General Education

This is an archived copy of the 2023-24 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.ndsu.edu.

The purpose of general education at NDSU is to ensure that students acquire knowledge, perspectives, and skills basic to a university education. The program is designed so that students will be able to adapt to and anticipate changes in their profession and in society. Students also will be able to integrate and use the knowledge and perspectives they have gained to live productive, intellectually rewarding and meaningful lives.

University General Education Requirements

Communication (C)12
College Composition I
College Composition II
Fundamentals of Public Speaking
Upper Division Writing
Quantitative Reasoning (R) 3
Science and Technology (S) 10
Humanities and Fine Arts (A) 6
Social and Behavioral Sciences (B) 6
Wellness (W) 2
Cultural Diversity (D) *†
Global Perspectives (G) *†
Total Credits39
*

 May be satisfied by completing courses in another General Education category.

 General education courses may be used to satisfy requirements for both general education and the major, minor, and program emphases, where applicable.  Students should carefully review major requirements to determine if specific courses can also satisfy these general education categories.

  •  A list of university approved general education courses and administrative policies are available here.

General Education Category Descriptions

The following descriptions are elaborations of the general education categories approved by the Faculty Senate.

  • Communication (C) is the clear, precise, and purposeful exchange of information in a variety of contexts, using either written or oral means.
  • Cultural diversity (D) focuses on the social, personal, and interpersonal effects of variety and differences among cultures.
  • Fine arts (A), as an integral component of the humanities, promote the appreciation of aesthetics and the expression of creativity.
  • Global perspectives (G) focus on analysis of worldwide issues illustrating the interdependence of the world and its people.
  • Humanities (A) systematically explore cultural and intellectual forces shaping events, individual expression, and social values.
  • Quantitative reasoning (R) is an organized set of quantitative methods used to solve problems or extend knowledge. Quantitative methods are a set of principles and procedures that could be used to manipulate numerical data.
  • Science (S) is an organized body of knowledge, including principles and procedures based on scientific methods, used to explain physical or biological phenomena.
  • Social and behavioral sciences (B) use scientific methods to analyze the behaviors, structures, and processes of individuals and groups.
  • Wellness (W) is a dynamic and integrative process of becoming aware of healthy lifestyles, of learning to make informed choices, and of developing a balanced approach to living.

General Education Program Assessment

General education assessment has three basic purposes:

  1. To improve student learning and development by identifying the intended student outcomes for the program.
  2. To provide feedback on the progress toward the intended student outcomes.
  3. To use the feedback to modify aspects of the program to ensure that the outcomes are being achieved and that student learning is improved.

Assessment activities are valued at NDSU and include the participation of students. Results will not be used to penalize students or faculty. Student performance on assessment of the general education program will not become part of the transcript.

General Education Transfer

Students transferring lower-division general education credits within the North Dakota University System need to consult with advisers in their academic programs at NDSU for two reasons. First, degree requirements of individual programs and colleges at NDSU may exceed the university-wide general education requirements. Second, meeting the university-wide lower-division general education requirements by transfer credits may not necessarily prepare students for advanced, upper-division study in an academic major at NDSU. See also the NDUS GERTA Agreement.

NDSU Global Seminar and Global Practicum Courses

Global Practicum: Study Abroad [(Prefix) 292, 392, 492, 692]  A student who studies abroad for one or more semesters, and who successfully completes a minimum of three credits eligible for transfer back to NDSU, may qualify for either Cultural Diversity or Global Perspectives. Completing six or more study abroad credits may qualify for both Cultural Diversity and Global Perspectives categories. A student must arrange to have an official transcript sent to NDSU from the study abroad institution for official evaluation and credit determination. The student must complete a Student Appeal for Exception to General Education Requirements for this consideration.

Global Seminar [(Prefix) 179, 279, 379, 479, 679] Global Seminar experiences do not automatically qualify for NDSU general education. An NDSU global seminar instructor must apply for approval in an appropriate general education category before the course is open for student enrollment and well in advance of seminar departure. Approval requires the instructor to submit a course syllabus and a one-page rationale to the University General Education committee addressing how the seminar experience aligns the course learning outcomes with the general education learning outcomes for the category being sought. Approval is a one-time event and is not extended to additional semesters. Only students who enroll in the class and complete the experience are eligible for general education.