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:

• Inquiry and analysis
• Critical and creative thinking
• Written and oral communication
• Quantitative literacy
• Information literacy
• Teamwork and problem solving

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:

• Fine Arts
• Humanities
• Life Sciences
• Physical Sciences
• Social and Behavioral Sciences

The SUU General Education Program

For a general associates or bachelor’s degree, the General Education (GE) program requires 32-33 credit hours of course work. For an Associate of Applied Science degree, 20-21 credit hours are required in the following areas:

• A minimum of one course in each of the following core categories, English, Quantitative Literacy (Mathematics), Information Literacy, and Computer Literacy
• Three courses from among three of 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 16 credit hours of course work in English, Quantitative Literacy, Information Literacy, Computer 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, perform information research and searches, effectively use integrated software tools, and have an understanding of history of the United States and its economic and political systems.    

Knowledge Areas

Fine Arts

Goal: To develop students’ understanding of the ways in which humans have addressed their condition through imaginative work; to deepen their understanding of how that imaginative process is informed and limited by social, cultural, linguistic, and historical circumstances; and to appreciate the world of the creative imagination as a form of knowledge and a link between the arts and society.

Learning outcomes: General education courses in this knowledge area enable students to:

• Describe the scope and variety of works in the fine arts (e.g., art, music, theatre arts, and dance)
• Identify the aesthetic standards used to make critical judgments in various artistic fields
• Develop a plausible understanding of the differences and relationships among multi-cultural, classical, and popular cultures as expressed through the fine arts
• Articulate critical oral and written responses based upon aesthetic standards through observance of works in the fine arts
• Participate in practical applications of creative artistic endeavors including being an informed observer and audience member of performing and visual arts

Humanities

Goal: To develop students’ understanding of human thought through works of literature, theology and philosophy; to deepen their understanding of how human processes are informed and limited by social, cultural, linguistic and historical circumstances; and to appreciate the ideas of others and in cultures and countries not their own.

Learning outcomes: General education courses in this knowledge area enable students to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of global human experience, including moral, ethical and aesthetic questions, both verbally and in writing
• Analyze the expression of human thought and experience by reading and studying works of literature and philosophy
• Employ critical thinking, and oral and written communication skills to analyze and articulate human concerns and aesthetic judgments
• Integrate knowledge of other cultures and their own, as informed by social, linguistic and historical circumstances, through exposure to literary, artistic and philosophical works from a broad range of sources and cultures

Social and Behavioral Science

Goal: To develop students’ understanding of themselves and the world through the study of methods and theories used by historians, social and behavioral scientists. Courses in this knowledge area seek to, describe, explain, and analyze individual and collective human behavior and relationships. These courses prepare students to grasp the diversities and complexities of the human life, past and present, and come to an informed sense of self and others.

Learning outcomes: General education courses in this knowledge area enable students to:

• Identify and explain features of social institutions, groups, processes and inter-relationships across a range of historical periods and cultures
• Compare cultures, societies, political structures, economies, and ways of life across the globe, from the past and present
• Analyze individual and group human behavior
• Use the social-scientific method to test research questions and draw conclusions
• Draw on history and the social sciences to evaluate contemporary problems

Life & Physical Sciences

Goal: To develop students’ understanding of the principles and procedures of science and to cultivate their abilities to apply the empirical methods of scientific inquiry. Students should understand how scientific discovery changes theoretical views of the world, informs our imaginations, and shapes human history. Students should also understand that science is shaped by historical and social contexts.

Learning outcomes: General education courses in this knowledge area enable students to:

• Explain how to use the scientific methods and how to develop and test hypothesis in order to draw defensible conclusions
• Evaluate scientific evidence and argument
• Describe concepts of the nature, organization and evolution of natural systems
• Explain how humans interact with natural systems
• Understand the relationships between science and the application of scientific knowledge
• Apply quantitative reasoning to real life situations

*Core course requirements: Students are strongly urged to complete the English and Quantitative Literacy Requirements before they have earned 60 credit hours at SUU.

General Education