The General Education Curriculum Requirements

Overview of the College of Arts & Sciences General Education Curriculum

The general education curriculum teaches students the value of broad intellectual inquiry and fosters the resilience and inventiveness essential to success.  At the same time, it helps students build foundational skills in reading, writing, communication, math and critical reasoning that will be essential to college learning and success.

In addition to fulfilling major requirements, Trinity students must complete the courses listed in the General Education Curriculum.

I. Foundational Skills (20 credits)

Students must complete designated courses in the following areas:

  • Critical Reading and Writing (complete below four courses for a total of ten credits)
    • CRS 101 Critical Reading and Writing Seminar I
    • CRS 102 Critical Reading and Writing Seminar II*
    • ENGL 107 College Composition
  • Quantitative Reasoning (chose one course for a total of four credits)**
    • MATH 102 College Algebra
    • MATH 108 Finite Mathematics
    • MATH 109 Foundations of Mathematics
    • MATH 123 Pre-Calculus
  • Critical Reasoning (chose one course for a total of three credits)***
    • COM 150 Critical Reasoning and Oral Argumentation/PHIL 150 Critical Reasoning and Oral Argumentation

*For students who matriculated before Fall 2016 the requirement is ENGL 105 Introduction to College Writing or ENGL 105S Intro College Writing with Supplemental Instruction

**MATH 102 College Algebra is for science and mathematics majors; MATH 108 Finite Mathematics is for education and health professions majors; MATH 109 Foundations of Mathematics is for humanities and social science majors. If you are doing an individualized major please consult with your advisor to determine your math requirement.

***UND-N majors do not take this course. This learning goal is met in the nursing program.

II. Knowledge & Inquiry (25-27 credits)

Students must complete courses in the following areas:

  • Social Sciences (choose two courses in different disciplines for a total of six credits)
    • Economics
      • ECON 100 Principles of Economics
    • Psychology
      • PSYC 101 Introductory Psychology
    • Sociology
      • SOCY 100 Introduction to Sociology
      • SOCY 105 Social Problems
      • SOCY 131 Global Social Issues
    • Political Science
      • POLS 201 Civil Rights and Liberties
      • POLS 211 Women and the Law
      • POLS 231 Introduction to Comparative Politics
      • POLS 241 Introduction to International Relations
  • Science (choose one course for a total of four credits)
    • BIOL 101 Introduction to Biology
    • BIOL 113 Biodiversity of Living Systems
    • BIOL 114 Cell Biology
    • CHEM 101 Chemistry in a Changing World
    • CHEM 111 Fundamentals of Chemistry I
    • CHEM 113 Chemistry for the Health Sciences
    • ENVS 101 Discovering Planet Earth
    • PHYS 111 General Physics I
  • History, Arts, and Humanities (choose three courses in different disciplines for a total of nine credits)
    • History
      • HIS 128 Creation of the Atlantic World
      • HIS 130 Introduction to American Civilizations
      • HIS 132 Twentieth Century United States
      • HIS 133 Travelers' Tales
      • HIS 135 The Upheavals of War: War and Society
      • HIS 361 Plagues, People and Epidemics: A History of Disease
    • Fine Arts
      • FNAR 101 Survey: History of Art I
      • FNAR 102 Survey: History of Art II
      • FNAR 145 Introduction to Music Literature
      • FNAR 241
      • FNAR 243 Blues, Jazz, Gospel, and Ragtime
      • FNAR 247
      • FNAR 311
      • FNAR 313
      • FNAR 315
      • EDTE 232 Art and Movement in the Classroom* (UNDE-E students only)
    • Literature
      • ENGL 150 Writing about Literature
      • ENGL 220 African American Literature
      • ENGL 267 Multicultural United States Literature
      • ENGL 271 Literature of the African Diaspora
      • ENGL 280 Literature of Sickness & Health
      • ENGL 281 The Art of Poetry
      • ENGL 283 Stories and Their Writers
      • ENGL 284 Modern Lives: Memoir as Literature
      • ENGL 285 Plays and Playwrights
      • ENGL 310 Tales of Terror: Gothic Fiction and Film
      • SPAN 213 Latina Voices
  • Foreign Language (choose two courses for a total of 6-8 credits)
    • Level I
      • ARBC 101 Introductory Arabic I
      • FREN 101 Elementary French I
      • SPAN 101 Elementary Spanish I
    • Level II
      • ARBC 102 Introductory Arabic II
      • FREN 102 Elementary French II
      • SPAN 102 Elementary Spanish II

Students may receive GenEd credit for most foreign languages, including ASL, by taking Consortium courses or by CLEP Exam. Students may also receive language waivers by demonstrating proficiency on an assessment exam.

III. Values & Beliefs (6 credits)

Students must complete courses in the following areas:

  • Religious Studies and Theology (choose one course for a total of three credits)
    • PHIL 235 Philosophy of Religion
    • Any Religious Studies (RST) course
    • Any Theology (THE) course
  • Philosophy (choose one course for a total of three credits)
    • PHIL 211 Ancient Philosophy
    • PHIL 241 Introduction to Theoretical Ethics
    • PHIL 245 Ethics I
    • PHIL 251 Bioethics
    • PHIL 253 Business and Professional Ethics

IV. Applications (6 credits)

Students must complete courses in the following areas:

  • Civic Knowledge (Choose one course for a total of three credits)
    • ECON 102 Introduction to Macroeconomics
    • ENGL 475 Immigration, Identity, and Politics
    • HIS 345 Civil Rights Movement in the Twentieth Century
    • INAF 201 Introduction to International Affairs
    • PHIL 231 Current Issues in Social and Political Philosophy
    • PHIL 227 Truth, Information, and (Dis)Information
    • POLS 101 Politics, Power, and You: Democracy at the Crossroads
    • POLS 272 The Politics of Generational Conflict
    • POLS 405 Seminar in Public Policy: Selected Topics
    • PSYC 201 Psychology in Current Events
    • SOCY 201 Sociology of Education
    • SNHP 220 Health Promotion, Policy and Politics -for students in health majors (Nursing, Health Services, OTA)
  • Leadership (Choose one course for a total of three credits)
    • BADM 110 Foundations of Management
    • COM 450 Women In Organizations
    • COM 482 Leadership and Communication
    • EDTE 301 Classroom Management (UND-E students only)
    • HIS 234 Kings, Commoners and Constitutions
    • POLS 213 Women and Politics
    • POLS 277 Personality and Political Leadership
    • NSCM 499 Divisional Seminar
    • NURS 410 Leadership and Management of Health Care (for Nursing majors only)
    • SNHP 224 Health Care Systems and Global Health- for students in health majors (Nursing, Health Services, OTA)
    • WST 368 Women and Leadership
    • WST 369 Women and Community Change

V. General Education Capstone Seminar (3 credits)

The General Education Capstone Seminar is taken in second semester of sophomore year, or after earning at least 40 credits.

  • Capstone Seminar (Choose one course for a total of three credits)
    • BIOL 219 Biology of Women
    • CHEM 310 Environment and Sustainability
    • COM 375 Conflict and Communication
    • COM 388 Gender and Communication
    • ENGL 202 Writing DC Stories
    • ENGL 389 Literary and Critical Theory
    • FNAR 317 Contemporary Art
    • FNAR 321 Women Artists
    • FNAR 399 Art and Culture of the Roaring 20s
    • HIS 201 Trials of Centuries
    • HIS 396 Religion and Science: Crisis, Conflict, and the Transformation of Cultures
    • HIS 399 HON: Food, Feast and Famine
    • HUM 381 Victorian Studies
    • INT 250 Writing for Social Change
    • MATH 299
    • PHIL 226 Phil, Prot,& Resist Race&Gen Inequality
    • POLS 250 Politics, Literature, and Film
    • POLS 313 Religion, Law and Politics in the United States
    • PSYC 317 Psychology of Aggression and Violence
    • PSYC 343 Drugs and Human Behavior
    • PSYC 365 Seminar on Human Sexuality
    • SNHP 330- for students in health majors (Nursing, Health Services, OTA)
    • SOCY 381 Understanding AIDS: Interdisciplinary Seminar
    • SSC 207 Writing for the Social Sciences
    • WST 250 Women in Popular Culture
    • WST 301 Women, Peacemaking, and Nonviolence
    • WST 321 Women Artists

Critical Reading and General Education Capstone Seminar

As part of completing the Foundational Skills area, incoming first-year students must complete the Critical Reading Seminar at Trinity; transfer students matriculating with sophomore status or above are not required to complete the Critical Reading Seminar.  Additionally, incoming first-year and sophomore students must complete the General Education Capstone Seminar at Trinity; transfer students matriculating with junior status or above are not required to complete the General Education Capstone Seminar.

Waivers and Advanced Standing for General Education Requirements

In certain instances, a waiver can be used to fulfill general education curricular requirements, although such waivers carry no credits. The following general education requirements may be waived by earning a satisfactory score on the appropriate placement examination(s):

  • Written Communication (waived by placing above ENGL 107 College Composition College Composition level)
  • Foreign Language (Placement into the third semester of Arabic, French, Spanish, or other approved language constitutes a waiver of the foreign language requirement. Students who place into the second semester of a college-level language course need only complete the second semester of that language to fulfill the general education requirement).
  • Quantitative Reasoning (Placement into MATH 125 Calculus and Analytic Geometry I or higher constitutes a waiver of the requirement).

Additionally, general education requirements may be fulfilled through credits earned through examination, such as Advanced Placement or CLEP Examinations. The appropriate Program Chair determines if credits earned through examination also fulfill general education requirements.  Some general education requirements may be fulfilled through credits earned at other accredited institutions. The appropriate Program Chair determines if credits earned at other accredited institutions also fulfill Trinity general education requirements.

Courses Fulfilling General Education and Major Requirements

In general, a course may be counted to fulfill no more than one general education requirement, although a course may be counted to fulfill a general education requirement as well as a requirement in a student’s major.