General Education at Wright State

As a part of the requirements for a baccalaureate degree at Wright State University, students must complete a minimum of 56 hours of course work in the General Education program. The specific requirements are listed below and must be completed prior to graduation. Students should complete English 101 and 102 and the General Education mathematics requirement by the time they have earned 60 credits at Wright State University.

A bachelor’s degree awarded by a university implies more than career preparation or specialized technical competency. A university education should be broadly based in order to promote intellectual growth, cultivate critical examination and informed understanding, encourage breadth and flexibility of perspective, and provide students an opportunity to develop skills and knowledge that will form the basis for their life-long learning. Accordingly, the General Education program at Wright State University is a planned and coherent program that is designed to help students:

• sharpen critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills;
• learn about the aesthetic, ethical, moral, social, and cultural dimensions of human experience needed for participation in the human community;
• increase knowledge and understanding of the past, of the world in which we live, and of how both past and present have an impact on the future.

The General Education Program is required of all students and serves as a foundation upon which all baccalaureate programs are built.

Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) in General Education

In addition to ENG 101 and 102, all undergraduate students must complete a minimum of four writing intensive (WI) general education courses, or allowable substitutions.* GE writing intensive courses will be available within a number of areas, including (but not limited to) the following: Area II (all Non-Western World classes); Area III (SOC 200, WMS 200, EC 290, and some sections of EC 200); Area IV (all Great Books classes); Area V (some classes); Area VI (all classes). Students completing the 1987 General Education program may count writing intensive courses in the 2003 GE program toward fulfilling their writing intensive requirements.

Transfer and returning students should consult the Writing Across the Curriculum information in the Academic Standards and Requirements section of the Undergraduate Catalog or meet with their academic advisor to determine the number of WI classes (if any) needed to complete the WAC in General Education requirement.

*WI sections of approved General Education substitution courses are available. Students should consult with an academic advisor before registering for a GE substitution course.

Registration for Writing Intensive Courses

Each WI course is clearly identified in the quarterly class schedule. When registering for a WI course, students must also register for the writing component of the course, a 0-credit hour lab. Students may not drop a WI course and lab separately.

Alternatives for Meeting WAC Requirement

Students who do not successfully complete the WI portion of four GE courses (excluding ENG 101 and ENG 102) may satisfy the GE requirement in other ways. Students should consult the Writing Across the Curriculum information in the Academic Standards and Requirements section of the Undergraduate Catalog or contact an academic advisor for information on these options.

General Education Substitutions

Substitutions can be made for some General Education courses. Some major programs—as well as the preprofessional programs for premedical and predental students (consult the Preprofessional Programs information in the Academic Programs section of the Undergraduate Catalog)—may have program requirements that will affect a student’s choice of General Education courses. Approved substitutions listed in the General Education Program below are open to any student as an option to the General Education course with which they are listed.

Honors Sections

Honors sections of General Education courses are available for both entering freshmen and continuing Wright State students who meet Honors Program criteria. Honors sections are limited to an enrollment of 20; encourage student participation; offer more sophisticated and complex assignments; and provide greater opportunities for analysis, synthesis, and creative expression. Honors students may also choose to substitute UH 201, 202, and 203 for some General Education Areas and courses (these are designated in the General Education Program below in Areas III, IV, and V). For more information consult the University Honors Program information in the Academic Programs section of the Undergraduate Catalog.