The General Education Curriculum Requirements

Curricular Areas of the General Education Curriculum: Course Distribution

In completing the general education curriculum, students must complete required coursework in four curricular areas, with coursework distributed among specific programs.  Specific courses fulfilling general education requirements are designated by programs in their respective sections of this catalog or, in certain instances, in the Interdisciplinary and Supporting Courses page in this catalog.  Required courses are distributed as follows:

Foundational Skills (15-17 credits)

Requirements

Students must complete designated courses in the following areas:

• Critical Reading (3 credits)
• Written Communication (3 credits or waived by assessment placement above ENGL 107 level)
• Oral Communication (3 credits)
• Critical Reasoning (3 credits)
• Quantitative Reasoning (3 credits or waive by placing into MATH 125 or higher)

Knowledge & Inquiry (31-34 credits)

Requirements

Students must complete courses in the following areas:

• Social Sciences (complete 9 credits in 3 different disciplines)
  • Economics
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Political Science

• Sciences and Mathematics (complete 7-8 credits, of which one course must be in laboratory science)
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Physics
  • Math
• History, Arts, and Humanities (complete 9 credits, one course in each discipline)
  • History
  • Fine Arts
  • English
• Foreign Language (students must demonstrate proficiency equal to one year of coursework, 6-8 credits)

Values & Beliefs (6 credits)

Requirements

Students must complete courses in the following areas:

• Religious Studies and Theology (3 credits)
• Philosophy (3 credits)

Applications: Turning Knowledge into Action (6 credits)

Requirements

Students must complete courses in the following areas:

• Civic Knowledge (3 credits)
• Leadership (3 credits)

Capstone Seminar (3 credits)

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

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 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 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.