General Education
Objectives for General Education and the Baccalaureate Degree
The purpose of baccalaureate education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is to provide students with a solid foundation for intellectual development and an ability and desire to make contributions to society. As a public institution, SIUE strives to develop students who are well-informed, effective citizens; who provide leadership in civic and community affairs; who appreciate the arts; who have increased capacity for self-reflection, self-assessment and healthy living; and who will pursue lifelong learning.
The undergraduate curriculum encourages students to see the events of the world in broad perspective and to bring a reasoned approach to the challenges they may face. To achieve these purposes, the University seeks to impart the following abilities and knowledge to its students through their general education and study in their academic majors and minors:
Analytic, Problem-Solving, and Decision-Making Skills — All students will develop skills in information literacy and quantitative literacy, and develop the ability to understand and interpret written and oral texts, and to recognize, develop, evaluate, and defend or attack hypotheses and arguments. These skills are to be developed throughout all undergraduate programs in all courses.
Oral and Written Communication Skills — All students will develop skills in expository, argumentative, and creative writing, and in effective speaking and listening through extensive and regular writing assignments, oral presentations, and participation in discussions.
Foundation in Liberal Arts and Sciences — All students will acquire a solid base of knowledge in liberal arts and sciences and of the contributions of these fields to civilization and to the quality of life. All undergraduate degree programs at SIUE, including professional programs, are rooted in the liberal arts and sciences through the integration of each major program with the general education program.
Value of Diversity — All students will gain an understanding of the traditions that influence individuals and communities in order to develop a respect for and a sensitivity to human diversity. Students will gain a deeper understanding of global interdependence.
Scientific Literacy — All students will have experience in the methods of scientific inquiry in laboratory and field investigation and gain knowledge of scientific and technological developments and their influence on society.
Ethics — All students will understand the nature of value judgments, will have an ability to make reasoned and informed value judgments, and will appreciate the diversity among cultures with respect to mores and traditional standards of conduct.
Preparation in an Academic or Professional Discipline — Students completing the baccalaureate degree will have attained a level of achievement within an academic or professional discipline which will enable them either to begin a career in the discipline or to pursue graduate work in that or an appropriately related discipline.
The specific components of the general education program, also referred to as the Lincoln Program, are:
FIRST SEMESTER TRANSITION: All new first-year students are required to take a First Semester Transition course that helps students transition to college, with a specific focus on preparation for college level academic work and becoming an engaged member of the SIUE community.
FOUNDATIONS: All students are required to take five (5) Foundations courses which develop competencies in written and oral communication, logic, and quantitative literacy that form the bases of information literacy and scientific literacy;
BREADTH AREAS: All students are required to take six (6) Breadth courses (one from each of the following areas) which provide the opportunity to explore the breadth of human knowledge by introducing students to the principles, substance, and methodology of disciplines beyond their major. These courses are distributed across six Breadth Areas: Fine and Performing Arts, Humanities, Information and Communication in Society, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences;
INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES: All students are required to take one (1) minimum 3-credit hour course that carries the Interdisciplinary Studies designation to foster awareness of the interrelationships among branches of human knowledge;
EXPERIENCES:
- Laboratory Experience: All students are required to take a laboratory course in order to develop scientific literacy that helps shape informed citizens;
- U.S. Race, Gender, and Equity Experience: All students are required to take a course or complete an approved project or activity that introduce students to the ideas, history, values, and/or creative expressions of diverse groups within the United States, as well as issues of inequality, inequity, and social change among various groups, with an aim for developing racial, gender, and cultural literacy, an appreciation for differences as well as commonalities among people, a critical awareness of how structural and cultural forces have shaped inequality;
- Global Cultures, Race, and Equity Education Experience: All students are required to take a course or complete an approved project or activity that will introduce students to societal and cultural characteristics, issues, or levels of organization as exhibited by societies and cultures in countries other than in the United States, and must focus on diversity and include issues of inclusion, inequality, inequity, and social change;
- Health Experience: All students are required to participate in a health-related course or complete an approved project or activity in order to promote improved health and well-being.
SENIOR ASSIGNMENT: All seniors are required to complete the Senior Assignment that demonstrates breadth commensurate with SIUE‘s general education expectations and proficiency in the academic major. The Senior Assignment represents the culmination of the entire undergraduate experience at SIUE and should integrate the best aspects of each student‘s baccalaureate education. Each academic major has its own Senior Assignment, so the specifics of the requirement vary, but they share a challenge to each SIUE student to achieve individual academic excellence. This is what distinguishes baccalaureate education at SIUE.
DIVERSITY OF KNOWLEDGE: To accommodate the diversity of knowledge, the diverse interests of students, and the needs of an increasingly technical society, the University offers the Bachelor of Arts (BA), the Bachelor of Science (BS), the Bachelor of Liberal Studies (BLS) and professional baccalaureate degrees. The Lincoln Program supports baccalaureate education at SIUE by playing a foundational role in imparting the abilities and knowledge that define the common core of all of these degrees. University-wide criteria mandate the manner in which departments and programs inflect the broad content of these respective degrees in order to assure that they are equivalent and meaningfully differentiated degrees.
Students must satisfy all general education components to obtain a baccalaureate degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Summary of University-wide Baccalaureate Requirements
The total number of General Education courses required of students depends on the number of courses that a student takes that satisfy multiple requirements. The Lincoln Program can be completed with between 17 and 18 courses. The courses used to satisfy general education requirements may also apply toward fulfillment of major requirements. With appropriate selection of courses, students may complete most degree programs within the University’s minimum of 120 credit hours.
First Semester Transition 1 hour
Foundation 15 hours
- ENG 101-FW1/IAI C1 900, Minimum grade of C, Completed within first 30 hours
- ENG 102-FW2/IAI C1 901R, Minimum grade of C, Completed within first 45 hours
- ACS 101-FSPC/IAI C2 900 or ACS 103-FSPC, Completed within first 30 Hours
- RA 101-FRA/IAI H4 906, Completed within first 45 Hours
- QR 101*-FQR/IAI M1 901/Proficiency, Completed within first 60 Hours
*MATH 145/150 or higher with a minimum grade of C may be substituted
Breadth 18 hours
Take 3 credit hours from each area - not more than 6 credit hours from the same department.
- Fine & Performing Arts — BFPA*/IAI F, HF
- Humanities — BHUM*/IAI H
- Info & Communication in Society — BICS*/IAI M1 902
- Life Science — BLS*/IAI L
- Physical Science — BPS*/IAI P
- Social Science — BSS*/IAI S
Interdisciplinary Studies
- Course that carries IS designation
-Requires completion of Foundations courses
-Is not waived with completion of transfer associate degree or IAI-GECC
Experiences
- Laboratory — EL*/IAI xxxL
- U.S. Race, Gender, and Equity — ERGU* (Course/Project/Activity)
- Global Cultures, Race, and Equity Education — EREG* (Course/Project/Activity)
- Health — EH* (Course/Project/ Activity)
-If a course satisfies both the EREG and ERGU requirements, students will be given credit for one of the attributes and need to take a course that fulfills the other attribute
Diversity of Knowledge 24 hours
- Bachelor of Arts degree requires completion of 8 courses in fine & performing arts (BFPA* or FPA*) and humanities (BHUM* or HUM*) including two semesters of the same foreign language (FL*)
- Bachelor of Science degree requires completion of 8 courses in life (BLS* or LS*), physical (BPS* or PS*) or social science (BSS* or SS*) including 2 labs (EL*)
- Bachelor of Liberal Studies and professional baccalaureate degrees require completion of either 8 courses in fine & performing arts (BFPA* or FPA*) and humanities (BHUM* or HUM*) including two semesters of the same foreign language (FL*) or 8 courses in life (BLS* or LS*), physical (BPS* or PS*) or social science (BSS* or SS*) including 2 labs (EL*)
-Is not waived with completion of transfer associate degree or IAI-GECC
Senior Assignment
- Requirement established by individual departments or programs.
-Completed senior year
-Is not waived with completion of transfer associate degree or IAI GECC
Notes
- No more than five courses earned through proficiency may be applied toward general education requirements.
- Courses used to fulfill Experience requirements may be used to satisfy other requirements as appropriate. If a course satisfies both the EREG and ERGU requirements, students will be given credit for one of the attributes and need to take a course that fulfills the other attribute.
- Students failing to complete noted courses within required timeframes will not be eligible to continue without enrollment in required course(s) or appropriate authorization.
- Breadth courses may also be applied toward fulfillment of the Diversity of Knowledge requirement as appropriate
*Approved courses are identified in the course descriptions section with this attribute. Lists of approved courses may also be obtained by searching courses by course attribute in the online catalog at siue.edu/academics/undergraduate/courses/.
Proficiency examinations for General Education Credit
Proficiency examinations are available for all Foundations courses in the general education curriculum. Students who successfully pass a proficiency examination for a course have fulfilled that Foundations requirement. Credit hours earned from successful completion of a proficiency examination in a Foundations course will contribute toward general education hours earned toward the baccalaureate degree.
Proficiency examinations may also be available for the Breadth, Cultures (ERGU and EREG), and Interdisciplinary Studies requirements in the general education curriculum. Some of these tests are administered by the Testing Services or by individual departments. Students interested in taking a proficiency examination should contact Testing Services in the Student Success Center, Room 1246 (618-650-1246) or the department involved. A list of proficiency examinations offered to students may be found at siue.edu/testing/tests/proficiency-tests.shtml. Students who pass an SIUE departmentally administered proficiency examination, or receive a departmentally recognized AP score, may receive credit for the Breadth course and Cultures course as well as credit that counts toward the 120 hours required for graduation.
Students are allowed to meet a total of five general education requirements through course equivalency credit via proficiency examinations. This equivalency credit is allowed in the Foundations, Breadth, Cultures and Interdisciplinary Studies areas, or any combination of these.
Re-entering Students
Former students who have not attended SIUE for three or more terms, including summer, must apply for readmission. Re-entering students who have not attended in seven years are advised that they may not graduate under the general education major or minor requirements published in a catalog more than seven years old without the written permission of the dean of the school/college in which the student’s major is housed. Such written permission shall be submitted to the Office of the Registrar with the application for graduation. Academic work for students who re-enter the University after a seven-year period will be re-evaluated according to the current catalog. Once students have been readmitted to the University, they will be instructed to make an appointment with an advisor to determine the most efficient means of completing degree requirements.
Transferring StudentsTransfer students may satisfy SIUE‘s General Education Program by:
1.) (a) satisfying the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) General Education Core Curriculum or completing an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, or Associate of Science and Arts from an Illinois public institution, and;
(b) completing a course with Interdisciplinary Studies designation and the Diversity of Knowledge requirement
OR
2.) fulfilling all requirements of SIUE's Lincoln Program.
Note: Students must satisfy the Written Expression Foundations requirements (English 101 and 102) with grades of C or better. Finally, no credit will be accepted for remedial or developmental courses or for any coursework completed at unaccredited institutions.
Transcript Evaluations
Appropriately qualified personnel at the University will perform an evaluation of transfer credit to determine completion of the General Education requirements of the University. Students are entitled to a full explanation of the evaluations they receive.
Transcript evaluations will be completed for course work earned at regionally accredited institutions. A course-by-course evaluation of transfer credit determining equivalency and/or general education requirements is provided to all first-year/transfer students upon admission, and to returning/continuing students upon receipt of official transcripts. Students seeking a second bachelor’s degree do not receive an evaluation.
Questions relating to the transfer credit evaluation should be directed to the Transfer Center, Rendleman Hall, room 1218, (618) 650-2133, or email at transfercredit@siue.edu. Questions relating to how a course may transfer to SIUE should be directed to an admission counselor, Rendleman Hall, room 2120 (618) 650-3705.
Course Numbering and Attribute System
The course numbering and attribute system identifies those courses appropriate for meeting the Breadth, Interdisciplinary Studies and Experience requirements. The Foundations requirements are each met by discrete courses. It also helps students select courses appropriate for their class level.
Attribute — Requirement
- BFPA — Breadth Fine and Performing Arts requirement
- BHUM — Breadth Humanities requirement
- BICS — Breadth Information and Communication in Society requirement
- BLS — Breadth Life Sciences requirement
- BPS — Breadth Physical Sciences requirement
- BSS — Breadth Social Sciences requirement
- IS — Interdisciplinary Studies requirement
- EL — Experience Laboratory requirement
- ERGU — Experience U.S. Race, Gender, and Equity requirement
- EREG — Experience Global Cultures, Race, and Equity Education requirement
- EH — Experience Health requirement
In general, the first digit of a course number identifies the class level (freshmen, sophomore, junior, or senior) appropriate for enrollment in the course. The following is a guide for the SIUE course numbering system:
000-099: Courses that do not carry credit toward graduation.
100-200: Courses most appropriate for freshmen and sophomores. Courses typically assume little or no previous exposure to specific subject matter beyond the secondary-level; focus on incorporating and recalling basic information and developing basic understanding of connection between terms and concepts; begin to develop the capacity to integrate skills, terms and concepts throughout the course and from other introductory courses.
300-400: Courses most appropriate for juniors and seniors. Courses typically assume familiarity with basic terms, concepts, techniques and approaches of the discipline; focus on development of specialized terms, concepts, techniques and approaches with more narrowly defined topics; develop students‘ capacities to integrate across multiple topics to be able to recognize deeper, possibly predictive patterns; students willing to create products with limited guidance from instructor and to pose novel questions that may not have ready answers.
500: Graduate courses not accepted for application to a Bachelor's degree unless admitted to an approved Accelerated program.
