Fulfilling the Requirements

Your completion of Gen Ed will depend on factors such as when you entered the university, placement exams, and course selections. Course planning guides are available for Freshmen entering Fall 2018 and later, Transfer students entering Fall 2019 and later,Transfer students entering Fall 2018 through Spring 2019Freshmen who enrolled beginning Fall 2010 and prior to Fall 2018, or Transfer students who enrolled beginning Fall 2010 and prior to Fall 2018.

Students who enrolled Fall 2018 or later, see requirements below.

The table below outlines the Gen Ed requirements for students who enrolled as Freshmen Fall 2018 or later. A Gen Ed Course Planning Guide is available to help you keep track of your courses. 

Curriculum Area # of courses required # of credits earned Fulfilling the Requirement
Writing 2 courses 6 credits One course (CW) or exemption (see Writing Program) and one upper level 3-credit Junior Year Writing course offered by your major department
Basic Mathematics 1 course 0-3 credits One course (R1) or a passing score on the Tier 1 Math Exemption Exam
Analytic Reasoning 1 course 3 credits One course (R2)
Biological & Physical World 2 courses 8 credits One course (BS) and one course (PS)

Social World

4 courses 16 credits

One course (AL/AT), one course (HS), one course (SB), and one course (AL, AT, SB, I, or SI)

Two courses within the Social World are needed to fulfill the Social &Cultural Diversity requirement. 

One course focusing on UNITED STATES diversity (designated as DU) and one course focusing on GLOBAL diversity (designated as  DG).

Courses fulfilling the Social and Cultural Diversity requirement are offered as joint designations with the Social World Courses (for example: ALU, ALDU, ALG, ALDG, etc.)

Integrative Experience varies by department 3 credits A variety of options will be offered during junior or senior year in your major department. (*)

For further information about each curriculum area, visit Curriculum Areas and Designations.

Things to keep in mind:

  • Up to three courses can count for JYW, IE, and one additional GenEd requirement. One course from the major department can also count toward Diversity. There is no limit on GenEd or Diversity courses that can be counted toward major requirements.
  • Interdisciplinary (I, IDU, IDG, SI, SIDU, or SIDG) courses may only count toward the last Social World requirement. Additional Interdisciplinary courses may count toward the Social & Cultural Diversity requirement. No more than three I or SI courses will count toward Gen Ed and Diversity
  • Gen Ed courses cannot be taken on a pass/fail basis.
  • To monitor your Gen Ed progress, regularly review your Academic Requirements Report (ARR) via SPIRE and consult with your advisor.

It is important that you plan your Gen Ed courses carefully with the help of your advisor so that you are choosing subjects that interest you and that will create a unifying experience for you. You do not need to complete your Gen Ed courses at the start of your college career; plan to distribute them throughout your four years.

Did you enroll prior to 2010?