Undergraduate General Education
The Purpose of General Education
The purpose of general education at CalSouthern, as a member of the AIU System (AIUS), is to provide learners with a wide array of courses strategically crafted to integrate liberal arts, science, and general knowledge. This integration is geared towards fostering both personal and professional growth. The goal is to shape and empower learners into capable global citizens ready to meet the evolving demands of the workplace.
The framework and philosophy of the AIUS General Education Curricula are shaped by the AIUS Mission, the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Essential Learning Outcomes (Essential Learning Outcomes, n.d) and the Lumina Foundation’s Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP) (Lumina Foundation, 2014).
General Education courses are intended to teach learners cross functional and transferable skills that can be applied to any discipline or professional setting (Finley, 2021) and build a broad range of knowledge and skills that serve as the foundation for academic and professional success. The courses offered in the general education curriculum aim to provide a holistic learning experience through intensive study of liberal arts topics. Through this approach, the curriculum aims to develop, refine, and derive creative-thinking techniques that can be applied directly to a discipline or profession. Other general education courses relate to academic preparation and non-cognitive (soft) skills. Learners are required to take courses from each of the following distribution areas: University Success, English, Social Sciences, Math, Humanities, and Natural Sciences.
General Education Outcomes (GEOs)
The General Education Outcomes (GEOs), represent skills at the very core of liberal education and are designed to provide the foundation for each learner's personal development, to foster a love for lifelong learning as they advance through towards program completion. In addition, the GEOs represent skills valued by employers that help learners prepare for professional success (Finley, 2021). The AIUS General Education Outcomes are:
- INTERDISCIPLINARY APPLICATION
Apply concepts, principles, methods, and prior knowledge from multiple domains (humanities, social, behavioral, and natural sciences) in the development of reasoned conclusions.
- COMMUNICATION
Convey ideas, arguments, and information clearly and concisely.
- QUANTITATIVE REASONING
Apply logic to draw conclusions based on mathematical information.
- INFORMATION LITERACY
Use information from credible sources effectively and ethically.
- CRITICAL THINKING
Develop reasoned conclusions by integrating information from multiple perspectives.
- DIVERSITY
Integrate multiple and differing interpersonal and intercultural perspectives to address equity and inclusion in the development of reasoned conclusions.
- ETHICS
Apply ethical principles and theories to situations.
General Education Courses and Credits Distributed
At CalSouthern, general education is an important component of the undergraduate curriculum, and all undergraduate learners are required to meet the university’s general education requirements. The recommended distribution is University Success, English (communication), humanities, mathematics, natural sciences, and social sciences.
Associate Programs (24 Credits Required)
| GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE CATEGORY |
CREDITS |
| University Success |
3 |
| English (Communication) |
6
|
| Humanities |
6
|
| Mathematics |
3
|
| Natural Sciences |
3
|
| Social/Behavioral Sciences |
3
|
| TOTAL GE CREDITS REQUIRED |
24
|
Bachelor’s Programs (36 Credits Required)
| GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE CATEGORY |
CREDITS |
| University Success |
3 |
| English (Communication) |
9 |
| Humanities |
9 |
| Mathematics |
3 |
| Natural Sciences |
6 |
| Social Sciences |
6 |
| TOTAL GE CREDITS REQUIRED |
36 |
Recommended Distribution
The following is the recommended distribution of course credit among the GE categories at CalSouthern. We recognize that most of our undergraduate learners have GE credits earned at other post-secondary institutions. Where learners still require additional credits, we will endeavor to recommend courses to balance the categories.
University Success
English (Communication)
Humanities
Mathematics
Natural Sciences
Social Sciences