General Education Requirements

Effective Fall 2016, General Education requirements include offerings that focus on the subject matter (the arts and humanities, the sciences, including mathematics, and the social sciences) and methodologies, as well as their relationships to one another.

General education is the hallmark of American higher education and the key to a broadly-educated citizenry. Therefore, in addition to improving the transferability of general education, we should also focus on the quality of general education. Therefore, our goal is not simply transferability but an excellent preparation for all students in their first sixty hours, including their essential general education foundation.

The general education curriculum is based on students’ ability to demonstrate competence in the following areas:

• written communication in English,
• social phenomena,
• quantitative reasoning,
• scientific knowledge/understanding,
• critical analysis and logical thinking,
• aesthetic dimensions,
• historical knowledge/understanding,
• oral communication in English,
• scientific reasoning,
• ethical dimensions.

General Education Outcomes

Written Communication in English (WC)

Goal: Students will be prepared to develop written texts of varying lengths and styles that communicate effectively and appropriately across a variety of settings.

Social Phenomena Knowledge/Understanding (SP)

Goal: Students will develop an increased understanding of the influences that shape a persons or groups attitudes, beliefs, emotions, symbols, and actions, and how these systems of influence are created, maintained, and altered by individual, familial, group, situational, or cultural means.

Quantitative Reasoning (QR)

Goal: Students will learn to recognize, understand, and use the quantitative elements they encounter in various aspects of their lives. Students will develop a habit of mind that uses quantitative skills to solve problems and make informed decisions.

Scientific Knowledge/Understanding (SK)

Goal: Students will gain a broad base of scientific knowledge and methodologies in the natural sciences. This will enable them to develop scientific literacy, the knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts and processes essential for personal decision making and understanding scientific issues.

Critical Analysis & Logical Thinking (CALT)

Goal: Students will be able to organize, interpret, and evaluate evidence and ideas within and across disciplines; draw reasoned inferences and defensible conclusions; and solve problems and make decisions based on analytical processes. 

Aesthetic Dimensions (AD)

Goal: Students will understand the diverse nature, meanings, and functions of creative endeavors through the study and practice of literature, music, the theatrical and visual arts, and related forms of expression.

Historical Knowledge/Understanding (HK)

Goal: Students will study the interrelatedness of various realms of human experience from multiple historical perspectives.

Oral Communication in English (OC)

Goal: Students will be prepared to develop oral messages of varying lengths and styles that communicate effectively and appropriately across a variety of settings.

Scientific Reasoning (SR)

Goal: Students become familiar with science as a method of inquiry. Students will develop a habit of mind that uses quantitative skills to solve problems and make informed decisions. 

Embedded Competency

Continued Learning & Information Literacy (CLIL)

Goal: Students will be able to use traditional and digital technology to access, evaluate, and apply information to the needs or questions confronting them throughout their academic, professional, and personal lives.

Ethical Dimensions (ED)

Goal: Students will identify ethical principles that guide individual and collective actions and apply those principles to the analysis of contemporary social and political problems.-

Common Core of General Education

The General Education Core requirements are listed below–(please refer to program for specific General Education requirements).

General Education Competency Courses

Students seeking CSCU Pathway Transfer Degrees should visit the Transfer Ticket webpage for the most current list of approved courses: http://www.ct.edu/transfer/tickets#major

Electives

These are courses selected by the student according to program requirements. When selecting electives, especially for transferability to another institution, students should consult their academic advisor.

Business

Accounting, Business, Computer Science, Economics, Business Office Technology, and Hospitality Management

Computer Literacy

BOT* 111 - Keyboarding for Information Processing I , BOT* 112 - Keyboarding for Information Processing II . ACC* 125 - Accounting Computer Application I , BBG* 115 - Business Software Applications , CSA* 105 - Introduction to Software Applications ; CSC* 101 - Introduction to Computers ; Computer Logic and Programming; C, C++; Windows/DOS/ Microcomputers (CSC* 120); BOT* 137 - Word Processing Applications (Word) ; ECE* 110 - Using Computers in ECE ; BOT* 220 - Computerized Communication (Microsoft PowerPoint, e-mail, Internet) ; CSA* 140 - Database Applications (Access) ; CSA* 135 - Spreadsheet Applications (Excel) ; and BOT* 217 - Desktop Publishing (BOT 218) . For technical programs: CET* 116 - Computer Applications for Technology  

Engineering and Applied Technologies

Biomedical Engineering Technology, Electrical Engineering Technology, Computer Engineering Technology, Manufacturing Engineering Technology, Mechanical Engineering Technology

Fine Arts

Art and Music

Humanities

Art, Communications, English (college-level), Foreign Languages, Graphics, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Reading (college-level), or Sign Language

Mathematics

Mathematics (college-level)

Natural Sciences

Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Ecology, Physical Science, Physics, or Environmental Science

Social Sciences

Anthropology, Criminal Justice, Drug and Alcohol Recovery Counselor (DARC), Economics, Education, Geography, History, Political Science, Human Development (college-level), Human Services, Psychology, or Sociology

Technical

Alternative Fuel Vehicle, Automotive Technology, Clean Water Management, Computer Aided Drafting, Environmental Science and Toxicology, Fire Technology and Administration, Railroad Engineering Technology, Solar Technology, Water Management, Wastewater Management and all courses from the ‘Engineering and Applied Technologies courses above.

Liberal Arts & Sciences

Any college-level course in the following disciplines: Anthropology (ANT), Art (ART), Biology (BIO), Chemistry (CHE), Communications (COM), Earth Science (EAS), Economics (ECN), English (ENG), Environmental Science (EVS), French (FRE), Geography (GEO), History (HIS), Humanities (HUM), Italian (ITA), Mathematics (MAT), Music (MUS) (non-performance), Philosophy (PHL), Physics (PHY), Political Science (POL), Psychology (PSY), Sign Language (SGN), Sociology (SOC), Spanish (SPA), Theater (THR).

Academic Definitions

The following definitions are helpful to know when selecting your program and courses:

Credit Hours (cr.) — College work is measured in units called credit hours. A credit-hour value is assigned to each course and is normally equal to the number of hours the course meets each week. Credit hours may also be referred to as semester hours (S.H.).

Lecture Hours (lec.) — The number of clock hours in the fall or spring semester the student spends each week in the classroom. This time frame is different for the shorter summer sessions.

Laboratory Hours (lab.) — The number of clock hours in the fall or spring semester the student spends each week in the laboratory or other learning environment. This time frame is different for the shorter summer sessions.

Prerequisite — A course that must be successfully completed or a requirement such as related life experiences that must be met before enrolling in another course.

Corequisite — A course that must be taken during the same or earlier semester as the course in which one is enrolling.

Common Core — A term which refers to courses as listed under the College’s Common Core of General Education which the faculty of the College considers essential to its degree programs.

Electives — Courses which may be chosen.

General Electives — All credit courses listed in the catalog. Students should consider transferability of courses when choosing general electives.

Directed/Restricted Electives — Credit courses that satisfy specific program requirements. These courses are listed with each program area.

Non-Credit — A course of study that does not apply towards the college degree; typically designed as short courses, workshops and customized programs. Non-credit programs focus on knowledge and skills that can be applied directly to the job, or personal and professional growth.

Continuing Education Unit (CEU) Certificates — Awarded for successful achievement of a non-credit program’s learning objectives; typically CEU’s are awarded on a 1:10 ratio (i.e., one CEU for every ten hours of qualified instruction).

Syllabus — An outline or summary of the main points in a course of study.

Matriculate — To be admitted to a program of study.