Adding New Courses to General Education Curriculum

Adding New Courses to General Education Curriculum

Academic units or individual faculty who wish to have a course approved for a General Education category must submit the course for formal review.  Note that course substitutions are not allowed for Gen Ed courses (with the exception of transfer equivalencies, as determined by the Directors of Transfer Student Services).

The Gen Ed review process includes four possible stages. The specific stages required depend on the Gen Ed category in which the course is being proposed.

  • Stage 1: College EPC
  • Stage 2: College Dean
    • Courses for which approval is final at Stage 2 must be forwarded to the Gen Ed Committee by the deadline noted below for record‑keeping and Degree Audit updates.
  • Stage 3: Varies based on Gen Ed category: For courses in the Cross-Cultural or Global categories, the University Core team is the Stage 3 reviewer; for courses in Speech/Professional Communication or Ethical Reasoning, expert faculty panels are the Stage 3 reviewer. See more details below.
    • Courses for which approval is final at Stage 3 must be forwarded to the Gen Ed Committee by the deadline noted below for record‑keeping and Degree Audit updates.
  • Stage 4: APRC of the Faculty Senate

Discipline-Restricted Gen Ed Categories

Stages 1 – 2 Review

Courses in certain Gen Ed categories are offered exclusively by the college that houses the relevant discipline. This ensures that faculty with appropriate disciplinary expertise deliver the Gen Ed course content. For these categories, proposals undergo only Stages 1–2 of review within the designated college (College EPC and Dean). Once approved at the college level, the courses must be forwarded to the Gen Ed Committee for record‑keeping and Degree Audit updates.

  • Written Communication – Maxwell Becton College of Liberal Arts & Education
  • Social Science – Maxwell Becton College of Liberal Arts & Education
  • Behavioral Science – Maxwell Becton College of Liberal Arts & Education and Marion Turpan College of Psychology & Counseling
  • Lab Science – Gregory H. Olsen College of Engineering & Science
  • College Math – Gregory H. Olsen College of Engineering & Science and Silberman College of Business
  • Creative and Expressive Arts – Maxwell Becton College of Liberal Arts & Education
  • Humanities – Maxwell Becton College of Liberal Arts & Education

Because these Gen Ed categories—are tied to specific disciplinary homes, other colleges may not submit courses to satisfy these requirements.

UNIV Core Gen Ed Categories

Stages 1 – 3 Review

Courses in UNIV Core Gen Ed categories may be offered by any college and may originate from a wide range of disciplines. For these categories, proposals undergo Stages 1–3 of review—College EPC, College Dean, and then the UNIV Core Leadership Team. Once approved by the UNIV Core Leadership Team, the courses must be forwarded to the Gen Ed Committee for record‑keeping and Degree Audit updates.

  • Cross Cultural Perspectives
  • Global Issues

Reminder: Students may not count Cross Cultural Perspectives or Global Issues Gen Ed courses towards their major.

Interdisciplinary Gen Ed Categories

Stages 1 – 2 Review

  • Information and Technological Literacy

Among the interdisciplinary General Education categories, Information and Technological Literacy is the only one that requires only college‑level (Stages 1–2). Academic units are encouraged to designate their own research methods course for this category when the course meets the established Gen Ed outcomes. Because students may satisfy this requirement with a course taken within their major, this structure enables “double‑dipping,” allowing a single course to fulfill both major requirements and the Gen Ed requirement.

Courses in this category may originate from any college and from a wide range of disciplines. Once approved at the college level, they must be forwarded to the Gen Ed Committee for record‑keeping and Degree Audit updates.

Interdisciplinary Gen Ed Categories

Stages 1 – 4 Review

Other interdisciplinary Gen Ed categories may also be offered by any college and may originate from a broad range of disciplines. However, because these categories can be fulfilled by coursework in a variety of disciplines, proposals must undergo the full review sequence (Stages 1–4): College EPC, College Dean, Expert Faculty Panels, and—if the panel vote results in a tie—APRC.

  • Speech or Professional Communication

Expert Faculty Panel for Speech or Professional Communication Course Review/  Approval:

  • Kara Alaimo, Professor of Communication & Speech (Becton College)
  • Kathryn Thier, Assistant Professor of Communication (Becton College)
  • Scott Behson, Professor of Management (Silberman College)
  • Ethical Reasoning

Expert Faculty Panel for Ethical Reasoning Course Review/Approval:

  • Matthieu Boyd, Professor of Literature and Chair, Department of Humanities (Becton College)
  • Odysseus Makridis, Professor of Philosophy, Department of Humanities (Becton College)
  • Ian Mercer, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Management, and Entrepreneurship (Silberman College)