council.

4. If, subsequent to debate on the Senate floor, a course is referred back to the General Education Council, the Council must consider the specific objection(s) raised at its next scheduled meeting and determine the proper course of action (e.g., consultation with the proposer or re-submission to the Faculty Senate).

5. The Faculty Senate shall vote on the designation proposal. If the designation is approved, the Secretary of the Faculty Senate shall sign the signature sheet and forward it and the proposal to the Provost or designee.

6. The Provost or his/her designee shall review the designation proposal and, if he/she approves it, shall sign Form F and notify the department head/chair and the Scheduling Office that the course may be offered for General Education credit.

[The Undergraduate General Education Requirement booklet contains detailed information on requirements and procedures approved by the Faculty Senate on February 28, 1985 (Sen. Doc. No. 85-024). Each Department Head or Chair has a copy of the booklet. Additional copies can be obtained from either the Provost's Office or the Faculty Senate Office.]

HONORS DESIGNATION AND CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES

Honors designation is granted by the Director of the Honors Program subject to review if necessary by a standing subcommittee of the Academic Matters Council. Requests for such designation should be submitted to the Honors Program Office.

Credit-bearing courses offered only through the Division of Continuing Education shall follow the same procedures outlined above for either experimental or permanent course status, except that the Associate Provost for Continuing Education or designee shall review the proposal in place of the Dean of the School/College.

[Course approval procedures were approved by the Faculty Senate on May 15, 1986. The course approval procedures were modified by the Faculty Senate on November 10, 1994, as outlined above, and presented in Sen. Doc. No. 95-015. These procedures supersede Sen. Doc. Nos. 81-049, 82-001 and 82-063.]

Approval Guide Contents