Overview of General Education
The General Education (GE) program at SUU is central to its experiential education mission. Coursework is offered in core competency areas (English, mathematics, etc.) and across multiple disciplines to help broaden a student’s knowledge and understanding of the arts, humanities, and sciences. The GE core encompasses 12 to 15 credits of coursework consisting of introductory classes in English, mathematics, and American institutions. An additional 16 to 20 credits of introductory coursework is required across six (6) Breadth Areas: Integrated Learning, Fine Arts, Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Life Sciences, and Physical Sciences. The learning outcomes of courses in GE are designed to help students acquire skills and knowledge that continue to grow during their studies at SUU.
General Education Mission
The GE Program at SUU provides broad subject-area knowledge and learning skills foundational for achieving engaged, personalized, and rigorous learning that transcends and complements students’ majors and minors.
General Education Learning Outcomes
General Education learning outcomes are addressed and assessed in GE classes offered at SUU. GE courses offer students the opportunity to explore issues and topics inherent in the learning outcomes. GE courses are designed to meet all learning outcomes for the respective Core or Breadth Area.
General Education Requirements by Degree
Associate of Arts/Science or Bachelor’s Degree
For a general associate’s or bachelor’s degree, the General Education program requires 30-35 credit hours of coursework.
- Two courses in the English Core, and a minimum of one course in each of the following Core categories: Quantitative Literacy (mathematics) and American Institutions.
- A minimum of 3 credit hours in each of the six (6) Breadth Areas (except for 1 credit hour in Integrated Learning).
Associate of Applied Science Degree
See Undergraduate Degrees for General Education and degree requirements.
General Education Components
Core Requirements & Learning Outcomes
The core requirements for General Education encompass 12 to 15 credit hours of coursework in Written Communication (English), Quantitative Literacy (mathematics), 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.
While not required, students are expected to complete the English, Mathematics, American Institutions, and Integrated Learning requirements within their first 60 credit hours at SUU.
Written Communication (English) Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate skill with the following: (1) Context and Purpose for Writing–includes consideration of audience, purpose, and the circumstances surrounding the writing task(s); (2) Content Development–uses appropriate, relevant, and compelling content to illustrate mastery of the subject, conveying the writer’s understanding, and shaping the whole work; (3) Genre and Disciplinary Conventions–demonstrates detailed attention to and successful execution of a wide range of conventions particular to a specific discipline and/or writing task(s), including organization, content, presentation, formatting, and stylistic choices; (4) Sources and Evidence–demonstrates skillful use of high-quality, credible, relevant sources to develop ideas that are appropriate for the discipline and genre of the writing; (5) Control of Syntax and Usage–uses language that skillfully communicates meaning to readers with clarity and fluency; and (6) Revision and Feedback–shapes texts through the process of revision and feedback.
Quantitative Literacy (Mathematics) Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate skill with the following: (1) Interpretation–explain information presented in mathematical forms (e.g., equations, graphs, diagrams, and tables); (2) Representation–convert relevant information into various mathematical forms (e.g., equations, graphs, diagrams, and tables); (3) Calculation–demonstrate the ability to successfully complete basic calculations to solve problems; (4) Application/Analysis–make judgments and draw appropriate conclusions based on quantitative analysis of data, recognizing the limits of this analysis; (5) Assumption–make and evaluate important assumptions in estimation, modeling, and data analysis; (6) Communication–express quantitative evidence in support of the argument or purpose of the work (in terms of what evidence is used and how it is formatted, presented, and contextualized); and (7) Creation–demonstrate the ability to problem solve using quantitative literacy across multiple disciplines.
American Institutions Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate skill with the following: (1) Use of Primary Documents–analyze, contextualize, and use primary source documents to understand the history, principles, form of government, and economic system of the United States; (2) Interpretation–explain and use historically, politically, and economically relevant information; (3) Communication–communicate effectively about the history, principles, form of government, and economic system of the United States; (4) Diversity–engage a diversity of viewpoints in a constructive manner that contributes to a dialogue about the history, principles, form of government, and economic system of the United States; and (5) Integration–use historical, political, and economic methods to come to an understanding of the United States that integrates those viewpoints.
Breadth Area Requirements & Learning Outcomes
16 to 20 credits of introductory coursework are required across six (6) Breadth Areas: Integrated Learning, Fine Arts, Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Life Sciences, and Physical Sciences.
Integrated Learning Learning Outcomes
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 Breadth Area requirement is satisfied by completing INFO 1010 - Information Literacy (1 Credit) or INFO 2010 - Information Literacy in the Disciplines (1 Credit).
Fine Arts Learning Outcomes
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 as an active contributor to the performance, production, exhibition, or design process in the Fine Arts; and (5) Demonstrate how the creative process is informed and limited by social and historical contexts.
Humanities Learning Outcomes
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.
Life Sciences Learning Outcomes
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 Learning Outcomes
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.
Social and Behavioral Sciences Learning Outcomes
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.
General Education Policies
A.A./A.S. Transfer Policy within Utah System
An Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science degree earned at any institution within the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE), 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 A.A./A.S. 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.
GE Certificate of Completion
Students who have completed the General Education requirements at Southern Utah University, and who transfer to another institution, may request a General Education Certificate of Completion. In order to qualify for the GE Certificate, students must:
- Complete all of the SUU General Education requirements;
- Earn at least nine (9) of the General Education credits from Southern Utah University; and
- Earn an SUU GPA of 2.0 or higher and a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.
It is the student’s responsibility to initiate a request for this certificate. Students will meet with a Student Success Advisor who will determine whether or not the student has satisfied all the requirements. If so, the advisor will initiate the process. The Registrar’s Office will evaluate the request and, if all the requirements have been satisfied, will post the Certificate of Completion directly to the students’ transcript.
Optional Methods for Satisfying GE Requirements
The University provides alternate means of satisfying requirements in the General Education program. Students may complete General Education requirements through Concurrent Enrollment (CE) courses in high school, 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 Concurrent Enrollment website, Credit by Examination and Individual Study section of this Catalog, the Testing Center at (435) 865-8071, or their Student Success Advisor.
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 (USHE) 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.
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