General Education Program FAQs

General Information

  • How many credits are required in the General Education Program?

    The thematic groupings that address our SLOs and the FYS course:

    ·       Discovering College (FYS)                               3 credits

    ·       Communicating with and about the World       12 credits

    ·       Understanding Self and Others                        9 credits

    ·       Understanding Science and Technology       9-12 credits

    ·       Understanding and Creating Ideas                   9 credits

                                          Total                                                   42-45 credits

  • What courses do all KU students need to take?

    All KU students need to take the following:

      • FYS 100 - A First-Year Seminar
      • CMP 100 - A basic composition course
      • CMP 200 level - A second composition course based on research writing
      • A Speaking course
      • An additional communication course (writing or speaking)
  • Why does the Understanding Science and Technology category have 9-12 credits?

    This condition is there to accommodate science and math courses that are sometimes four (4) credits each. Only three (3) courses should be taken in this category.

Transfer Students - External

Transfer Students - Internal

  • What if I transfer from one major to another?

    Students who switch majors will also change General Education requirements because the major requirements are tied to the General Education requirements. Because there is only one General Education Check Sheet, there should be a minimal number of conflicts for students transferring between majors. Additionally, for many students, the addition of up to 18 credits of electives allows students to switch from one area to another.

Double Majors

  • If I'm a double major, how does general education work?

    Because the general education program is the same for everyone, you only need to do one general education. With regard to the prefixes used to meet sections B, C, and D - which can't be in your major, you need only pick one of your majors to follow this rule. It is usually the first major you declare. If there are specific courses that are typically taken within the general education requirements of the second major that was not taken in the first major, those courses should be taken as electives.

Previously Taken Courses

  • What if a course is approved after I take it? Can I still count it in that category?

    Yes. If a student takes a course that is subsequently approved to fulfill a general education requirement, that course will count as fulfilling that requirement even though it was taken prior to the general education approval. For example, if Student A takes COM 215 Small Group Communication in their second semester (Spring 2019) and then COM 215 is approved as an A.3 course in Fall 2019, it can still meet the requirement even though they took the course before it was approved.