General Education

General Education Requirements

Please read the general education and the experiential sections of the catalog carefully. Students are encouraged to meet with an academic advisor (435) 586-5420 for assistance in academic planning.

General Education Mission

The mission of general education at Southern Utah University is to foster in students the intellectual and practical skills necessary as a foundation for successful life-long learning.

Learning Outcomes

The following proficiencies form the core of general education:

• Civic Engagement
• Communication         
• Creative Thinking
• Critical Thinking
• Digital Literacy           
• Ethical Reasoning     
• Information Literacy
• Inquiry & Analysis
• Intercultural Knowledge and Competence
• Integrative Learning
• Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World
• Lifelong Learning
• Problem Solving
• Quantitative Literacy
• Teamwork

Knowledge Areas

Students prepare for an enlightened, professional, and productive life in a dynamic, complex world through study in the following general education knowledge areas:

• Integrated Learning
• Fine Arts
• Humanities
• Social and Behavioral Science
• Life Sciences
• Physical Sciences

The SUU General Education Program

For a general associates or bachelor’s degree, the General Education (GE) program requires 32-35 credit hours of course work. For an Associate of Applied Science degree, 20-21 credit hours are required in the following areas:

• One course in the English core, and a minimum of one course in each of the following core categories: Quantitative Literacy (Mathematics) and American Institutions
• Four credits in Integrated Learning
• Two courses from among two of the remaining five knowledge areas
• Students should check the department AAS requirements to determine if specific general education classes are recommended

Optional Methods for Satisfying GE Requirement

The University provides alternate means of satisfying requirements in the general education program. Students may complete general education requirements through Advanced Placement (AP) courses in high school or by taking a series of tests under the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). Students interested in alternate means of satisfying general education requirements should refer to the “Credit by Examination and Individual Study” section of this catalog or contact the Testing Center at (435) 865-8071or their college advisor.

AA/AS Transfer Policy of Utah System

An Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science degree earned at any institution within the Utah System of Higher Education, or at other non-Utah institutions with articulation agreements, will be considered as meeting the General Education requirement of any institution in the system. When the General Education requirements of an institution not offering the Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree have been met in earning a 60 to 63 credit hour diploma, a Registrar’s certification that the transferring student has completed baccalaureate-level General Education requirements at the sending institution will be accepted by SUU in lieu of the AA/AS degree. In the latter case, the Registrar at the sending institution will forward to SUU an up-to-date description of the General Education requirements.

Transfer of General Education Course Credits

Students transferring to SUU from another institution are required to forward an official transcript for each college or university attended. Credits earned in general education from a campus in the Utah System of Higher Education are transferable to SUU. Credits earned at a community college or at a university outside of the state of Utah will be evaluated before acceptance for transfer to SUU by the Registrar’s Office.

Core Requirements

The core requirements for General Education encompass 12 to 13 credit hours of course work in English, Quantitative Literacy, and American Institutions. These courses are intended to give students knowledge and skills necessary to effectively communicate, be able to demonstrate basic mathematical competency, and have an understanding of history of the United States and its economic and political systems.        

Knowledge Area Learning Outcomes

Integrated Learning

Students will be able to: (1) Make connections among skills, ideas and experiences to synthesize and transfer their learning to new, complex situations within and beyond the campus; (2) Strategically and responsibly employ appropriate technologies to explore, create, collaborate, and organize in a digital context; and (3) Identify, locate, evaluate, attribute and share  information effectively and ethically.

(Note: currently, this Knowledge Area requirement is satisfied by completing the following two courses: LM 1010  - 1 credit and CSIS 1000  - 3 credits)

Fine Arts

Students will be able to: (1) Discuss the scope and variety with the fine arts (i.e., art, music, theatre, or dance); (2) Recognize the aesthetic standards used in making critical judgments in various artistic fields; (3) Analyze and articulate understanding of a range of artistic processes; (4) Participate in an introductory performance, production, or design experience in the Fine Arts; and (5) Demonstrate how the creative process is informed and limited by social and historical contexts.

Humanities

Students will be able to: (1) Derive evidence from primary sources regarding the complexities and changes in human experience through analytical reading and critical thought; (2) Describe how human experience is shaped by social, cultural, linguistic, and/or historical circumstances; (3) Demonstrate attentiveness to linguistic, visual, and/or audio texts when communicating meaning; and (4) Use appropriate verbal, perceptual, or imaginative skills when organizing meanings, developing a sense of self, and balancing potentially disparate values.

Social and Behavioral Science

Students will be able to: (1) Demonstrate understanding of relevant social and behavioral science methodologies and how they are used to understand or explain human relations or interactions; (2) Identify general principles of behavioral and social functioning; (3) Connect those questions and issues to the students’ own experiences; and (4) Demonstrate a critically reasoned understanding of social patterns and individual variation congruent with and divergent from those patterns.

Life Sciences

Students will be able to: (1) Demonstrate understanding of science as a way of knowing about the natural world; (2) Demonstrate basic understanding of how organisms live, grow, respond to their environment, and reproduce; (3) Discuss the organization and flow of matter and energy through biological systems; (4) Explain from evidence patterns of inheritance, structural unity, adaptation, and diversity of life on Earth; and (5) Describe how the Life Sciences have been shaped by historical, ethical, and social contexts.

Physical Sciences

Students will be able to: (1) Demonstrate understanding of science as a way of knowing about the physical world; (2) Demonstrate understanding of forces in the physical world; (3) Discuss the flow of matter and energy through systems (in large and small scales); (4) Develop evidence-based arguments regarding the effect of human activity on the Earth; and (5) Describe how the Physical Sciences have been shaped by historical, ethical, and social contexts.

*Core course requirements as of 2013-14: Students must complete the English, Quantitative Literacy, and Integrated Learning course work before they have earned 60 credit hours at SUU. While not required, students are urged to also complete the American Institution requirement within their first 60 credits.

General Education