Well-Rounded Learning

Wichita State strives to offer the most complete college experience possible to produce well-rounded, successful Shocker graduates. Through general education courses, students explore subjects outside of their major, expanding their knowledge, perspective and skills and making a positive impact on their career and life.

Benefits of general education courses:

• Improved critical thinking skills
• Better communication, written and spoken
• Increased analytical reasoning and problem solving
• An acquired knowledge of natural and social science, the arts and humanities

Improve skills by taking courses that include diversity content, study abroad experiences, service learning and experience-based learning.

General Education Course Requirements

The 36-credit-hour general education program at WSU consists of the following kinds of courses.

Note: The BAA in media arts requires 30 credit hours of general education courses. See Additional Requirements section for details.

Foundation Courses

Complete four courses within the first 48 credit hours of enrollment with a grade of C- or better. Foundation courses cover the fundamental skills needed throughout college and should be taken at the very beginning of a student’s studies.

• ENGL 100 or  ENGL 101
• ENGL 102
• COMM 111
• MATH 111,  MATH 112 or  MATH 131¹

Divisional Courses

Complete one course from each of the following areas (at least 12 credit hours): fine arts, humanities, social/behavioral science, mathematics and natural sciences.

Additional Courses

Complete four courses (at least 12 credit hours) from any approved general education course. Courses must come from at least two of the divisions. One course must be a first-year seminar, if required.

At least 9 credit hours of the 36-credit-hour general education coursework must be numbered 300 or above.

One course in the major can count toward general education.

For a full list of approved general education and foundation courses, visit the General Education Courses page of the catalog.

¹

MATH 111 or any math course that requires MATH 111 or MATH 112 as a prerequisite. MATH 131 does not fulfill the prerequisite for any further math course. MATH 131 does not meet degree requirements in all colleges.

²

Excluding foundation courses.

— Visit http://wichita.edu/generaleducation —

Our Advice? Go See an Advisor

The best way to stay on course toward graduation is to meet with an advisor each semester before registering for classes. Advisors will help in selecting and sequencing classes that meet particular degree requirements. To schedule a meeting, contact the advising office in the college of your major.

• Business - 316-978-3203
• Applied Studies - 316-978-3300
• Engineering - 316-978-3400
• Health Professions - 316-978-3304
• Honors - 316-978-3375
• Liberal Arts and Sciences - 316-978-3700
• Fine Arts - 316-978-6634

Additional College/School General Education Requirements

• Applied Studies requires  PSY 111. Teacher education students must take  STAT 370 (Secondary Math majors must take  MATH 242 instead of  STAT 370).  MATH 111 is a prerequisite for  STAT 370.
• Business requires  MATH 144 or  MATH 242 and  ECON 201 and  ECON 202.  MATH 111 or  MATH 112 meets the prerequisite for  MATH 144. Philosophy requirements:  PHIL 105 and  PHIL 306.
• Engineering requires  PHIL 385 for engineering students or  PHIL 354 for students in computer engineering, computer science and applied computing.
• College of Fine Arts students majoring in art education, music education and special education music are required to take  PSY 111 and  STAT 370 (or a higher level MATH course).
  • Fine Arts Exceptions. The Bachelor of Applied Arts (BAA) in media arts requires 30 credit hours of general education courses. In addition to the foundation courses, students in the BAA in media arts take one course each from humanities, social/behavioral science, and mathematics/natural sciences with an additional three courses selected from at least two divisions. Of the 30 general education credit hours, at least 6 credit hours must be numbered 300 or above. Fine arts courses do not fulfill general education requirements for the BAA in media arts.
• Health Professions requirements are listed by major. General education requirements vary.
• Honors College requires the following:
  • Honors students fulfill general education requirements set by their major college. Honors students have dual advising; they should meet first with their major college advisor and then as needed with an Honors advisor to choose Honors courses that meet general education requirements.
  • Students working toward the Emory Lindquist Honors Scholar distinction or the Honors Baccalaureate degree are required to fulfill any 3 of their general education credits with an HNRS seminar.
  • Honors Baccalaureate students meet with an honors advisor to select additional courses to fulfill the 36-credit-hour general education program.
• Liberal Arts and Sciences requires the following:
  • English or foreign language literature (humanities).
  • HIST 131,  HIST 132 (humanities) or  POLS 121 (social science).
  • Three natural science courses: At least one biology course and one physical sciences course; one must have a laboratory experience (does not include mathematics, personal computing, statistics or computer science).
  • Foreign language in all BA degrees and the BS degree in criminal justice.
  • Undecided students meet with an academic advisor in the Liberal Arts and Sciences Advising Center. Students who have not declared a major may want to take a variety of courses to help clarify interests, identify possible majors and remain academically flexible.

Transfer Students with Associate Degrees

Community College Transfers

• A student transferring to WSU having earned an AA or AS degree from a Kansas public community college will be considered to have satisfied WSU’s general education curriculum provided that they successfully complete at WSU (with a grade of C- or better) two general education courses numbered 300 or above. The two courses must be in two separate divisions or subject areas. Students must also complete the foundation skills courses of  ENGL 101,  ENGL 102,  COMM 111, and  MATH 111 or equivalent.

RN-to-BSN and Dental Hygiene Degree Completion Students

• A student enrolled in WSU’s RN-to-BSN degree completion program having earned an associate degree in nursing will be considered to have satisfied WSU’s general education curriculum provided that they successfully complete (with a grade of C- or better) two general education courses numbered 300 or above taken at WSU.
• A student enrolled in WSU’s dental hygiene degree completion program having earned an associate degree in dental hygiene will be considered to have satisfied WSU’s general education curriculum provided that they successfully complete (with a grade of C- or better) two general education courses numbered 300 or above taken at WSU.

These policies are effective for any student graduating from WSU fall 2014 or beyond.