Below is a general listing of those gateway courses that fulfill basic General Education competency requirements. Besides these courses, students participate in national and College-developed assessment measures of their development in the all-College competencies.

Transfer students, especially those with an A.A. or A.S. degree, will ordinarily have met those General Education requirements satisfied by 100- and 200-level coursework. Transfer students who have earned more than 12 academic credits are not required to take the First Year Seminar and may substitute an open elective. This exception does not apply to students who have earned college credits through Advanced Placement or other high school coursework. Transfer and upper division students may also petition to substitute a suitable advanced course for a gateway course.

The General Education Program begins with the student's choice of First Year Seminar and ends with the culminating Senior Capstone course within the selected major.

All students must complete the following general education requirements:

All-College Competency #1: Written Communication (6 credits)
EN 101     Academic Writing I (3) AND
EN 201     Academic Writing II (3)

All-College Competency #2: Spoken and Interpersonal Communication (6 credits)
CM 121     Effective Speaking (3) AND
CM 301     Speech and Rhetoric (3) OR
CM 313     Debate (3) OR
CM 410     Advocacy and Public Communication (3) OR
LG 3__      300 level language course (3) OR
Communications intensive course (3) (offerings vary by semester)

All-College Competency #3: Ethics (3 credits)
HU 361      Commitment and Choice (3) OR
HU 365      Ethics (3)

All-College Competency #4: Quantitative Literacy (3 credits)
Any college level mathematics course (3)*
 
All-College Competency #5: Cultural Literacy (3 credits)
Select course from this list:
EN 210     Approaches to Literature (3)
EN 216     Shakespeare and His Rivals (3)
EN 221     Ethnic American Literature (3)
EN 241     Children’s Literature (3)
FA 111      Art History: to the Middle Ages (3)
FA 112      Art History:  Renaissance to the Present (3)
HG 101     World Civilization to 1550 (3)
HG 102     World Civilization 1550 to Present (3)
HG 121     U.S. History to 1877 (3)
HG 122     U.S. History 1877 to Present (3)
HU 160     Introduction to Philosophy (3)

All-College Competency #6: Scientific Literacy (3-4 credits)
Select course from this list:
SB 110       Introduction to Anthropology (3)
PS 120       Introduction to Psychology (3)
SB 130       Introduction to Sociology (3)
SM 117      Diversity of Life (4)
SM 118      Cellular and Molecular Biology (4)
SM 121      General Chemistry I (4)
SM 131      Physics I (4)
SM 132      Physics II (4)
SM 140      Environmental Science  (4)

All-College Competency #7: Diversity and Social Consciousness (3 credits)
Select course from this list:
EN 221     Ethnic American Literature (3)
FA 401      Contemporary Developments in the Arts (3)
HG 211/311   History of the African Diaspora (3)
HG 212/312   History of Africa (3)
HG 223     Women in American History (3)
HG 261     Comparative Political Ideologies (3)
LG __        Foreign Language course (3)
SB 110       Introduction to Anthropology (3)
SB 130       Introduction to Sociology (3)
SB 201       Multicultural Contributions to American Society (3)
SB 250       Cultural Geography (3)

All-College Competency #8: Visual Literacy (3 credits)
Select course from this list:
FA 111      Art History: to the Middle Ages (3)
FA 112      Art History: Renaissance to the Present (3)
FA 123      Introduction to Film Analysis (3)
FA 125      History and Contemporary Trends in Photography (3)
FA 161      Theater History: Prehistory to the Jacobean Period (3)
FA 210      Art of the World (3)
FA 408      Aesthetics: Philosophy of the Arts (3)

All-College Competency #9: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Information Literacy (3 credits)
Designated Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Information Literacy course in major (see program degree requirements)

All-College Competency #10: First Year Seminar and Senior Capstone (6 credits)
First Year Seminar
Student choice from list of available First Year Seminars

Senior Capstone
Designated Senior Capstone course in major (see program degree requirements)

*Associate degree candidates need only demonstrate math proficiency by taking and passing either the math proficiency exam or SM 100.