As an institution whose mission seeks to unify traditionally separate academic domains in the pursuit of preparing students for an ever more complex world and to instill in them the values of the liberally educated, Western Colorado University requires all graduates to complete General Education requirements. Through Western’s General Education program, students are exposed to a wide variety of subject matter and fields of study which have evolved through time to include diverse perspectives and experiences which reflect and embrace the above mentioned principles which define the role and mission of our university.
The General Education Program provides a foundation for analytical discovery, independent thinking, and informed and engaged citizenship. General Education courses require students to engage the knowledge, perspectives, and methods of specific disciplines while developing essential skills. In so doing, students increase their understanding of themselves, the natural world, the bases of our society and institutions, the larger world, and their relationships. These courses offer a foundation for further studies and continued intellectual growth.
The thirty-five credit General Education Program contains two components:
- Essential Skills (9 credits) and
- the Liberal Arts (26 credits).
I. Essential Skills (9 Credits)
The purpose of the Essential Skills requirements is to provide students with the tools needed to reason, write, speak, read, quantify, and use information and technology in new ways of thinking and doing. The acquisition, application, and integration of the Essential Skills are practiced through the General Education curriculum and within courses in the disciplines during the students’ university careers.
Students must earn a minimum grade of “C-” in the following courses to fulfill the Essential Skills requirement:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| First Writing Course | ||
| ENG 102 | Writing and Rhetoric I (GT-CO1) 1,2 | 3 |
| Second Writing Course | ||
| ENG 103 | Writing and Rhetoric II (GT-CO2) | 3 |
| Mathematics Course | ||
| Select three credits of the following: 3 | 3 | |
| Mathematics for the Liberal Arts (GT-MA1) 1 | ||
| Statistical Thinking (GT-MA1) 1 | ||
| College Algebra (GT-MA1) 1 | ||
| Precalculus (GT-MA1) | ||
| Calculus I (GT-MA1) 1 | ||
| Probability and Statistics (GT-MA1) 1 | ||
| Total Credits | 9 | |
- 1
Colorado State Guaranteed General Education Transfer Course.
- 2
Enrollment in ENG 102 Writing and Rhetoric I requires reading and writing abilities consistent with the university entry-level expectations defined by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education. Consult with an advisor for English course prerequisites.
- 3
The mathematics requirement varies by program of study (major, emphasis, minor). Many programs have specific requirements beyond the University minimum. In all cases, these specific requirements satisfy the University Mathematics Course requirement. To select the appropriate courses, see the Academic Programs section of this Catalog.
If there is no specific mathematics requirement within a program of study, the minimum Mathematics Course requirement of the University may be satisfied by passing, with a minimum grade of “C-,”any university-level mathematics course numbered 100 or above.
Enrollment in university-level mathematics courses (numbered 100 or above) requires mathematics abilities consistent with the university entry-level expectations defined by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education. Students should consult with their advisors about which mathematics course is appropriate.
II. Liberal Arts (26 Credits)
Each of the courses included in the Liberal Arts program extends the development of Essential Skills while examining the social sciences, natural sciences, and the arts and humanities. Courses in the Liberal Arts program may also satisfy major and/or minor requirements.
Area I: Social Sciences (9 credits)
Courses in Area I focus on the following goals:
- Students use social science methods and reasoning.
- Students demonstrate knowledge of how historical, political, economic, cultural, or social contexts shape the human environment.
- Students demonstrate knowledge of how individuals relate to the social world, past and present.
Nine credits are required from the courses listed below. Students must choose from three disciplines.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select nine credits of the following: | 9 | |
| Introduction to General Anthropology 1 | ||
| Business of Life | ||
| Macroeconomics (GT-SS1) 1 | ||
| Learning & Teaching (GT-SS3) 1 | ||
| Education and Schooling in the U.S. (GT-SS3) 1 | ||
| Introduction to Environment and Sustainability (GT-SS2) 1 | ||
| World Regional Geography (GT-SS2) 1 | ||
| Introduction to Human Geography (GT-SS2) 1 | ||
| Geography of North America (GT-SS2) 1 | ||
| Topics in World History (GT-HI1) 1 | ||
| U.S. History to 1865 (GT-HI1) 1 | ||
| U.S. History Since 1865 (GT-HI1) 1 | ||
| Environmental History of North America (GT-HI1) 1 | ||
| HIST OF THE MIDDLE EAST GHI1 1 | ||
| History of Europe (GT-HI1) 1 | ||
| History of Africa (GT-HI1) 1 | ||
| HISTORY OF LATIN AMERICA GHI1 1 | ||
| Introduction to Political Ideas (GT-SS1) 1 | ||
| Introduction to American Politics (GT-SS1) 1 | ||
| Introduction to Comparative Politics (GT-SS1) 1 | ||
| Introduction to World Politics (GT-SS1) 1 | ||
| General Psychology (GT-SS3) 1 | ||
| Introduction to Sociology (GT-SS3) 1 | ||
| Social Problems | ||
| Hispanic Identities | ||
| Total Credits | 9 | |
- 1
Colorado State Guaranteed General Education Transfer Course.
Area II: Natural Sciences (8 credits)
Courses in Area II focus on the following goals:
- Students demonstrate knowledge of scientific viewpoints.
- Students use the scientific method.
- Students evaluate the impacts of science and technology on society.
- Students demonstrate scientific literacy.
Eight credits are required from the courses listed below:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select eight credits of the following: | 8 | |
| Biological Anthropology (with laboratory) | ||
| Studies in Biology (GT-SC2) 1 | ||
| Environmental Biology (GT-SC2) 1 | ||
| Environmental Biology Laboratory (GT-SC1) 1 | ||
| Biological Principles (with laboratory) (GT-SC1) 1 | ||
| Diversity and Patterns of Life (with laboratory) | ||
| Environmental and Public Health (GT-SC2) 1 | ||
| Contemporary Chemistry (GT-SC2) 1 | ||
| Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry (GT-SC2) 1 | ||
| General Chemistry I (GT-SC2) 1 | ||
| General Chemistry Laboratory I (GT-SC1) 1 | ||
| General Chemistry II | ||
| General Chemistry Laboratory II | ||
| Physical Geology (GT-SC2) 1 | ||
or GEOL 103 | Earth and Energy Systems | |
| Physical Geology Laboratory (GT-SC1) 1 | ||
| Introductory Astronomy (GT-SC2) 1 | ||
| Physics of Music | ||
| Meteorology (GT-SC2) 1 | ||
| Energy and the Environment (GT-SC2) 1 | ||
| Introductory Physics (with laboratory) (GT-SC1) 1 | ||
| Principles of Physics I (GT-SC2) and Laboratory Physics I (GT-SC1) 1 | ||
| Principles of Physics II (GT-SC2) and Laboratory Physics II (GT-SC1) 1 | ||
| General Physics I (GT-SC2) and Laboratory Physics I (GT-SC1) | ||
| General Physics II (GT-SC2) and Laboratory Physics II (GT-SC1) | ||
| Habitable Planet (with laboratory) | ||
| Living Planet (with laboratory) | ||
| Dynamic Planet (with laboratory) | ||
| Total Credits | 8 | |
- 1
Colorado State Guaranteed General Education Transfer Course.
Area III: Arts and Humanities (9 credits)
Courses in Area III focus on the following goals:
- Students enhance their appreciation of the modes of creative expression.
- Students ask fundamental questions of value and meaning.
- Students survey a variety of ways humans have perceived their world.
- Students explore the ways in which the human environment is shaped by social, cultural, linguistic, religious, philosophical, and historical circumstances.
- Students gain increased awareness of the moral and ethical dimensions of the human condition.
Nine credits are required from the courses listed below. Students must choose from three disciplines.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select nine credits of the following: | 9 | |
| Introduction to Art (GT-AH1) 1 | ||
| Foundation Drawing I | ||
| Foundation Design: Two-Dimensional | ||
| Foundation Design: Digital Art and Design | ||
| Art History I | ||
| Art History II (GT-AH1) 1 | ||
| Introduction to Film | ||
| Introduction to Theatre (GT-AH1) 1 | ||
| Introduction to Mass Media (GT-AH2) 1 | ||
| Dramatic Literature and Script Analysis | ||
| Television and Culture | ||
| Introduction to Literature (GT-AH2) | ||
| Borderlands: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality | ||
| Women and Literature | ||
| Literary Culture of the American West | ||
| Popular Genre Fiction: Topic Variable | ||
| Introduction to Creative Writing (GT-AH1) 1 | ||
| Environmental Literature (GT-AH2) 1 | ||
| Critical Approaches to Literature | ||
| Ancient World Literature (GT-AH2) 1 | ||
| Folklore | ||
| History and Philosophy of Travel (GT-HI1) 1 | ||
| Past Visions: History on Film (GT-HI1) 1 | ||
| Past Futures | ||
| Fundamentals of Music (GT-AH1) 1 | ||
| Introduction to Music (GT-AH1) 1 | ||
| Perspective in Music: Jazz History/Music Media/Women in Music/other selected topics | ||
| History of Jazz | ||
| History of Rock and Roll | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy (GT-AH3) 1 | ||
| Elementary Spanish I | ||
| Elementary Spanish II | ||
| Total Credits | 9 | |
- 1
Colorado State Guaranteed General Education Transfer Course.
Colorado State Guaranteed General Education Transfer Courses
Western Colorado University students who transfer to another Colorado public college or university may facilitate the transferring of general education credits by completing courses designated as State Guaranteed General Education Transfer Courses. Upon acceptance to another Colorado public college or university, students may have up to 31 credits of successfully completed (C- or better) State Guaranteed General Education Transfer Courses meet specific general education requirements of the receiving institution. Courses must incorporate specific content and competency areas as defined by the State Guaranteed General Education Transfer Curriculum. For more information regarding State Guaranteed General Education Transfer Courses and the 31-credit State Guaranteed General Education Transfer Curriculum, please consult the Colorado Department of Higher Education website: http://highered.colorado.gov.
Credits earned in general education courses not designated as State Guaranteed General Education Transfer Courses routinely transfer to other colleges and universities as determined by the receiving institution. A student transferring credits to another college or university should consult with the receiving institution to determine how transferred credits may meet particular general education requirements.
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| GT-CO1 | Colorado Guaranteed General Education Transfer Course, Introduction to Writing |
| GT-MA1 | Colorado Guaranteed General Education Transfer Course, Mathematics |
| GT-SS1 | Colorado Guaranteed General Education Transfer Course, Economics of Political Systems |
| GT-SS2 | Colorado Guaranteed General Education Transfer Course, Geography |
| GT-SS3 | Colorado Guaranteed General Education Transfer Course, Human Behavior, Culture, or Social Frameworks |
| GT-HI1 | Colorado Guaranteed General Education Transfer Course, History |
| GT-SC1 | Colorado Guaranteed General Education Transfer Course, Natural Sciences with Laboratory |
| GT-SC2 | Colorado Guaranteed General Education Transfer Course, Natural Sciences without Laboratory |
| GT-AH1 | Colorado Guaranteed General Education Transfer Course, Arts and Expression |
| GT-AH2 | Colorado Guaranteed General Education Transfer Course, Literature and Humanities |
| GT-AH3 | Colorado Guaranteed General Education Transfer Course, Ways of Thinking |