General Education Requirements

Learn why general education makes all the difference at UJ. Plus, find out what gen eds are required to earn your specific degree.

A solid foundation for your future.

Any school can teach you the technical skills of a job. UJ takes it one step further, by also instilling in you the skills employers truly need: leadership, communication, and problem solving. We do this, in part, through general education.

These courses are crucial to the UJ experience, because they force you to move across disciplines and understand how different areas of study influence each other. You’ll shift out of your academic comfort zone, expand your mind, and prepare for life after graduation.

Build your values. Broaden your thinking.

General education courses aren’t necessarily meant to make you discover new interests, but rather, broaden your mindset and develop crucial skills, like:

  • Critical thinking
  • Written and oral communication
  • Leadership
  • Moral and civic responsibility
  • Global perspectives
  • Quantitative reasoning and research
  • Personal wellness

 

General Education Requirements for BA and BS

Use the Thinkers, Communicators, and Citizens tables below to view which courses fulfill each general education requirement.

Total Credit Hours: 42-45

Scientific Literacy

Graduates will apply fundamental scientific principles and methods of inquiry to solve problems in a variety of contexts.

Principles of Natural Science Course (3 credits)

BIOL 108 The Human Body (Lec/Lab)

3/1
BIOL 120 Essentials of Biology and Chemistry for Health Sciences

3
BIOL 150 Introduction to Biology I (Lec/Lab)

3/1
CHEM 113 Food, Chemistry, and You (Lec/Lab)

3/1
CHEM 133 General Chemistry I (Lec/Lab)

3/1
EESC 150 Environmental Science (Lec/Lab)

3/1
EESC 160 Organismal Biology (Lec/Lab)

3/1
EESC 170 Physical Geology (Lec/Lab)

3/1
EESC 180 Field Ecology – The Arctic

3
EESC 181 Culture & Ecology of the Hawaiian Islands

3
PHYS 143 College Physics I (Lec/Lab)

4/1
PHYS 203 Physics I (Lec/Lab)

4/1
Total Credit Hours: 3-4

Social Science Course (3 credits)

ECON 201 Principles of Microeconomics

3
ECON 202 Principles of Macroeconomics

3
PSYC 101 General Psychology

3
PSYC 203 Developmental Psychology

3
SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology

3
SOC 102/CJ 102 Deviance and Social Control

3
SOC 230 Sociology of the Family

3
Total Credit Hours: 3

Quantitative Reasoning

Graduates will draw inferences and make decisions from relevant quantitative information.

Quantitative Reasoning Course (3 credits)

CS 230 Data Analysis

3
ECON 201 Principles of Microeconomics

3
ECON 202 Principles of Macroeconomics

3
EDUC 203 Mathematics for Elementary Teachers

3
MATH 101 Ideas in Mathematics

3
MATH 106 Mathematical Applications for Management

3
MATH 111 College Algebra

3
MATH 113 Pre-Calculus

4
MATH 205 Statistics

3
MATH 251 Calculus of Derivatives

3
PHYS 143 College Physics I (Lec/Lab)

4/1
PHYS 203 Physics I (Lec/Lab)

4/1
Total Credit Hours: 3-4

Aesthetic Appreciation

Graduates will understand the complex layers of the creative process, its reflection of human society, and its power to impact.

Aesthetic Appreciation Course (3 credits)

COMM 340/ENGL 347 Film Analysis

3
DIG 111 Digital Design

3
DIG 112 Vector Design

3
DIG 251 Graphics Development

3
ENGL 115 Popular Literature and Analysis

3
ENGL 201 Introduction to Literary Study and Analysis

3
ENGL 210 World Literature to 1500

3
ENGL 211 World Literature since 1500

3
ENGL 230 British Literature to 1785

3
ENGL 231 British Literature Since 1785

3
ENGL 250 American Literature to 1865

3
ENGL 251 American Literature since 1865

3
ENGL 305 Studies in the British Novel

3
ENGL 308 Studies in the American Short Story

3
ENGL 310 Modern Poetry

3
ENGL 320 British Romantics

3
ENGL 330 Victorian England

3
ENGL 331/THEA 331 Shakespeare

3
ENGL 340 Advanced Creative Writing – Poetry

3
ENGL 341 Advanced Creative Writing – Fiction

3
ENGL 360 Studies in the American Novel

3
ENGL 370 The Images of Woman in Literature

3
ENGL 420 African-American Literature

3
FREN 330 Survey of French Literature

3
FREN 340 Survey of Francophone Literature

3
GER 330 Survey of German Literature I

3
GER 340 Survey of German Literature II

3
MUS 101 Music Appreciation

3
MUS 102 Music in Film

3
MUS 103 History of Popular Music

3
MUS 160 Harmony/Theory I

3
SPAN 330 Spanish Peninsular Cultural Studies I

3
SPAN 340 Spanish Peninsular Cultural Studies II

3
SPAN 370 Latin American Cultural Studies I

3
SPAN 380 Latin American Cultural Studies II

3
THEA 190 Introduction to Theatre

3
THEA 213 Acting

3
THEA 260 Masterpieces of Drama

3
THEA 303 Stagecraft and Lighting

4
THEA 318/ENGL 318 Development of American Drama

3
THEA 323 Acting: Period Styles

3
THEA 333 Scene Design

3
THEA 335 Musical Theatre

3
Total Credit Hours: 3-4

Social Inquiry

Graduates will understand the relationship between human social structures and behavior.

Historical Perspectives Course (3 credits)

CJ 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice

3
ENGL 351 History of the English Language

3
HIST 207 The United States to 1865

3
HIST 208 The United States Since 1865

3
HIST 220 Europe: 1900 to Mid-Century

3
HIST 222 History of the Middle East

3
HIST 262 History of China

3
HIST 291 Western Civilization I

3
HIST 292 Western Civilization II

3
HIST 303 The Civil War and Reconstruction

3
HIST 304 Medieval Europe

3
HIST 306 Renaissance and Reformation

3
HIST 307 Ancient Greece

3
HIST 308 Ancient Rome

3
HIST 310 Indigenous History from Time Immemorial to 1787

3
HIST 311/POLS 311 Indigenous History and Federal Indian Policy, 1787 – Present

3
HIST 316/REL 316 Religion in American History

3
HIST 320 Europe: 1900 to Mid-Century

3
HIST 322 History of the Middle East

3
HIST 331 The American West

3
HIST 344 19th Century Europe

3
HIST 354 Evolution of War

3
HIST 362 History of China

3
HIST 364 The French Revolution and the Age of Napoleon

3
HIST 370/POLS 370 American Constitutions and Revolutions

3
HIST 374 History of Medicine

3
MUS 239 Music History I: Medieval and Renaissance

3
POLS 104 American National Government

3
POLS 312 Congress and the Presidency

3
POLS 314 Governmental Power and U.S. Constitutional Law

3
POLS 316 Rights & Liberties and U.S. Constitutional Law

3
POLS 325 Comparative European Governments

3
POLS 333 World Politics

3
POLS 335 The European Union

3
POLS 344 American Foreign Relations to 1920

3
POLS 348 American Foreign Relations since 1895

3
POLS 352 American Economic Policy

3
POLS 375 Modern Political Thought

3
Total Credit Hours: 3

Total Credit Hours: 42-45

 

Note: A single course may not be used to satisfy more than one general education course requirement.  A single course may be used to satisfy both a major/minor course requirement and a general education course requirement.

Communication and Information Literacy

Communication: Graduates will effectively communicate in a variety of settings and modes.
Information Literacy: Graduates will identify, evaluate, and apply information within relevant contexts.

Core Communication Course: ENGL 101 (3 credits)

ENGL 101 Expository Writing

3
Total Credit Hours: 3

Core Communication Course: ENGL 102 (3 credits)

ENGL 102 Argumentative and Analytical Writing

3
Total Credit Hours: 3

Oral Communication Course (3 credits)

COMM 102 Fundamentals of Public Speaking

3
COMM 201 Oral Interpretation of Literature

3
ENGR 411 Engineering Design II

3
HIST 370/POLS 370 American Constitutions and Revolutions

3
THEA 213 Acting

3
THEA 323 Acting: Period Styles

3
Total Credit Hours: 3

Applicational Communication Course (3 credits)

CS 140 Integrated Software Applications

3
ENGL 414 Multimodal Composition

3
Total Credit Hours: 3

Total Credit Hours: 42-45

 

Note: A single course may not be used to satisfy more than one general education course requirement.  A single course may be used to satisfy both a major/minor course requirement and a general education course requirement.

Wellness

Graduates will apply elements of wellness to their lives by implementing healthy lifestyle choices.

Core Course – JOUR 101 (1 credit)

JOUR 101 UJ Foundations

1
Total Credit Hours: 1

Core Course – KNS 180 (1 credit)

Total Credit Hours: 1

Physical Activity Course (1 credit)

KNS 111 Beginning Swimming

1
KNS 207 Beginning Weight Training and Fitness

1
KNS 208 Intermediate Weight Training and Fitness

1
KNS 215 Social and Contemporary Dance I

1
KNS 216 Social and Contemporary Dance II

1
KNS 219 Tennis/Golf

1
KNS 221 Bowling

1
KNS 223 Spinsanity

1
KNS 225 Disc Golf

1
KNS 227 High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

1
Total Credit Hours: 1

Ethical Reasoning

Graduates will understand ethical theory and its application to their personal and professional lives.

Core Course – PHIL 252/352 (3 credits)

PHIL 252 Ethics

3
Total Credit Hours: 3

Cultural Engagement

Graduates will develop the attitudes, knowledge, and skills necessary to navigate the challenges and opportunities of a global society.

Two Cultural Engagement Courses (6 credits)

NOTE: Students without 2 years of the same high school foreign language must take 6 credits of one foreign language or 3 credits of a foreign language in addition to an approved international experience for a minimum of 3 credit hours.

Students with at least 2 years of the same high school foreign language may complete this requirement by taking no more than 3 credits from any one distinct prefix, except for GER, FREN, SPAN, FLAN or by taking an approved international experience for a minimum of 3 credit hours.

COMM 305 Cross-Cultural Communication

3
COMM 340/ENGL 347 Film Analysis

3
EESC 180 Field Ecology – The Arctic

3
EESC 181 Culture & Ecology of the Hawaiian Islands

3
ENGL 115 Popular Literature and Analysis

3
ENGL 201 Introduction to Literary Study and Analysis

3
ENGL 210 World Literature to 1500

3
ENGL 211 World Literature since 1500

3
ENGL 230 British Literature to 1785

3
ENGL 231 British Literature Since 1785

3
ENGL 250 American Literature to 1865

3
ENGL 251 American Literature since 1865

3
ENGL 305 Studies in the British Novel

3
ENGL 308 Studies in the American Short Story

3
ENGL 310 Modern Poetry

3
ENGL 314 Introduction to Rhetorical Theory

3
ENGL 320 British Romantics

3
ENGL 330 Victorian England

3
ENGL 331/THEA 331 Shakespeare

3
ENGL 360 Studies in the American Novel

3
ENGL 370 The Images of Woman in Literature

3
ENGL 414 Multimodal Composition

3
ENGL 420 African-American Literature

3
ENGR 402 Sustainable Engineering

3
FREN 101 Beginning French I

3
FREN 102 Beginning French II

3
FREN 201 Intermediate French I

3
FREN 202 Intermediate French II

3
FREN 310 French Conversation and Composition

3
FREN 320 French Culture and Civilization

3
FREN 330 Survey of French Literature

3
FREN 340 Survey of Francophone Literature

3
GER 101 Beginning German I

3
GER 102 Beginning German II

3
GER 201 Intermediate German I

3
GER 202 Intermediate German II

3
GER 310 German Conversation and Composition

3
GER 320 German Culture and Civilization

3
GER 330 Survey of German Literature I

3
GER 340 Survey of German Literature II

3
HIST 207 The United States to 1865

3
HIST 208 The United States Since 1865

3
HIST 220 Europe: 1900 to Mid-Century

3
HIST 222 History of the Middle East

3
HIST 262 History of China

3
HIST 310 Indigenous History from Time Immemorial to 1787

3
HIST 311/POLS 311 Indigenous History and Federal Indian Policy, 1787 – Present

3
HIST 320 Europe: 1900 to Mid-Century

3
HIST 322 History of the Middle East

3
HIST 354 Evolution of War

3
HIST 362 History of China

3
ITAL 101 Beginning Italian I

3
ITAL 102 Beginning Italian II

3
ITAL 201 Intermediate Italian I

3
POLS 325 Comparative European Governments

3
POLS 333 World Politics

3
POLS 335 The European Union

3
POLS 344 American Foreign Relations to 1920

3
POLS 348 American Foreign Relations since 1895

3
POLS 352 American Economic Policy

3
POLS 375 Modern Political Thought

3
SPAN 101 Beginning Spanish I

3
SPAN 102 Beginning Spanish II

3
SPAN 201 Intermediate Spanish I

3
SPAN 202 Intermediate Spanish II

3
SPAN 310 Advanced Spanish I

3
SPAN 320 Advanced Spanish II

3
SPAN 330 Spanish Peninsular Cultural Studies I

3
SPAN 340 Spanish Peninsular Cultural Studies II

3
SPAN 370 Latin American Cultural Studies I

3
SPAN 380 Latin American Cultural Studies II

3
THEA 260 Masterpieces of Drama

3
THEA 318/ENGL 318 Development of American Drama

3
Total Credit Hours: 6

Christian Engagement

Graduates will examine the relationship between faith and reason and how it informs the values and experiences of a diverse world.

Religion Course (3 credits)

HIST 316/REL 316 Religion in American History

3
REL 211 Old Testament

3
REL 212 New Testament

3
REL 215 Christian Traditions

3
REL 224 Life and Teachings of Jesus

3
REL 226 Paul’s Letters to Corinth

3
REL 262 Christian Beliefs

3
REL 271 World Religions

3
REL 315 Christian Traditions

3
REL 362 Christian Beliefs

3
Total Credit Hours: 3

Total Credit Hours: 42-45

Note: A single course may not be used to satisfy more than one general education course requirement.  A single course may be used to satisfy both a major/minor course requirement and a general education course requirement.

General Education Requirements for BS in Nursing

Moral & Civic Education Credits
UJ Foundations (Freshman) 1
Ethics 3
American Government
or
American History		 3
Global Perspectives 3
Semester Credits 10
   
Communication Skills Credits
English Composition I
(with a grade of C- or higher)		 3
English Composition
with Literature II
(with a grade of C- or higher)		 3
Semester Credits 6
   
Cultural & Social Heritage Credits
Religion 3
Literature, Art, Music, or Theatre 3
Developmental Psychology 3
Intro to Sociology
or
Sociology of the Family		 3
Semester Credits 12
   
Natural Science &
Quantitative Reasoning		 Credits
Anatomy & Physiology I & Lab 4
Anatomy & Physiology II & Lab 4
Computer 3
Math 3
Semester Credits 14
   
Personal Wellness Credits
Fitness and Wellness
or
Physical Activity Course		 1
Semester Credits 1
Total Semester Credits 43