Step 2) Understand the term "liberal arts" and the umw degree requirements
General Education Courses
Each student must complete the required number of credits in all of these areas. These requirements may be completed by UMW coursework, by approved equivalent transfer coursework, or by equivalent AP or IB credit as defined by the University's AP-IB Policy. No General Education coursework may be completed on a Pass/Fail basis. One course can fill only one requirement area even though it may be listed in more than one area.
A student with an appropriate VCCS Associate's degree will have satisfied all of the General Education Requirements except Foreign Language, Experiential Learning, and the Across-the-Curriculums Requirements (Writing and Speaking Intensive). Students that have a VCCS transfer Associate's degree must still either complete the Foreign Language Requirement or transfer in coursework for an appropriate 202-level language course.
Click here to access a check sheet that can be used to discover how many requirements have been fulfilled through previous coursework.
General education REQUIREMENTS FOR BA/BS STUDENTS matriculating fall 2008 and after:
First-Year Seminar (FS): Successful completion of a First-Year seminar during your first or second semester at UMW. Any FSEM course including HIST 201 & 202. (1 course) NOTE: This requirement is waived for transfer students coming to UMW.
Quantitative Reasoning (QR): An understanding of mathematical thoughts and the ability to conceptualize and apply mathematical logic to problem-solving. (2 courses)
| BUAD 353 | PHIL 151B |
| CPSC 105, 110, 125A, 220, 230A | PHYS 317 |
| ECON 361A | PSYC 360A |
MATH 110, 115A, 121, 122, 200, 207, 210 |
SOCG 364 |
| MUTH 181A |
Natural Science (NS): An appreciation of major contributions of science to an understanding of the natural world and to the possible solution to contemporary problems; the application of laboratory science methods to the acquisition of knowledge through a two-semester vertically-building sequence of science courses in the same discipline. Be sure to review your intended major program in order to select the sequence that will best meet any major requirements. (1 two-course sequence)
| BIOL 121-122; 125-126; 121-127; 121-204 | GEOL 111-112A; 111-221A |
| CHEM 105A-106A; 105A-107; 111-112 | GEOL 111 - EESC/GEOL 210 |
| EESC 110 - GEOL 112A | PHYS 101-102; 101-108; 103A-104; 105-106; 105-110 |
| GEOG 110-111; 110-240; 110-325 |
Arts, Literature, and Performance (ALPP & ALPA): An understanding of human culture as expressed in artistic achievements and as revealed in literature. (2 courses with one course in process and one in appreciation)
Process(ALPP): |
Appreciation(ALPA): |
| ARTS 105, 120 | ANTH 309 |
COMM 207, 209 |
ARTH 114A, 115A |
| CPSC 106 | CLAS 110, 130, 202C, 204 |
DANC 225, 226, 243, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306 |
EDUC 311 |
| ENGL any 202, 380 | ENGL 205, 206A, 245, any 251 |
MUPR 341D, 341E, 341F, 341G, 341H, 342, 344, 344A1, 344B, 344D, 344E, 441 |
FREN 326, 327, 328 |
MUTH 170, 369, 370, 483 |
GERM 311 |
SPAN 413 |
GREK 306, 308, 309 |
THEA 112, 113, 131, 132, 218, 225, 226, 240, 261, 290, 291, 321, 331, 335, 336 |
IDIS 204 |
| LATN 305, 307, 352A, 353, 354, 358, 434 | |
| MUHL 151A, 152, 153, 154, 156, 263, 362, 368 | |
| RELG 205, 206A, 301 | |
| THEA 111, 211A, 212A |
Global Inquiry (GI): An understanding of the intellectual foundations and development of civilization. (1 course)
| AMST 333 | IDIS 350F |
| ANTH 101, 318, 333 | FREN 316 |
| ARTH Any 470 | GEOG 101, 102, 332, 336, 338 |
| ARTS 454 | GERM 317 |
| CLAS 380 | LING 202, 205 |
| CHEM 331 | MDFL any 201 |
| CPSC 104, 310 | MUHL 154 |
| ECON 382, 383, 384 | PSCI 102A |
| ENGL 206A | RELG 210 |
| HIST 122, 141, 142, 356, 357, 358, 360, 361, 362, 366, 368, 371, 372, 375, 377A, 381, 383, 384, 385, 386, 390 | |
An approved study abroad or other field program can fulfill this requirement if it includes a satisfactory evaluation of a written reflection of a student's experience in that program by a University of Mary Washington faculty member.
Human Experience & Society (HES): An understanding of the forces shaping human behavior, social structures, institutions, and spatial relationships. (2 courses from two different disciplines)
| ANTH 101, 318 | LING 101B, 202, 301A, 302, 305A, 307 |
| ARTH 460 | MATH 207 |
| CLAS 101, 110, 211, 310 | PHIL 101, 201, 202, 210, 220, 225, 244A, 283, 284, 301, 302, 318, 320, 335 |
| ECON 201B, 202B | |
| GEOG 102, 221A, 222A, 331, 337 | PSCI 101A, 201 |
| HISP 101 | PSYC 100 |
| HIST 121, 122, 131, 132, 141, 142, 305, 315, 325, 327, 328, 334, 341, 356, 357, 358, 360, 361, 362, 366, 368, 371, 372, 375, 377A, 381, 383, 384, 385, 386, 395 | RELG 101, 102, 103, 205, 206A, 210, 250, 251, 276, 283, 284, 305, 318 |
| SOCG 105, 155 | |
| IDIS 207 | THEA 361, 362 |
Foreign Language (FL): Intermediate-level competence in a foreign language. NOTE: Students may begin at any level of a language for which they are prepared, but must successfully complete the remaining sequence in order, without omission, through the intermediate level. Any skipping of courses in the sequence, or substitution of a course at the 300 level or above in place of 202, requires permission of the instructor and also of the chair of the UMW department which offers the course in question. Note: ASL does not fulfill this requirement (number of credits dependant upon entry-level competence)
OR
Intermediate-level competence demonstrated by:
- A score of 620 or higher on any foreign language SAT II subject test
- A passing score on the UMW language competency exam
- A score of 4 or higher on any language AP Exam or any Language and Literature AP Exam (including the Latin Vergil AP Exam)
- A score of 5 or higher on any group 2 (second language) higher-level IB Exam
- Submitting pertinent documents which verify the student has been educated through high school in a language other than English or has lived extensively in and become fluent in the language of a non-English-speaking country thus demonstrating intermediate college-level (202) competency
Experiential Learning (EL): This requirement can be fulfilled in a number of different ways either in a classroom setting by taking one course or with experience. All courses numbered 491 and 492 (individual studies) meet this requirement as well as all Undergraduate Research courses. Internships (499) that have a final project/paper that is to be evaluated will also meet this requirement. The following courses may also satisfy this requirement:
| AMST 470, 485 | EDUC 303, 440 | PSYC 321, 350 |
| ANTH 480 | EESC 481 | RELG 401 |
| CHEM 493 | ENGL 380 | SOCG 364 |
| CLAS 485 | GEOG 485 | SPAN 301 |
| COMM 481 | HIST 485, 486 | THEA 482 |
| CPSC 391, 430 | MUTH 490 | URES 197 |
| ECON Any 490 | PHIL 485 | Community Service Option (Biology, Psychology, and Spanish) |
NOTE: Internships that have a final project/paper that is to be evaluated by the sponsoring faculty member will meet the requirement. The Psychology Department's "community service option" also fulfills this requirement (see the Psychology Department section of the University of Mary Washington Academic Catalog for details).
TO COUNT FOR GENERAL EDUCATION PURPOSES, A COURSE MUST BE DESIGNATED AS A GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE IN THE OFFICIAL SCHEDULE OF COURSES FOR THE SEMESTER IT IS TAKEN.
Across-the-Curriculum Requirements
In addition to completing the University of Mary Washington General Education requirements, each student must meet the University's Across-the-Curriculum (ATC) requirements in the areas of Speaking Intensive and Writing Intensive. New students may select any of the courses described below to meet these requirements, which may be met by general education courses, electives, or courses in the major. Please note that some courses may meet both requirements. Courses that satisfy any of the General Education areas above can also be used to meet ATC requirements, if so designated.
Please check the online schedule for the semester in which you plan to take the course to verify that it is designated as an ATC. Some courses only fulfill the requirement for certain semesters and when taught by certain instructors in specific sections. You can view the ATC designation of each individual course/section on the List of Open Courses in the "ATC" column.
Speaking Intensive: To ensure the development of competence in oral communication. Choices vary. Care should be exercised when selecting courses to fill this requirement. Course sections must carry the SI designation when taken. (2 courses)
Writing Intensive: To ensure the development of competence in written composition. Choices vary. Care should be exercised when selecting courses to fill this requirement. Course sections must carry the WI designation when taken. (4 courses)