Policies & Procedures

General Education

General Education Program - 1H1

• Objectives for the Baccalaureate Degree

  The purpose of baccalaureate education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) is to provide students with a solid foundation for intellectual development and an ability and desire to make contributions to society. As a public institution, SIUE strives to develop students who are well-informed, effective citizens; who provide leadership in civic and community affairs; who appreciate the arts; who have increased capacity for self-reflection, self-assessment and healthy living; and who will pursue life-long learning.
  
  The undergraduate curriculum encourages students to set the events of the world in broad perspective and to bring a reasoned approach to the challenges they may face.
  
  To achieve these purposes, the University seeks to impart the following abilities and knowledge to its students through their general education and study in their academic majors and minors:
  
  Analytic, Problem-solving, and Decision-making Skills - Such skills include information literacy, quantitative literacy, the ability to understand and interpret written and oral texts, and to recognize, develop, evaluate, and defend or attack hypotheses and arguments. These skills are to be developed throughout all undergraduate programs in all courses.
  
  Oral and Written Communication Skills - Skills in expository, argumentative, and creative writing, and in effective speaking and listening are to be developed through extensive and regular writing assignments, oral presentations, and participation in discussions.
  
  Foundation in Liberal Arts and Sciences - All students will acquire a solid base of knowledge in liberal arts and sciences and of the contributions of these fields to civilization and to the quality of life. All undergraduate degree programs at SIUE, including professional programs, are rooted in the liberal arts and sciences through the integration of each major program with the general education program.
  
  Value of Diversity - All students will gain an understanding of the traditions that influence American culture and of the traditions of other cultures in order to develop a respect for and sensitivity to human diversity. Students will gain a deeper understanding of global interdependence.
  
  Scientific Literacy - All students will have experience in the methods of scientific inquiry in laboratory and field investigation and gain knowledge of scientific and technological developments and their influence on society.
  
  Ethics - All students will understand the nature of value judgments, will have an ability to make reasoned and informed value judgments, and will appreciate the diversity among cultures with respect to mores and traditional standards of conduct.
  
  Preparation in an Academic or Professional Discipline - Students completing the baccalaureate degree will have attained a level of achievement within an academic or professional discipline which will enable them either to begin a career in the discipline or to pursue graduate work in that or an appropriately related discipline.

• In order to prepare students to meet the objectives for the baccalaureate degree, the new general education program is composed of the following specific components:

  • First Semester Transition: All new freshmen are required to take a First Semester Transition course that helps students transition to college, with a specific focus on preparation for college level academic work and becoming an engaged member of the SIUE community.

  • Foundations: All students are required to take five (5) Foundations courses which develop competencies in written and oral communication, logic, and quantitative literacy that form the bases of information literacy and scientific literacy;

  • Breadth: All students are required to take at least three (3) credit hours in each of the six (6) Breadth areas (for a minimum of 18 credit hours) which provide the opportunity to explore the breadth of human knowledge by introducing students to the principles, substance, and methodology of disciplines beyond their major. These courses are distributed across six Breadth Areas: Fine and Performing Arts, Humanities, Information and Communication in Society, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences;

  • Interdisciplinary Studies: All students are required to take one (1) minimum 3-credit hour course that carries the Interdisciplinary Studies designation to foster awareness of the interrelationships among branches of human knowledge;

  • Experiences:

    • Laboratory Experience: All students are required to take a laboratory course in order to develop scientific literacy that helps shape informed citizens;

    • U.S. Race, Gender, and Equity Experience: All students are required to take a course or complete an approved project or activity that introduce students to the ideas, history, values, and/or creative expressions of diverse groups within the United States, as well as issues of inequality, inequity, and social change among various groups, with an aim of developing racial, gender, and cultural literacy, an appreciation for differences as well as commonalities among people, a critical awareness of how structural and cultural forces have shaped inequality;

    • Global Cultures, Race, and Equity Education Experience: All students are required to take a course or complete an approved project or activity that will introduce students to societal and cultural characteristics, issues, or levels of organization as exhibited by societies and cultures in countries other than in the United States, and must focus on diversity and include issues of inclusion, inequality, inequity, and social change;

    • Health Experience: All students are required to take a course or complete an approved project or activity in order to promote improved health and well-being.

  • Diversity of Knowledge:

  • • Students seeking a Bachelor of Arts degree are required to complete eight (8) courses in fine and performing arts and humanities, including two (2) semesters of the same foreign language.

    • Students seeking a Bachelor of Science degree are required to complete eight (8) courses in the life, physical, or social sciences, including two (2) courses designated as laboratory courses.

    • Students seeking a Bachelor of Liberal Studies or a professional baccalaureate degree are required to complete eight (8) courses in fine and performing arts and humanities, including two (2) semesters of the same foreign language or eight (8) courses in the life, physical, or social sciences, including two (2) courses designated as laboratory courses.

  • Senior Assignment: All seniors are required to complete the Senior Assignment that demonstrates breadth commensurate with SIUE's general education expectations and proficiency in the academic major. The Senior Assignment represents the culmination of the entire undergraduate experience at SIUE and should integrate the best aspects of each student's baccalaureate education. Each academic major has its own Senior Assignment, so the specifics of the requirement vary, but they share a challenge to each SIUE student to achieve individual academic excellence. This is what distinguishes baccalaureate education at SIUE.

3. Course Requirements for the General Education Program

   Requirement		Fulfilled By
   First Semester Transition (FST)	1	First Semester Transition 101 successfully completed during the first semester of matriculation
   Foundations		15 Credit Hours Required
   Written Expression I	3	English 101 with a grade of at least C and completed within the first 30 hours
   Written Expression II	3	English 102 with a grade of at least C and completed within the first 45 hours
   Oral Expression	3	Applied Communication Studies 101 completed within the first 30 hours
   Logic/Critical Thinking	3	Reasoning and Argumentation 101 completed within the first 45 hours
   Quantitative Literacy	3	Quantitative Reasoning 101 completed within the first 60 hours
   Breadth		18 Credit Hours Required
   Fine and Performing Arts (FPA)	3	Course designated BFPA
   Humanities (HUM)	3	Course designated BHUM
   Information and Communication in Society (ICS)	3	Course designated BICS
   Life Sciences (LS)	3	Course designated BLS
   Physical Sciences (PS)	3	Course designated BPS
   Social Sciences (SS)	3	Course designated BSS
   Interdisciplinary Studies		Course designated IS
   Experiences
   Laboratory Experience (LAB)		Course designated EL
   U.S. Race, Gender, and Equity Experience (RGU)**		Course or approved project or activity designated ERGU
   Global Cultures, Race, and Equity Experience (REG)**		Course or approved project or activity designated EREG
   Health Experience (H)		Course or approved project or activity designated EH
   Diversity Of Knowledge		At least 24 credit hours required
   Bachelor of Arts Degree	*	8 courses designated BFPA, FPA, BHUM or HUM, including 2 semesters of the same foreign language
   Bachelor of Science Degree	*	8 courses designated BLS, LS, BPS, PS, BSS or SS, including 2 courses designated EL
   Bachelor of Liberal Studies or professional baccalaureate degree	*	8 courses designated BFPA, FPA, BHUM or HUM, including 2 semesters of the same foreign language or 8 courses designated BLS, LS, BPS, PS, BSS or SS, including 2 courses designated EL
   Senior Assignment		Requirements established by individual department

*Courses used to satisfy Breadth Area requirements may also be used to fulfill Diversity of Knowledge requirements, subject to the provisions of a student's major or minor and other General Education program provisions.

**If a course satisfies both the EREG and ERGU requirements, students will be given credit for one of the attributes and need to take a course that fulfills the other attribute.

4. Additional Provisions and Conditions

   1. University departments have the authority, subject to established University procedures, to require of their degree candidates more specific or more extensive study in general education than the General Education program requires. This departmental authority, however, does not extend in the opposite direction to forgiveness or diminution of General Education requirements.
   2. Students must satisfy all general education components to obtain a baccalaureate degree at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Courses, projects, and activities that may be used to satisfy these requirements shall be approved by the General Education Committee and shall be designated in the Undergraduate Catalog. Courses, projects, and activities meeting these requirements may also be used to fulfill major, minor, elective or General Education requirements, subject to the provisions of a student's major or minor and other General Education program provisions.

Approved by Chancellor effective 3/31/23.
This policy was issued on April 3, 2023, replacing the August 8, 2019 version.
Document Reference: 1H1
Origin: OP 6/4/84; CC 6-85/86; OP 2/2/87; CC 17-86/87; OP 11/18/91; CC 25-91/92; CC 34-91/92; CC 1-93/94; CC 2-93/94; OP 8/2/95; CC 2-98/99; CC 2-00/01; CC 15-00/01; CC 1-07/08 & CC 13-14/15; CC 45-17/18; CC 03-18/19; CC 01-22/23