Your Path to Success Begins in General Education
General Education matters for who you are and who you will become and prepares you for a life of consequence, inquiry, and accomplishment. General Education is the foundation of your academic experience and transcends disciplinary boundaries.Gen Ed is shared by all degree-seeking students. Gen Ed credits (27) account for 45% of the Associate’s and 23% of the Bachelor’s degrees. Gen Ed provides broad exposure to diverse disciplines and is the foundation for developing intellectual tools, responsibility to the self and others, and preparing students for academic, civic, and professional success. Gen Ed is not a random series of courses to “get out of the way”. General education is a program of courses to lead the way to students’ future success in higher education, the workplace, and the community. Because Gen Ed courses are framed around a Big Question, which is tapped by a Signature Assignment, students repeatedly exercise Gen Ed Learning Outcomes (GELOs) and “cross-train” their mind.
General Education Mission
To provide students with foundational knowledge and intellectual tools that enhance and transcend their academic program of study. The big questions posed by Gen Ed courses address significant issues about the world. Gen Ed courses help students apply their learning and develop personal and social responsibility, which is demonstrated through signature assignments.
General Education Program Requirements
Students are required to pass CORE courses (12 credits) in Composition (EN1 & EN2), Quantitative Literacy (QL), American Institutions (AI), and Cultural Competence (CC) and BREADTH courses (15 credits) in Creative Arts (CA), Humanities (HU), Social Sciences (SS), Life Sciences (LS), and Physical Sciences (PS) with a grade of “D-” or better.
General Education Ceritifcate of Completion
The Certificate of Completion is awarded when students complete all core and breadth requirements with a minimum 2.0 GPA. Once awarded, it will appear on students’ transcripts and is considered part of their official record. The Certificate allows students to “lock in” their Gen Ed credits and is transferable between institutions in the Utah System of Higher Education.
Transfer Appeal Process for Gen Ed Requirements
Students may have transfer courses that lack an equivalent at Weber State or do not transfer as courses with Gen Ed attributes. Transfer courses may be articulated as departmental (e.g., MATH 1XXX) or general (e.g., ELEC 1XXX) electives that may not have an associated Gen Ed attribute. Although students may appeal transfer decisions to the department chair/articulator, they also may appeal the Gen Ed attribute decisions to the Director of General Education (see Gen Ed contacts and Transfer Petition Form).
