The General Education Program Information

The General Education Program at UCM is an essential component of all undergraduate degree programs. It allows students to cultivate fundamental intellectual and practical skills. The requirements are designed to improve students’ ability to communicate, think critically, solve real-world problems, and adapt to a changing world by learning to think in different contexts. General education cultivates social and civic responsibility to help students become lifelong learners and contributing members of society.

The philosophy of general education is not unique to UCM. UCM’s General Education Program is based on a model developed by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) called Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP). LEAP is organized around essential learning outcomes for all students regardless of their chosen field of study. For more information on LEAP, see aacu.org/leap.

This philosophy is the foundation for UCM’s General Education mission statement:

The General Education program at the University of Central Missouri serves student need and the public interest by ensuring students have strong foundational skills by providing a broad, enriched academic experience that both complements and supports their study within specialized disciplines.

UCM’s General Education Outcomes

Ten outcomes establish the knowledge base and skills for all UCM graduates. The UCM General Education Program Outcomes include:

• Global Learning - Students will examine and analyze current and historical phenomena that shape both local and global communities.
• Intercultural Knowledge - Students will identify, analyze, and evaluate diverse cultural perspectives.
• Ethical Reasoning - Students will identify, analyze, and evaluate diverse ethical perspectives.
• Civic Responsibility - Students will demonstrate knowledge of civic responsibility and capacity for active participation in a democratic society.
• Written Communication - Students will demonstrate clear and effective expression of ideas in writing using multimodal channels.
• Oral Communication - Students will demonstrate proficiency in oral discourse across settings, purposes, and audiences.
• Information Literacy - Students will demonstrate the ability to locate, organize, evaluate, and synthesize information from a variety of sources to make informed decisions.
• Quantitative Literacy - Students will apply quantitative reasoning to analyze problems and draw reasonable and appropriate inferences.
• Inquiry & Analysis - Students will demonstrate critical and creative thought and/or expression with sensitivity to context.
• Scientific Inquiry - Students will examine and apply the scientific methods to analyze and explain natural phenomena.

Policies Concerning the UCM General Education Program

The Faculty Senate General Education Committee is charged with the development and interpretation of policies concerning the General Education Program. 

General Policies Governing UCM General Education

The minimum number of required General Education semester credit hours for all students, regardless of their program of study, is 42. Some degree programs may require up to six additional hours of General Education depending on the math, science, and technology courses required.

Courses taken to fulfill General Education requirements may not be taken on the pass/fail basis. Students who have fulfilled all General Education requirements in a specific area may elect to take additional General Education courses as free elective hours in the same area on the pass/fail basis.

Placement and Prerequisites for General Education Classes

Placement into Writing I, Reading, Mathematics, and some Science courses is based on planned placement. Click the Planned Placement link in the navigation bar on the left side of this online page or click here  for detailed information. Students who do not meet Planned Placement requirements for enrollment in such courses will be required to complete prerequisite coursework. Courses which require planned placement are marked with a “+” in the general education course listing. Some Fine Arts courses may require an audition or placement assessment for enrollment. These courses are marked with an “^”.

United States and Missouri Constitutions Requirement (State Law Requirement, Section 170.011)

Missouri state law requirement, Section 170.011 RSMO Supp (1988) requires that all students at public Missouri institutions have a course that teaches the constitutions of Missouri and the United States. Find more information about this requirement at moga.mo.gov/statutes/c100-199/1700000011.htm. The following courses in the UCM General Education program fulfill this requirement: HIST 1350 , HIST 1351 , HIST 1402 , and POLS 1510  or POLS 2511  and are denoted with a “#” in the General Education course listing. These courses must be taken from institutions in the state of Missouri. Courses from out-of-state institutions which are articulated or substituted for these courses will not fulfill state law requirement Section 170.011 RSMO Supp (1988). Students who have one of these courses from out of state or who have already fulfilled all nine hours of Knowledge Area III in the general education program may fulfill this requirement by passing an exam on the constitutions of the United States and of Missouri. This test is offered online, at no cost by the School of Social Sciences and Languages (660-543-8840, Wood 203). Testing information can be obtained by calling 660-543-8840.

Missouri Higher Education Civics Achievement Examination Requirement (State Law Requirement, Section 170.013)

Missouri state law requirement, Section 170.013 went into effect Fall 2019 for students pursuing a degree at any public Missouri institution and requires that all students shall successfully pass an examination on the provisions and principles of American civics with a score of seventy percent or greater as a condition of graduation. The subject matter of the 50 question, multiple-choice test includes the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and other areas of government and American history. Students may fulfill this requirement by passing an exam offered in Blackboard or by providing proof on an official transcript of having passed the exam at another Missouri higher education institution. This test is offered online, at no cost.  Students are encouraged to take and pass the test during their first semester at UCM.  The test may be taken any number of times until a passing score of at least 70 percent is earned.  When the test is passed, the requirement will show as fulfilled on the Central Degree Audit and a notation will be added to the student’s transcript.  Students who have not passed the exam by the time they have reached 60 credit hours will have a hold on their account and be prevented from enrolling in future coursework until the exam is successfully passed.  Questions about the content of the test may be referred to the School of Social Sciences and Languages (Wood 203, 660-543-8840). Testing information can be obtained by calling the Testing Center at 660-543-4919.

Transfer Students and General Education

Transfer Students with a degree or the 42-hour core (MOTR CORE 42) from Missouri institutions. Students who transfer to UCM with an Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree, an Associate of Arts in Teaching (A.A.T.) degree, or a bachelor’s degree from an appropriately regionally accredited institution in Missouri, or have met the Missouri 42-hour General Education Core (MOTR CORE 42) requirements are considered to have met UCM’s 42-hour general education program, state law requirement Section 170.011 RSMO Supp (1988) with the exception of any specific general education courses required by the student’s major/minor.

Transfer Students with a degree from out-of-state institutions. Students who transfer to UCM with an Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree, an Associate of Arts in Teaching (A.A.T.) degree, or a bachelor’s degree from an appropriately regionally accredited institution outside of the state of Missouri are considered to have met UCM’s 42-hour general education program with the exception of any specific general education courses required by the major/minor and state law requirement Section 170.011 RSMO Supp (1988). These students must fulfill state law requirement Section 170.011 RSMO Supp (1988) by either successfully completing a course at UCM in General Education denoted with a “#” or by passing an exam on the constitutions of the United States and Missouri offered by Department of Political Science and International Studies   (Wood 203, 660-543-8840).

Transfer students without a degree or the Missouri 42-hour core. Students who transfer from an out-of-state institution without a degree will have their courses evaluated on a course-by-course basis for UCM’s general education program. Courses from out-of-state institutions which are articulated or substituted for history or social/behavioral science courses that fulfill state law requirement Section 170.011 RSMO Supp (1988) will not fulfill this requirement. Students in this situation may fulfill this requirement by either successfully completing a course at UCM in the General Education denoted with a “#” or by passing an exam on the constitution of the United States and of Missouri offered by Department of Political Science and International Studies   (Wood 203, 660-543-8840).  Students who transfer from an in-state institution without a degree or the Missouri 42-hour General Education Core (MOTR CORE 42) requirements will have their courses evaluated on a course-by-course basis for both the UCM general education program and the Missouri Higher Education Core Transfer Curriculum (CORE 42).

Eligibility for CORE 42 completion instead of University of Central Missouri General Education is determined by using the following criteria: 

• Student transferred to UCM in the Spring 2019 semester or later from a Missouri public college or university.  
• Student has earned 12 or more transferable hours at a Missouri public college or university following graduation from high school (credits from Dual Credit pre-High School graduation do not count in eligibility).  

CORE 42 - Missouri Higher Education Core Transfer Curriculum

CORE 42 is a statewide transferable general education lower-division core curriculum of 42 semester credit hours among all Missouri’s public Institutions of Higher Education (IHE). The courses are designed to ensure that all graduates from Missouri IHE possess a common core of college-level competencies, skills, and knowledge. Completion of all 42 semester credit hours will result in completion of general education at any Missouri IHE. Upon completion of this CORE 42, a student may submit a request through the Office of the Registrar for a CORE 42 notation to be entered on the student’s transcript. If the student then transfers to another participating school in the state, the receiving institution will accept the CORE 42 as equivalent to their own general education block. In a similar manner, if a student transfers to UCM with certification of CORE 42 from another Missouri IHE, the student will not be required to take any of the UCM’s General Education requirements unless they are required for a students program (degree, major, or minor). 

Major Required General Education Classes

Some majors require specific General Education courses. Such courses are listed in this catalog for each program.

Should a student change majors or minors from a program that does not require specific General Education courses to a program that does, a student may have to take additional credit hours in one or more of the defined areas of the General Education program if she/he has not taken the specific General Education course listed as a major or minor requirement. This applies to transfer students as well, even if a prior degree or the Missouri 42 hour core has been completed.

Honors Students and General Education

Students who participate in The Honors College Program and then choose to leave that program will be allowed to use courses taken to complete Honors General Education requirements in the non-honors general education. For example, students who completed six hours of modern foreign language as part of the Honors Program will be allowed to continue to use the extra three hours of language in place of the Fine Arts requirement. If a major or minor requires a particular general education course in a category, the honors substitution will not be honored.

Teacher Education Majors and General Education Assessment

Missouri State Statute 168.400 indicates that prior to admission to a teacher preparation program, prospective teacher candidates must be assessed using an exam that evaluates “basic oral and written communication skills and basic mathematics skills.” Each prospective teacher education student is required to obtain a satisfactory rating prior to admission into the approved teacher education program.

Pursuant to this statute, to be admitted into an undergraduate Teacher Preparation Program, students may demonstrate proficiency in the areas of math, reading and communication using a composite score or a combination of subtests on any of the following assessments.

If a student does not meet one of the composite options above, they can mix and match subtests with passing scores from each of the options below.

For more information about test dates, fees, and how to register, students should consult with their Academic Success Advisor or program coordinator.