2023-2024 Catalog

 

General Education Requirements - Bachelor’s Degree

General Education Requirements

The general education requirements provide a common experience for all students; therefore, the courses ENG-180, HST-180, MUS-180, PHL-180, and New Student Orientation (NSO)/First Year Experience (FYE) requirement must be completed at Indiana Wesleyan University and are not eligible as transfer credit once the student is enrolled. These courses target specific outcomes desired of all graduates in accordance with IWU’s mission and are required of all students as a designed common experience component.

All students must complete the current complement of 180 courses (ENG-180, MUS-180, HST-180, PHL-180) within the first four semesters of their academic program.

Core Requirements

NSO/FYE Requirement

New Student Orientation and First Year Experience courses are designed to connect students to the IWU community, to prepare them for their experiences here, and to begin developing an understanding of IWU's mission and philosophies of General Education and Life Calling. In these ways, these two interconnected programs seek to foster student success and flourishing by aiding in a smooth transition to college and by guiding students into the pursuit of truth for lives of service as Christ’s ambassadors of reconciliation in a broken world. All students are required to participate in NSO and FYE during their first semester.

Humanities Core (12 hours)

ENG-180Humanities World Literature

3

HST-180Humanities World Civilization

3

MUS-180Humanities Fine Arts

3

PHL-180Humanities Philosophy

3

These courses are built on the model of a basic focus on seven major historical periods: Great Age of the Greeks, Greco-Roman World, Medieval Era, Renaissance and Reformation, Rise of Modern Empire and Age of Enlightenment, Nineteenth Century, and Twentieth Century. John Wesley Honors College students may meet this requirement through different means (please see catalog section).

Biblical Literature and Theology (9 hours)

Two courses in biblical literature (BIL-101 and BIL-102) and THE-101 Theology of Christian Life.

Advanced Writing or Literature (3 hours)

One course in writing (WRI) above 120 or literature (ENG) above 200 EXCEPT for ENG-140, ENG-141, ENG-170, ENG-201, ENG-241, ENG-352, ENG-383TE, ENG-455 and WRI-210, COM-223, WRI-360, WRI-356, WRI-475.

Health and Wellness (2 hours)

Students may take two PHE Activity courses in one semester. The courses must be taken sequentially (i.e., one must meet in the first half of the term; the other must meet in the second half of the term). Students may add the second class up until the day the class starts if there are openings in the class, and the drop/add slip is signed by the professor of the class.

PHE-101Concepts of Health and Wellness

1

PHE-102-139
One PHE Activity Course

1

(or select additional courses)

Social Science (9 hours)

Three courses - No more than one from any of the following areas:

ECO-
Economics

3

HST-
History

3

POL-
Political Science

3

PSY-
Psychology

3

SOC-
Sociology

3

Science/Mathematics (7 hours)

Lab Science  4
Mathematics (MAT-104, MAT-107, MAT-111, MAT-112, MAT-113, MAT-120, MAT-130, MAT-204, MAT-223, MAT-253, MAT-254, MAT-255 or MAT-305) or  
Computer (CIS-117, CIS-121, CIS-122, CIS-125 or CIS-126) or  3
CLEP Test (College Mathematics, College Algebra, or Calculus) or  
AP Exam (Calculus or Statistics)  

Indiana College Core - Formerly Statewide Transfer General Education Core

Indiana Wesleyan University participates voluntarily in the Indiana College Core program in order to serve students who begin their studies at other schools; however, we recognize significant benefit to completing general education courses at IWU, rather than elsewhere. The IWU general education curriculum is integrated with the Christian narrative of our relationship with God and his creation. It leads us to love God more fully and more deeply. “As an expression of the love of God, general education in the liberal arts has as its end the love of God, neighbor, self, and creation that leads to human flourishing and the flourishing of creation, developing students to pursue, engage, and apply God’s truth ever more effectively as Christ’s ambassadors of reconciliation in a broken world (2 Cor 5:17-20).” (Reconciling Truth Through Love: A Philosophy of General Education, IWU College of Arts and Sciences, 2014)

The Indiana College Core is a block of 30 credit hours, defined individually by each participating Indiana educational institution, that fulfills six specific general education competencies. Participating schools agree to certify transferring students who have completed the core and to honor the certification of other schools regarding transfer students. A student completing the core at any participating institution is counted as having completed the core at every other participating institution, even though the courses are not identical. Completion of local College Core requirements will be validated and documented by the institution or campus of enrollment. A full explanation is available at: http://www.in.gov/che/files/STGEC_FAQs_6.25.13.pdf 

The College Core constitutes a portion of the entire IWU general education curriculum. Students transferring in with the Indiana College Core certification are still required to fulfill the remainder of the general education curriculum. Students should notify IWU-Marion’s Registration & Academic Services Office of their Indiana College Core completion to ensure proper registration. The following table details the IWU general education courses not included in the Indiana College Core.

IWU General Education Requirements Beyond the Indiana College Core

College of Arts and Sciences

Credits

New Student Orientation (with FYE)*

0

Intercultural Experience

0-3

Biblical Literature

6

Theology

3

Total

9-12**

*In the first semester at IWU, a student must take one of the courses above with an FYE (First Year Experience) designation. The NSO experience is part of the FYE course.

**The combination of the Indiana College Core courses and these additional courses must total a minimum of 42 General Education hours for CAS. If that number of hours has not been achieved in the combination of the two, students may choose to take any course(s) in the IWU General Education package that they have not already taken. Transfer students should work with their academic advisors to find which course(s) would be best. 

Acceptance of Indiana College Core certification is separate from the acceptance of transfer-in courses, credits, and grades, which is governed by separate university policy as detailed in the university catalog. It is conceivable that an incoming student whose completion of the core included courses with grades below a C could bring in certification of the completed core but transfer in fewer than 30 credits of general education courses. Such students will be required to complete the appropriate additional general education requirements as listed in the table above, fulfill all requirements of their chosen major(s), and accumulate the required minimum number of credits for graduation through a combination of general education, major, and elective courses. In addition, completion of the Indiana College Core does not add to, subtract from, or alter any other degree requirements, including major, minor, or certificate requirements. Students must, therefore, work closely with an advisor to determine what relationship, if any, exists between requirements for general education and other degree requirements.

The IWU courses that fulfill the Indiana College Core are listed in the following table (for students transferring from IWU):

 

Indiana College Core Outcome

College of Arts and Sciences

Credits

Written communication

3-6

Speaking and Listening

  • COM-100
  • Course(s) specified my major to fulfill COM requirement

3

Quantitative Reasoning

  • Mathematics or Computer

3

Scientific Ways of Knowing

  • Lab science

4

Humanistic and Artistic

Ways of Knowing

9-12

Social and Behavioral

Ways of Knowing

  • One each from two or three of the following:  ECO, HST, POL, PSY, SOC

6-9

Total (must be reached to fulfill the Indiana College Core requirements)

 

31

Indiana Weselayan