The General Education Program in CLAS

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

Rhetoric 4-8 s.h. according to placement Foreign Language Fourth-level proficiency Interpretation of Literature Minimum of 3 s.h. Social Sciences Minimum of 3 s.h. Historical Perspectives Minimum of 3 s.h. Humanities Minimum of 3 s.h. Natural Sciences Minimum of 7 s.h. with at least one lab Former CLAS GE Requirements Quantitative or Formal Reasoning Minimum of 3 s.h. Distributed Area Minimum 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 Requirements Communication 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.

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