General Education Program FAQs

General Information

The thematic groupings that align with the Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) and the First-Year Seminar (FYSM) course are the following:

Grouping	Credits
Discovering College (FYSM)	3
Communicating with and about the World	12
Understanding Self and Others	9
Understanding Science and Technology	9-12
Understanding and Creating Ideas	9
Total Credits	42-45

WHAT ARE THE REQUIRED COURSES FOR ALL KU STUDENTS?
All KU students need to take the following courses:
- FYSM 100 - First-Year Seminar
- COMP 100 level - Basic Composition course
- COMP 200 level - Composition course based on research and research writing
- Speaking course
- Additional Communication course in writing or speaking
WHY DOES THE UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY' CATEGORY REQUIRE 9-12 CREDITS?

This requirement is set to accommodate science and math courses that are often four (4) credits each. Only three (3) courses are required.

IF I TRANSFER TO KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY WITH AN ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE FROM ANOTHER INSTITUTION, DO I STILL NEED TO COMPLETE THE GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS?

Students with an associate’s degree from another institution do not need to complete the general education requirements at Kutztown University. The associate’s degree will cover the general education requirements, with 42 transferred credits applied to the General Education program. Students will only need to focus on completing the requirements for their major and ensuring they have 120 credits to graduate.
IF I TRANSFER TO KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY, DO I STILL NEED TO COMPLETE THE FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR (FYSM)?

Students transferring with 15 or more credits from an accredited college or university do not need to complete the First-Year Seminar (FYSM). However, they must take an additional general education course of their choice.
WHO DETERMINES HOW TRANSFER CREDITS ARE APPLIED TO THE GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAM?

Course equivalencies will be determined by the Registrar’s Office in consultation with department chairs. Since the new program is more flexible than the current one, no issues are expected with CORE-to-CORE transfers due to articulation agreements.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I TRANSFER FROM ONE MAJOR TO ANOTHER?

Students who switch majors will also need to adjust their General Education requirements, as these are linked to their major requirements. However, since there is only one General Education Check Sheet, there should be minimal conflicts when transferring between majors. Additionally, having up to 18 elective credits provides flexibility, making it easier for students to switch from one area of study to another.
IF I AM A DOUBLE MAJOR, HOW DO THE GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES WORK?

Since the General Education program is the same for everyone, students only need to complete it once. For the prefixes used to meet sections B, C, and D (which can’t be in a student’s major), they only need to follow this rule for one of their majors, usually, the first one declared. If there are specific courses typically required for the General Education of the second major that were not taken for the first major, those courses should be taken as electives.

WHAT IF A COURSE IS APPROVED AFTER I TAKE IT? CAN I STILL COUNT IT IN THAT CATEGORY?

Yes. If a course is approved to fulfill a general education requirement after a student has already taken it, that course will still count towards fulfilling the requirement. For example, if a student A takes COM 215, Small Group Communication, in their second semester (Spring 2019) and COM 215 is later approved as an A3 course in Fall 2019, it will still meet the requirement even though the student took the course before it was approved.