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.
General Education Outcomes and Competencies
Four outcomes and ten competencies establish the knowledge base and skills for all UCM graduates. The UCM General Education Program Outcomes and Competencies include:
Outcome 1: UCM graduates will demonstrate a mastery of intellectual and practical skills by
Competency 1: Writing with clarity and purpose using appropriate conventions of format, structure, and documentation.
Competency 2: Presenting and interacting effectively in public, group, and interpersonal settings.
Competency 3: Using mathematical and formal reasoning to perform analysis, determine reasonableness, and draw inferences.
Competency 4: Thinking creatively and critically.
Competency 5: Acquiring and managing information effectively through research and the uses of current and emerging technologies.
Outcome 2: UCM graduates will demonstrate knowledge of the world in which we live by acquiring
Competency 6: Knowledge and appreciation of literature, languages, and the arts using the standards of evidence and reasoning appropriate to the humanities and the arts.
Competency 7: Knowledge of the physical and natural world using the standards of evidence and reasoning appropriate to the sciences, mathematics, and technology.
Competency 8: Knowledge of the human experience using the standards of evidence and reasoning appropriate to history and the social/behavioral sciences.
Outcome 3: UCM graduates will demonstrate an understanding of individual and social responsibility by
Competency 9: Evaluating individual and social choices within multiple cultural frameworks using ethical reasoning and civic principles.
Outcome 4: UCM graduates will demonstrate the ability to integrate and apply skills, knowledge, and responsibility by
Competency 10: Creating a cumulative work that demonstrates the integration and application of knowledge in new settings. Competency 10 is fulfilled by the major curriculum. It is not included in the 42-hour core of general education.
The 42-credit hours required in General Education will ensure students learn and practice the skills and knowledge of the ten competencies prior to degree conferral. Students will demonstrate their competency by successfully completing assignments and required courses, passing the General Education Assessment examination (see information below), and through completion of a capstone experience in the major.
Policies Concerning the 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 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, 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 ACT/SAT score 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 Department of History and Anthropology (660-543-4404, Wood 136). Testing information can be obtained by calling 660-543-4404.
Transfer Students and General Education
Transfer Students with a degree or the 42-hour core 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 requirements are considered to have met UCM’s 42-hour general education program, state law requirement Section 170.011 RSMO Supp (1988), and the nine general education competencies 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 and the nine general education competencies 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 the Department of History and Anthropology (Wood 136, 660-543-4404).
Transfer students without a degree or the Missouri 42-hour core. Students who transfer without a degree or the Missouri 42-hour core 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 the Department of History and Anthropology (660-543-4404, Wood 136).
Major Required General Education Classes
Some majors require specific General Education courses. Such courses are listed in this catalog for each program. Some major programs list required general education courses in the major hours, some list them in the general education hours, and some programs list required general education classes in both major and general education hours.
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.
General Education Assessment Policy
Assessment is a key process that is used in the academic, administrative, and student support services areas. Because the core process of higher education institutions is student learning, assessment at UCM serves three primary purposes: A) improvement of student learning and instruction, B) accomplishment of institutional mission, and C) accountability for achievement of educational goals. Central Missouri works hard to keep in contact with employers who hire UCM graduates. The one consistent message received from those employers, regardless of the type of enterprise, is that college graduates need to have a solid background in General Education.
This is one of the reasons the university has established a minimum score on a national test of General Education critical thinking and reading skills as a preparedness check for enrollment in upper-division courses as well as a condition for graduation. We want our students and the general public to know that we take our responsibility of preparing students to live and work as productive citizens in a diverse society very seriously. Central Missouri wants to ensure that every student is prepared for upper-division course work and that every student who graduates from our institution has a basic set of intellectual and reading skills in those areas defined by employers, educators and our culture as important.
All undergraduate students seeking a degree at Central Missouri; except teacher education majors, RN-BS nursing majors, and post-baccalaureate students (from UCM and transfer institutions); must, as a condition for graduation:
- Take the general education assessment (GEA), the ETS Proficiency Profile, in the semester after which a total of 60 credit hours have been earned.
- Pass the GEA by obtaining a minimum score of 425 (based on a scaled score of 400 - 500).
- Fulfill the General Education Assessment Policy no later than the semester after which a total of 75 credit hours have been earned, to ensure no delays in progress towards graduation.
Additional information on the ETS Proficiency Profile may be viewed at ets.org/proficiencyprofile/about.
An enrollment hold will be placed on a student’s account for failing to take the GEA the semester after which a total of 60 credit hours have been earned or for not fulfilling the General Education Assessment Policy.
Students unsuccessful in obtaining the minimum total score of 425 (based on a scaled score of 400 - 500) are required to meet with Testing Services staff to discuss obstacles to passing the GEA, test-taking strategies, and specific interventions to help improve the student’s knowledge and skills. After two unsuccessful attempts, students are required to submit documentation to the Faculty Senate University Assessment Council subcommittee to discuss possible solutions/actions.
Transfer Students and General Education Assessment
Transfer students, with at least 60 credit hours, must test during their second semester at UCM.
Students transferring with a degree from State Fair Community College may request to use their exit exam, which is the ETS Proficiency Profile, in fulfillment of UCM’s GEA policy, if they meet the minimum score requirement of 425. Transfer students who have taken the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) or the College-BASE for General Education, or former teacher education majors who have passed the MoGEA, may seek fulfillment of the General Education Assessment Policy.
- A score report must be sent directly from the testing company or previous institution to the Office of Testing Services. Most institutions require written consent to release a score report.
- The test must have been taken within the past 10 years.
- Testing Services staff will review the score reports to determine if they meet UCM’s minimum score requirement on these exams.
Teacher Education Majors and General Education Assessment
Teacher Education Majors are required by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to take and pass all sections of the Missouri General Education Assessment (MoGEA). This test is used for admission into undergraduate professional education programs at all Missouri colleges and universities, and includes sections on English language arts, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. For more information about test dates, fees, and to register, please go to mo.nesinc.com. For information about required passing scores, students should consult with their academic advisor (LOV 2160, 660-543-4888).
Admission to Degree Programs and General Education Assessment
Nursing Majors. Students seeking admission to the nursing program are required to fulfill the university’s General Education Assessment requirements as a condition for admission into the nursing program and take the nursing admission exam. The General Education Assessment Policy does not apply to Registered Nurses seeking a B.S. in Nursing.
General Education Assessment Test Registration
Registration for the GEA is available in MyCentral. Click on the “Student Services” tab, then the “Register for a Test” link at the bottom right hand corner and then click on the test day and time preferred. Complete the online registration process as directed. See ucmo.edu/testingservices for complete information on the General Education Assessment Policy and requirements.
Direct any questions concerning this policy to the Director of Testing Services, Humphreys 216, 660-543-4919, or testingservices@ucmo.edu.
