The General Education Program in

CLAS

The General Education Program requirements account for around one third of the 120 semester hours needed

for graduation.

Rhetoric4-8 s.h. according to placement

Foreign Language Fourth-level proficiency

Interpretation of LiteratureMinimum of 3 s.h.

Social SciencesMinimum of 3 s.h.

Historical PerspectivesMinimum of 3 s.h.

HumanitiesMinimum of 3 s.h.

Natural SciencesMinimum of 7 s.h. with at least one lab

Former CLAS GE Requirements

Quantitative or Formal ReasoningMinimum of 3 s.h.

Distributed AreaMinimum of 6 s.h. with 3 s.h. taken from two different categories:

• Cultural Diversity• Fine Arts• Foreign Civilization and Culture• Health and Physical Activity • Historical Perspectives• Humanities• Social Sciences

Current CLAS GE RequirementsCommunication and Literacy

Rhetoric (4 s.h.) Interpretation of Literature (3 s.h.)

World Languages((fourth-level proficiency))

Natural, Quantitative, and Social Sciences

Natural Sciences (7 s.h. with one lab)Quantitative or Formal Reasoning

(3 s.h.) Social Sciences (3 s.h.)

Culture, Society, and the Arts

Historical Perspectives (3 s.h.) International and Global Issues (3 s.h.)

Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts (3 s.h.) Values, Society, and Diversity (3 s.h.)

(3 s.h.)

Generally, students take Rhetoric and Interpretation of Literature in their first year at Iowa.

Most students complete the majority of the GE Program requirements by the end of their second year.

Many GE courses also count as required, gateway courses in a major.

Others represent the only course a student will take in a given field.

GE courses are foundational and introductory.

General Education courses are designed to help students to develop university-level academic skills and to learn about the theory, context, and tools of disciplines and interdisciplinary

studies.

Results from our GE survey

Faculty and students share the same values concerning liberal education.

Students value the GE Program.

Employers cite the GE Program as a major reason for hiring UI graduates.

Students would like more emphasis on writing and speaking skills in GE courses.

Questions and Answers

The best part of our job is helping students.