Academic Catalog

General Education 2023-2024 Catalog Year

The 36-credit-hour FGCU General Education Program (GEP) supports the Florida Gulf Coast University Mission and Guiding Principles by promoting academic excellence, preparing students for their majors, and cultivating habits of lifelong learning. The GEP curriculum assists students in exercising fundamental skills in written communication, quantitative reasoning, and critical thinking, as well as in developing intercultural knowledge.

FGCU students complete 36 credit hours of GEP coursework within the following subject areas, including at least one State Core course in each area:

Communication
Mathematics
Humanities
Social Sciences
Natural Sciences

Across these subject areas, students complete at least 27 credit hours of GEP coursework designated with the following competencies:

Written Communication
Quantitative Reasoning
Critical Thinking
Intercultural Knowledge

Approved courses and/or associated attributes, which can be used to search for courses in Gulfline and Degree Works, are listed below. A single course may be used to satisfy only one subject area requirement, but may be used to satisfy multiple competency requirements. Where applicable, courses taken to meet common prerequisites for a program may also be used to fulfill GEP requirements. All first-time-in-college students are expected to take ENC 1101 (Composition I) during their first semester at FGCU.

A transfer student who has successfully completed the general education requirements for any public university or community college in Florida prior to enrolling as a degree-seeking student at FGCU, and has this completion noted on their official transcript, shall be considered to have satisfied the GEP requirements at FGCU. All other transfer students are expected to complete the FGCU GEP requirements. Transfer students' transcripts will be evaluated to determine course equivalencies and fulfillment of FGCU GEP requirements.

General Education Program Subject Area Requirements

Students must earn a minimum grade of C in all courses used to satisfy general education Communication, Mathematics, State Core Humanities, State Core Social Sciences, and State Core Natural Sciences subject areas.

A grade of C- does not satisfy the requirement of a minimum grade of C.

Communication Subject Area – 6 hours (GECO Attribute)
English composition courses develop students' communication skills in written formats; this includes reading critically as well as writing clearly in a variety of styles.

State Core: ENC 1101 Composition I*† minimum grade of C
University Requirement: ENC 1102 Composition II minimum grade of C

*Any general education course with an ENC prefix for which ENC 1101 is an immediate prerequisite may be used to satisfy the state communication core.

†Students will be automatically awarded a Fundamentals of Written Communication digital badge upon earning a "C" or better in ENC 1101 or a general education core course for which ENC 1101 is a prerequisite.

Mathematics Subject Area – 6 hours (GEMA, GEST Attributes)
Mathematics and statistics courses give students competence in quantitative methods and an understanding of how those methods are used to describe and analyze the natural world. These courses also give students exposure to the theories and practice of mathematics, and to the unique nature of mathematical knowledge.

State Core: 3 credits of MAC 1105; MAC 2311; MGF 1106; MGF 1107; STA 2023† minimum grade of C
University Requirement: 3 credits of STA 2023 Statistical Methods; STA 2037 Statistics with Calculus; STA 2122 Social Science Statistics (if STA 2023 or STA 2037 or STA 2122 met in State Core, 3 hours of GEMA or GEST Attribute) minimum grade of C

†Any general education mathematics course for which one of the general education core course options in mathematics is an immediate prerequisite may be used to satisfy the state mathematics core.

Humanities Subject Area – 9 hours (GEHM Attribute)
Humanities courses include the disciplines of literature, philosophy, religion, and the fine arts. Students gain an understanding of the aesthetic dimension of human experience and learn how people have given creative interpretations to events from differing perspectives. Students learn the methods, suppositions, and theories of the chosen areas of study.

State Core: 3 credits of ARH 2000; HUM 1020; LIT 2000; MUL 2010; PHI 1010; THE 2000 minimum grade of C
University Requirement: 6 credits of GEHM Attribute

Social Sciences Subject Area – 6 hours (GESO Attribute)
Social sciences courses include the disciplines of history, economics, anthropology, sociology, geography, political science, and psychology. Students gain an understanding of historical and socio-cultural perspectives and a sense of the evolution of societies and the various modes of interaction among peoples of the world.

State Core: 3 credits of AMH 2020; ANT 2000; ECO 2013; POS 2041; PSY 2012; SYG 2000 minimum grade of C
University Requirement: 3 credits of GESO Attribute

Natural Sciences Subject Area – 6 hours (GENC, GENA, GENL Attributes)
Natural sciences courses include the disciplines of biology, chemistry, geology, environmental studies, marine science, and physics. Students gain an understanding of the theories, principles, and practices of the natural sciences and address the relationship of science to the modern world.

State Core: 3 credits of AST 2002; BSC 1005; BSC 1010; BSC 1085; CHM 1020; CHM 1045; ESC 1000; EVR 1001; PHY 2020; PHY 2048; PHY 2053‡ minimum grade of C
University Requirement: 3 credits of GENA or GENC Attribute; students must earn at least 1 credit in a course with a lab component (GENC or GENL).

‡Any general education natural sciences course for which one of the general education core course options in natural sciences is an immediate prerequisite may be used to satisfy the state natural sciences core.

Social or Natural Sciences Subject Areas – 3 hours minimum (GESO, GENL, GENC, GENA Attributes)

3 credits of GESO; GENC; GENA; GENL Attributes (maximum 1 credit of GENL)

General Education Program Competency Requirements

(Note:  Competency requirements are not in addition to subject-area requirements, but are instead fulfilled as students complete subject area courses in the program.)

Written Communication Competency – 6 hours minimum (WCOM Attribute)
Writing effectively, with attention to audience, purpose, and style, is an important skill for success in any college major and any career. Successful writers do the following:

  • Select and develop a topic for a specific audience and purpose
  • Apply the range of conventions particular to a given subject area/discipline when writing about this topic, including appropriate organization, formatting, and style
  • Demonstrate information literacy skills by identifying, accessing, and using credible and relevant sources to develop ideas

Quantitative Reasoning Competency – 6 hours minimum (QUAN Attribute)
Quantitative reasoning involves applying mathematics skills to solve real-world problems. Success in mathematics requires students to do the following:

  • Convert relevant information into mathematical context for analysis and understanding
  • Demonstrate the ability to perform necessary mathematical calculations for problem solving
  • Perform quantitative analysis to draw qualified conclusions from work

Critical Thinking Competency – 9 hours minimum (CRIT Attribute)
Critical thinking happens when we carefully explore ideas, issues, and problems in our effort to draw conclusions and build new knowledge. Accomplished critical thinkers do the following:

  • Identify central ideas and problems within a given subject area
  • Effectively interpret relevant information or data
  • Recognize and evaluate concepts, theories, and points of view (including one's own)
  • Develop informed conclusions about these ideas and problems, and explore the implications of these conclusions

Intercultural Knowledge Competency – 6 credits minimum (INKN Attribute)
Understanding our own and others’ diverse ways of interpreting and engaging with the world is essential for success in a global society. Students exhibit intercultural knowledge when they do the following: 

  • Demonstrate understanding of human diversity (e.g., cultural, social, historical, political, biological)
  • Analyze cultural artifacts or customs of expression (e.g., thoughts, behaviors) that emerge in diverse contexts

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