General Education
General Education Information
While a major program equips students with specialized knowledge, the General Education program offers students a shared academic experience that fosters broad learning across the liberal arts and sciences. The General Education program at UVU serves as the foundation for developing essential learning outcomes.
Completion of UVU's General Education program satisfies General Education requirements at all Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) institutions. General Education courses transfer across USHE institutions with common naming, numbering, and credit standards. For students transferring before completing all General Education requirements, USHE institutions shall accept completed coursework with a passing grade, as approved by the sending institution. Transfer students may need additional coursework to satisfy remaining General Education requirements, and minimum grades may not fulfill major or prerequisite requirements. With student consent, receiving institutions may adjust course designations to support degree completion. While UVU has not formally articulated General Education courses with higher education institutions outside Utah, they generally transfer to other regionally accredited U.S. colleges and universities.
More information about General Education for transfer students is found in Academic Policies and Standards.
It is the responsibility of students to ensure they meet their major's specific General Education requirements. Advisor assignment can be found in the Student tab of myUVU.
General Education Code System
General Education course designator codes (attributes) aid students and transfer institutions to identify how General Education courses meet graduation requirements.
The following list identifies General Education core, institutional requirement, and breadth area courses as they apply to UVU's General Education program. These identifiers can be used to search for courses in student registration:
AS - American Institutions
BB - Life Sciences
CC - Written Communication
FF - Arts
HH - Humanities
PG - Personal, Professional, and Civic Growth
PP - Physical Sciences
QL - Quantitative Literacy
SS - Social and Behavioral Sciences
General Education Requirements
Associate in Arts/Science Degrees and Bachelor of Arts/Science Degrees
These courses satisfy the General Education requirements for both the Associate in Arts and the Associate in Science degrees, as well as the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Science degrees at UVU. Academic programs may require adjustments to meet specific needs. Honors courses with the same prefix and number also satisfy General Education requirements. UVU's General Education program is 30 credits.
Core Requirements
These courses address competencies in Written Communication, Quantitative Literacy, and American Institutions.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Written Communication | 6 Credits | |
| ENGL 2010 | Intermediate Academic Writing | 3 |
| or ENGL 2010H | Intermediate Academic Writing | |
| Complete one of the following for 3 credits: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Academic Writing (3) | ||
or ENGL 1010H | Introduction to Academic Writing | |
| Literacies and Composition Across Contexts (5) | ||
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Literacy | 3-4 Credits | |
| Complete one of the following for 3 or 4 credits: | 3-4 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning (3) | ||
or MAT 1035 | Quantitative Reasoning with Integrated Algebra | |
or MAT 1030H | Quantitative Reasoning | |
| Introduction to Statistics (3) | ||
or STAT 1045 | Introduction to Statistics with Algebra | |
| College Algebra (4) | ||
or MATH 1055 | College Algebra with Preliminaries | |
| College Algebra for Business (3) | ||
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| American Institutions | 3 Credits | |
| Complete one of the following for 3 credits: | 3 | |
| American Heritage (3) | ||
| American National Government (3) | ||
| American History (3) | ||
or HIST 1700H | American History | |
| US Economic History (3) | ||
| US History to 1877 and US History since 1877 (6) | ||
Institutional Requirement
These courses address competencies in Personal, Professional, and Civic Growth.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete one of the following for 3 credits: | ||
| CYBR 1700 | Cybersecurity Essentials | 3 |
| EXSC 1097 | Fitness for Life | 3 |
| FIN 2210 | Life Love and Money | 3 |
| GEOG 2000 | Sustainability and Environment | 3 |
| HLTH 1100 | Personal Health and Wellness | 3 |
| PHIL 2050 | Ethics and Values | 3 |
| or PHIL 2050G | Ethics and Values | |
| or PHIL 2050H | Ethics and Values | |
| SLSS 1120 | Leadership and Civic Engagement | 3 |
| TECH 1010 | Understanding Technology | 3 |
Breadth Area Requirements
These courses address competencies in Arts, Humanities, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences (15 credits).
Arts
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete 3 credits: | ||
| ART 1010 | Introduction to Visual Arts | 3 |
| ART 1020 | Basic Drawing for Non-Majors | 3 |
| ART 1050 | Photography I | 3 |
| ART 1340 | Sculpture I | 3 |
| ART 1350 | Ceramics I | 3 |
| ART 1650 | Watercolor | 3 |
| ART 2100 | Teaching Art for Children | 3 |
| ART 2815 | Historical Architecture and Interior Design | 3 |
| ARTH 2710/2710H | Prehistoric Through Gothic Art History | 3 |
| ARTH 2720/2720H | Renaissance Through Contemporary Art History | 3 |
| CINE 2311 | Film History I | 3 |
| DANC 1010 | Dance as an Art Form | 3 |
| DANC 2100 | Teaching Dance for Children | 3 |
| DANC 2110 | Orientation to Dance | 3 |
| EGDT 1720 | Architectural Rendering | 3 |
| MUSC 1010/1010H | Introduction to Music | 3 |
| MUSC 1020G | Introduction to World Music | 3 |
| MUSC 1030 | American Popular Music | 3 |
| MUSC 1100 | Fundamentals of Music | 3 |
| MUSC 2100 | Teaching Music for Children | 3 |
| THEA 1013 | Introduction to Theatre | 3 |
| THEA 1023 | Introduction to Film | 3 |
| THEA 1033 | Acting I | 3 |
| THEA 2100 | Teaching Theatre For Children | 3 |
| THEA 2311 | Film History I | 3 |
Humanities
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete 3 credits: | ||
| AMST 2000 | Introduction to American Studies | 3 |
| ASL 2020G | Intermediate American Sign Language II | 4 |
| CHIN 2020G | Intermediate Chinese II | 4 |
| CINE 2150 | Critical Introduction to Cinema Studies | 3 |
| CINE 2170G | Race Class and Gender in U S Cinema | 3 |
| COMM 1020 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| COMM 1500 | Introduction to Mass Communication | 3 |
| COMM 2170G | Race Class and Gender in U S Cinema | 3 |
| ENGL 2030 | Writing for Social Change | 3 |
| ENGL 2100 | Technical Communication | 3 |
| ENGL 2130 | Science Fiction | 3 |
| ENGL 2150 | Critical Introduction to Cinema Studies | 3 |
| ENGL 2170G | Race Class and Gender in U S Cinema | 3 |
| ENGL 2200G | Introduction to World Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2210 | Introduction to Folklore | 3 |
| ENGL 2230 | Myths and Legends in Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2250/2250H | Introduction to Creative Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 2300 | Shakespeare | 3 |
| ENGL 2510 | American Literature before 1865 | 3 |
| ENGL 2520 | American Literature after 1865 | 3 |
| ENGL 2600 | Critical Introduction to Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2610 | British Literature before 1800 | 3 |
| ENGL 2620 | British Literature after 1800 | 3 |
| FREN 2020G | Intermediate French II | 4 |
| GER 2020G | Intermediate German II | 4 |
| GRK 2020 | Intermediate Ancient Greek II | 4 |
| HUM 1010/1010G/1010H | Humanities Through the Arts | 3 |
| HUM 2010/2010G/2010H | World History Through the Arts I | 3 |
| HUM 2020/2020G/2020H | World History Through the Arts II | 3 |
| HUM 2100/2100H | Adventures of Ideas Through 1500 | 3 |
| HUM 2200/2200H | Adventures of Ideas After 1500 | 3 |
| HONR 2000 | Ancient Legacies | 3 |
| JPNS 2020G | Intermediate Japanese II | 4 |
| LATN 2020 | Intermediate Latin II | 4 |
| PHIL 1000/1000H | Introduction to Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 1250 | Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking | 3 |
| PHIL 1610 | Introduction to Western Religions | 3 |
| PHIL 1620 | Introduction to Eastern Religions | 3 |
| PHIL 1700 | Happiness and the Good Life | 3 |
| PHIL 2110 | Ancient Greek Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 2130 | Medieval Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 2150 | Early Modern Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 2900G | Marginalized Philosophies | 3 |
| PORT 2020G | Intermediate Portuguese II | 4 |
| RUS 2020G | Intermediate Russian II | 4 |
| SPAN 2020G | Intermediate Spanish II | 4 |
Life Sciences
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete 3 credits: | ||
| BIOL 1010/1010H | General Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 1011 | Introduction to Bioinformatics | 3 |
| BIOL 1070 | Heredity | 3 |
| BIOL 1200 | Prehistoric Life | 3 |
| BIOL 1610 | College Biology I | 4 |
| BIOL 2040R | Natural History Excursion | 3 |
| BIOL 2500 | Environmental Biology | 3 |
| BOT 2050 | Field Botany | 3 |
| BOT 2100 | Flora of Utah | 3 |
| BOT 2400 | Plant Kingdom | 4 |
| BTEC 1010 | Fundamentals of Biotechnology I Career Survey | 3 |
| GEO 1200 | Prehistoric Life | 3 |
| NUTR 2020 | Nutrition Through the Life Cycle | 3 |
| ZOOL 1090 | Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology | 3 |
Physical Sciences
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete 3 credits: | ||
| ASTR 1040/1040H | Elementary Astronomy | 3 |
| ASTR 1070/1070H | Cultural Astronomy in Our Lives | 3 |
| ASTR 1080 | Life in the Universe | 3 |
| CHEM 1010 | Introduction to Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 1110 | Elementary Chemistry for the Health Sciences | 4 |
| CHEM 1210 | Principles of Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 1220 | Principles of Chemistry II | 4 |
| EGDT 1050 | Intro to 3D Printing and Fabrication | 3 |
| ENVT 1110 | Introduction to Environmental Management | 3 |
| GEO 1010/1010H | Introduction to Geology | 3 |
| GEO 1030 | Natural Disasters and the Environment | 3 |
| GEO 1040 | The Dinosaurian World | 3 |
| GEO 1050 | Geology of National Parks | 3 |
| GEO 1080 | Introduction to Oceanography | 3 |
| GEO 2040R | Natural History Excursion | 3 |
| GEOG 1000 | Introduction to Physical Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 1800 | Mapping the World with Geospatial Technology | 3 |
| METO 1010 | Introduction to Meteorology | 3 |
| METO 1060 | Fundamentals of Weather Forecasting | 3 |
| PHSC 1000 | Survey of Physical Science | 3 |
| PHYS 1010 | Elementary Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 1700 | Descriptive Acoustics | 3 |
| PHYS 1750 | The Acoustics of Music | 3 |
| PHYS 1800 | Energy You and the Environment | 3 |
| PHYS 1850 | The Physics of Aviation | 3 |
| PHYS 2010 | College Physics I | 4 |
| PHYS 2020 | College Physics II | 4 |
| PHYS 2210 | Physics for Scientists and Engineers I | 4 |
| PHYS 2220 | Physics for Scientists and Engineers II | 4 |
Social Sciences
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete 3 credits: | ||
| ANTH 1010G | Social Cultural Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 1020 | Biological Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 1030G | World Prehistory | 3 |
| ANTH 1800G | Introduction to American Indian Studies | 3 |
| CJ 1010 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3 |
| COMM 1050 | Introduction to Communication | 3 |
| COMM 2110 | Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| COMM 2140 | Media Literacy | 3 |
| ECON 1010 | Economics as a Social Science | 3 |
| ECON 2010 | Principles of Economics I | 3 |
| ECON 2020 | Principles of Economics II | 3 |
| ENTR 2500 | Creativity and Entrepreneurial Thinking | 3 |
| ES 1150 | Introduction to Emergency and Disaster Management | 3 |
| FAMS 1150 | Marriage and Relationship Skills | 3 |
| FAMS 1500 | Human Development Life Span | 3 |
| FAMS 2400G | Contemporary Family Relation | 3 |
| FIN 1060 | Personal Finance | 3 |
| GEOG 1300G | Survey of World Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 1400G | Introduction to Human Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 2100 | Geography of the United States | 3 |
| HIST 1500G | World History to 1500 | 3 |
| HIST 1510G | World History from 1500 to the Present | 3 |
| HIST 1700/1700H | American History 1 | 3 |
| HIST 1740 | US Economic History 1 | 3 |
| HIST 2700/2700H | US History to 1877 1 | 3 |
| HIST 2710/2710H | US History since 1877 1 | 3 |
| HLSC 2600 | Drugs Behavior and Society | 3 |
| HLSC 2800 | Human Sexuality | 3 |
| MGMT 1010 | Introduction to Business | 3 |
| MGMT 2030 | Inclusive Leadership | 3 |
| PJST 2000 | Introduction to Peace and Justice Studies | 3 |
| POLS 1000 | American Heritage 1 | 3 |
| POLS 1010 | Introduction to Political Science | 3 |
| POLS 1100 | American National Government 1 | 3 |
| POLS 2100 | Introduction to International Relations | 3 |
| POLS 2200 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | 3 |
| PSY 1010/1010H | General Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 1100 | Human Development Life Span | 3 |
| PSY 2710 | Introduction to Brain and Behavior | 3 |
| PSY 2800 | Human Sexuality | 3 |
| SOC 1070G | Multicultural Societies | 3 |
| SOC 2600 | Sociology of the Family | 3 |
| TECH 2000G | Technology and Human Life | 3 |
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If not used as a Core Requirement.
Associate in Applied Science Degrees
These are the minimum General Education requirements for Associate of Applied Science degrees. Individual programs may require additional General Education coursework, as approved by the GE Committee, beyond these requirements. For specific requirements, students shall consult their academic department.
English Composition
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete one of the following for 3 credits: | ||
| ENGL 1010/1010H | Introduction to Academic Writing (Complete 3 credits:) | 3 |
| or ENGH 1005 | Literacies and Composition Across Contexts | |
Quantitative Literacy
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete one of the following for 3 or 4 credits: | ||
| MAT 1030/1035 | Quantitative Reasoning | 3 |
| MATH 1050/1055 | College Algebra | 4 |
| MATH 1090 | College Algebra for Business | 3 |
| STAT 1040/1045 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |