Concord’s Core of General Education
General Studies
ALL STUDENTS must complete a minimum of 128 semester hours to receive a baccalaureate degree, regardless of their field of specialization, and among these must be the minimum 49 semester hours prescribed in the Program of General Studies.
General education is an essential element in an educational process designed around student learning expectations and the attainment of the skills, knowledge, and attitudes. At Concord University the Program of General Studies is a coherent series of courses that emphasizes the common learning of a shared body of knowledge, the development of intellectual skills, and an appreciation of the diverse social and cultural values and institutions that make up the modern world. Through studies in these basic liberal arts and sciences, students gain a foundation for specialized studies, are equipped with the tools and skills necessary to pursue further learning, and acquire an understanding of the modes of inquiry and the ways of knowing.
Although general education continues throughout the full four years, students will take most of the Program of General Studies in their first two years. This makes it possible to explore programs and fields of specialization without adding much, if any, time to complete the degree.
The Program of General Studies is described on the following pages. Some courses are absolute requirements; others allow academic choices.
Written and Oral Communications (6-12 hours)
1. The first course(s) in English for entering freshmen will be ENGL 090, Fundamentals of Composition and Grammar (3); ENGL 101, Composition and Rhetoric (3); or ENGL 102, Composition and Rhetoric (3). Initial placement in ENGL 090, 101, or 102 is determined by the student’s score on the English section of the Enhanced ACT, SAT, or ASSET test or, in some instances, by writing samples.* The following score ranges on the Enhanced ACT serve as a guide for determining comparable ranges on other tests. Contact the Office of Admissions for further information.
a. A student who scores below 18 or who has no scores at the time of enrollment will be placed in English 090.
b. A student who scores between 18 and 24 will be eligible for initial placement in English 101. However, if a writing sample indicates a need for more basic instruction, the student will be transferred to English 090.
c. A student who scores above 24 will be eligible for placement in English 102 if, in the judgment of at least two English faculty members, the student’s writing demonstrates adequate mastery of the skills taught in English 101.
*In special circumstances, students whose writing ability appears to be inappropriate for the type of freshman-level course in which they are enrolled may be transferred to a different course within two weeks after classes begin should two of three faculty members concur with the instructor of the course.
Note: A minimum grade of C is required in ENGL 090, 101, and 102. These courses must be taken in the entering semester and continued each semester until satisfactorily completed.
2. In oral communication, students will complete CART 101, Fundamentals of Speech (3). Teacher education majors are referred to the section on Admission to Teacher Education (page 79 for additional requirements.
Literature (6 hours)
Non-English majors will complete ENGL 203, World Literature I (3) and ENGL 204, World Literature II (3); or they may substitute three Special Topics Mini-courses (1, 1, 1) for either ENGL 203 or ENGL 204 (not both), as indicated below:
•Two or more courses with identical course numbers cannot be used for substitution purposes (example: only one ENGL 203A can be used).
•ENGL 203A courses may be used toward substitution for ENGL 203.
•ENGL 204A courses may be used toward substitution for ENGL 204.
•ENGL 207A courses may be used toward substitution for either ENGL 203 or 204.
NOTE: Both ENGL 203 and 204 are required for B.A. English and B.S. Education, English/Language Arts majors.
The Arts (6 hours)
Students must choose two of three courses: ART 101, Introduction to the Visual Arts (3); MUS 101, Introduction to Music (3); or CART 102, Introduction to the Theatre (3).
The Social Sciences (12 hours)
Students must select four courses with at least three disciplines represented, or three courses from the social sciences and one course from business.
Therefore, no more than two courses may be taken in the same discipline and be counted toward meeting the general studies requirement.
Students pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Education degree must take three hours of history. Students pursuing the Bachelor of Science with the Elementary content specialization must take six hours of history. (These six hours should be chosen from the 101-102 courses, since they are prerequisite to all other history courses.)
Geography: GEOG 101, Principles of World Cultural Geography (3); GEOG 200, Principles of Physical Geography (3); GEOG 250, Regional Studies Geography (3).
History: HIST 101-102, History of Civilization(3). In certain instances, other history courses may be substituted, if the 101-102 prerequisite is waived with the consent of the instructor.
Political Science: POSC 101, Introduction to Political Science (3); POSC 104, American Federal Government (3).
Philosophy: PHIL 101-102, History of Ideas (3, 3).
Psychology: PSY 101, General Psychology (3); PSY 200, Basic Learning (3).
Sociology: SOC 101, People and Their Social Environment (3); SOC 310, Cultural Anthropology (3).
Business (3 hours)
Students may select one course from Business to fulfill three hours of the Social Sciences requirement, above: ECON 201 or ECON 202, Principles of Macroeconomics (3) or Principles of Microeconomics (3).
Natural Sciences and Mathematics (14-15 hours)
1. Students will complete one college level course offered by the Department of Mathematics for at least three semester hours.
2. Students will complete two four-hour laboratory science courses offered by the Department of Physical Sciences (GEOL, CHEM, PHYS, PHSC) or the Department of Biology (BIOL) for eight semester hours.
3. Students will complete an additional four-hour laboratory sciencecourse from BIOL, CHEM, GEOL, PHYS, PHSC; or Natural Science 300C-D(3); or MATH 105, Elementary Statistics (3); or MATH 201, Introduction to Computer Programming I (3). Teacher education majors are referred to the section on Admission to Teacher Education (page 79) for additional requirements.
Note: Biology 201, Ecology and Field Methods, cannot be used to satisfy a General Studies science requirement.
Physical Education (2 hours)
Students will complete P ED 101M, Personal Wellness (2).
Foreign Languages (6 hours)
Students may use six hours of one foreign language in place of any two courses in the General Studies Program, except that there are no substitutes for English 101-102 or the General Studies mathematics requirement. The foreign language can be used to substitute for no more than one General Studies offering in each Division offering General Studies courses.
•Students with no high school credit in the language being taken may substitute 101 and 102 credit in that language for two courses in General Studies. Both 101 and 102 must be passed before General Studies credit can be given.
•Students with one year of high school credit in the language being taken may take 101 in that language for credit but may not substitute 101 for a General Studies course. They may take any courses above 101 for credit and substitution for up to two courses in General Studies.
•Students with two or more years of high school credit in the language being taken may take 101 or 102 of that language for credit but may not substitute for General Studies courses. They may take 201 and/or 202 for credit and may substitute for one or two General Studies courses.
Honors Course
Any student enrolled in the Honors Program may elect to substitute the 400 level capstone course for any General Studies course not required in his or her program, except that there is no substitute permitted for English 101-102, or the General Studies mathematics requirement.
Remedial Courses (0-10 hours)
Students admitted provisionally or who do not achieve adequate scores on entrance examinations may be required to complete one or more of the following courses:
1. College 090, Introduction to College, (1). Assists Concord University freshmen in making the transition to Concord’s academic life and the campus community through identification and skillful use of the many resources available to them. (Non-graduation credit)
2. English 090, Fundamentals of Composition and Grammar (3).
See Written and Oral Communications on pages 52 for further details.
(Non-graduation credit)
3 Mathematics 090, Basic Mathematics and/or Mathematics 091, Basic Algebra. (3) See course descriptions on page 155. (Non-graduation credit)
READING: Students scoring 17 or above on the reading section of the Enhanced ACT, 340 or above on the verbal section of the SAT, 36 or above on the reading skills test of the ASSET, or 30 percentile or above on the Nelson-Denny Reading Test will be considered to have met minimal reading skill requirements. It is recommended that students not meeting this standard complete a developmental course in reading Education 090 and/or 091.