General Education Requirements
NOTE: The general education program will undergo significant changes in the 1998-1999 academic year. See the information about pilot courses for the new University-wide General Education Structure.
Jump down to:
- Introduction
- College-Specific General Education Requirements
- Composition/Writing Requirements:
- Mathematics Requirements -- Mathematics Readiness Test
General education programs provide breadth of knowledge as a balance and complement to the depth provided by the major. General education is designed to accomplish several goals: First, to afford students the opportunity to learn how different disciplines define, acquire and organize knowledge; second, to enhance understanding of the reciprocal influences of Western and non-Western cultures; third, to provide a basis for an examination of values; fourth to develop analytic, synthetic, linguistic and computational skills useful for lifelong learning; and finally, to provide a common foundation for wide-ranging dialogue with peers on issues of significance. Taken together, the experiences of general education encourage the student to develop a critical and inquiring attitude, an appreciation of complexity and ambiguity, a tolerance for and empathy with persons of different backgrounds or values and a deepened sense of one's own self. In short, the goal of the general education program is to prepare students to respond more fully and effectively to an increasingly complex world.
College-Specific General Education Requirements
General education requirements vary across colleges and departments. However, all general education programs at The University of Arizona share a common structure. Each requires courses in basic skills and competencies, including freshman composition, as well as courses in particular study areas, such as biological and physical sciences, arts and literature, social sciences, and traditions and cultures. Some colleges have Second Language requirements, as well. For college-specific general education requirements and courses view the 1997-1998 Academic Program Requirements Reports (APRR's) for your college and degree.
Composition/Writing Requirements
General Information
The University of Arizona has long regarded sound training in writing as indispensable to the academic development of an educated person; clear, intelligent writing is a skill required of all university graduates. First-year Composition, the Upper-Division Writing Proficiency Examination, and a writing-emphasis course are required of all students.
First-Year Composition
(Policy updated 12/05/03: Added options for transfer students)
All students working toward degrees must meet the first-year composition requirement by completing one of the following sequences: ENGL 100-101-102, ENGL 101-102, ENGL 103H-104H, ENGL 106-107-108, ENGL 107-108, ENGL 109H. There is no exemption from the first-year composition requirement; any substitutes must be approved by the Director of Composition, Department of English. The first-year composition requirement may not be satisfied by correspondence work.
Placement in first-year composition takes into account the student's performance on two examinations: (1) A written placement essay administered at the time a student first registers for a course in composition, (2) the English section of the American College Test (ACT) or the verbal score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Both of these examinations require fees. Students with superior ratings based on the above examinations enroll initially in ENGL 103H; students whose scores indicate a need for more extensive instruction in writing initially enroll in ENGL 100 and pass this course before they enroll in ENGL 101.
International students write a placement essay and submit a score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language. Students whose scores indicate a need for more extensive instruction in writing initially enroll in ENGL 106 and pass this course before they enroll in ENGL 107. Students who earn a score of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Exam administered by the College Board, or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the International Baccalaureate Examination have the option of enrolling in ENGL 109H and satisfying the requirement in one semester.
Transfer students who are admitted with 56 transferable units or who have earned a previous bachelor's degree from another institution may satisfy the English Composition requirement by submitting to the Writing Program coordinator, Modern Languages Building, Room 380, one of the following for consideration:
- A catalog course description or syllabus for 2 transferable composition/writing courses that do not fulfill another UA degree requirement.
- A portfolio of 3 - 4 writing samples (an adequate sample consists of 15 - 20 pages illustrating an analytical, argumentative, or critical response to a text) from courses completed at the transfer institution.
- A catalog course description for 1 transferable composition/writing course that is not used to satisfy another degree requirement, in addition to a portfolio of writing samples (see above).
Upon approval by the Writing Program coordinator of 2 transferable composition/writing courses or portfolio of writing samples, the first-year English Composition requirement will be satisfied. All questions about first-year composition should be directed to:
Modern Languages 380
The University of Arizona
P.O. Box 210067
Tucson, AZ 85721-0067
Phone: (520) 621-5976The Upper-Division Writing-Proficiency Examination
Every student must take the Upper-Division Writing-Proficiency Examination, which is a prerequisite to enrolling in a writing-emphasis course (see below). Students may take the exam after they have satisfied the first-year composition requirement and accumulated at least 40 but less than 75 credit hours toward their degree. Students who have accumulated more than 75 credit hours should take the Upper-Division Writing-Proficiency Examination as soon as possible. Students register for the exam with the University Composition Board (Modern Languages 380). Students must have taken the Upper-Division Writing-Proficiency Examination before their application for Bachelor's Degree Candidacy will be accepted.
The examination may be taken only once. Results are reported to students and to their major departments. Students who earn an evaluation of unsatisfactory on the exam usually are required by their department to complete further work in composition before registering for writing-emphasis courses. They should consult with their academic advisors for specific information about their department's requirements.
Writing-Emphasis Courses
Every undergraduate degree program includes at least one required writing-emphasis course. Writing-emphasis courses are regular junior or senior level courses in an academic discipline in which at least half the grade awarded is determined by written work appropriate to the academic discipline. Such courses are identified with the phrase "writing-emphasis course" at the end of the course description . Prerequisite to a writing-emphasis course is satisfactory performance on the Upper-Division Writing-Proficiency Examination or, in the case of students whose papers are evaluated as unsatisfactory on the examination, further developmental work in writing, as prescribed by an academic advisor.
Mathematics Requirements
Mathematics Readiness Test
Prior to taking any mathematics course below the level of 125b at The University of Arizona, students must take the math readiness test. The test is administered by the Testing Office in Old Main 223 (621-7589) and the results are valid for one year. Students without University Credit in the prerequisites for 116, 117R, 117S, 118, 119, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125a will be required to have an appropriate score on the math readiness test to be enrolled in those courses.