General Education Component
Statement of Purpose
The University of North Alabama educates students in an environment of discovery and creative accomplishment. Integral to this endeavor is the UNA General Education Program, which consists of carefully selected courses in written composition; humanities and fine arts; natural sciences and mathematics; and history, social, and behavioral sciences. All courses in the General Education Program are broad in scope, present major intellectual or aesthetic ideas, and are not specialized or vocational in purpose. In addition, they encourage students to consider the subject matter in its relation to their disciplines and its application to human concerns in a dynamic world. More particularly, the General Education Program is essential to students’ attainment of the following seven Core Competencies at UNA:
- Information Literacy: the ability to identify, access, evaluate, and integrate information from diverse sources for purposeful application.
- Critical Thinking: the ability to analyze, synthesize, interpret, evaluate, and reflect, both qualitatively and quantitatively to reach informed conclusions.
- Effective Communication: the ability to write and speak professionally and to comprehend complex material.
- Scientific Literacy: the ability to understand mathematical and scientific concepts as they relate to the natural world and technology.
- Aesthetic Awareness and Creativity: the ability to understand the role of the arts throughout history and to engage in activities that engender creative solutions.
- Cross-cultural and Global Perspective: the ability to understand characteristics and interactions of cultures throughout the world and within the United States.
- Informed Citizenship: the ability to understand how historical, economic, political, social, geographic, and scientific constructs develop, persist, and change.
To achieve these goals, General Education Program courses present the essential characteristics and basic processes of inquiry and analysis in the discipline, encourage the development of critical thinking and communication skills, and require students to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate knowledge. This broad intellectual experience, common to all students earning baccalaureate degrees from the University, provides a foundation for success in the major programs and assures that graduates possess a breadth of knowledge and competencies necessary for success in their careers; for participation in the civic life of their community, state, and nation; and for an ability to continue the process of learning throughout their lifetimes.
The General Education Program is fully compatible with the Alabama Articulation and General Studies Committee (AGSC) agreement, and UNA welcomes transfer students who have completed all or part of the General Education Program in other institutions whose courses are compatible with those at UNA. The University credits general education courses approved by the AGSC to the areas of the General Education Program for which they have received AGSC approval.
Individual academic programs at UNA may require specific courses in the General Education Program, and students should refer to each major for specified course requirements for Areas I-IV.
For the Bachelor of Science Degree
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Area I. Written Composition | 6 | |
| Select one six hour sequence from the following: | ||
| First-Year Composition I and First Year Composition II | ||
| First-Year Composition Honors I and First-Year Composition Honors II | ||
| Area II. Humanities and Fine Arts | 12 | |
| Select three hours from an oral communication course: | ||
| Fundamentals of Speech | ||
| Select three hours from one of the following fine arts courses: | ||
| Art Appreciation | ||
| Art History Survey I 1 | ||
| Art History Survey II 1 | ||
| Cinema Appreciation | ||
| Creative Writing Appreciation | ||
| Music Appreciation | ||
| Survey of Music Literature 1 | ||
| Theatre Appreciation | ||
| Select one six semester hour sequence from the following OR three semester hours of a literature course and three semester hours of a humanities course. | ||
| Survey of British Literature and Survey of British Literature | ||
| American Literature through Whitman and American Literature from Whitman to the Present | ||
| Literature of the World I and Literature of the World II | ||
| Select three semester hours from the following humanities courses IF a literature sequence is not taken: | ||
| Introduction to Language 1 | ||
| Introductory French | ||
| Introductory French | ||
| Intermediate French | ||
| Intermediate French | ||
| Introductory German | ||
| Introductory German | ||
| Intermediate German | ||
| Intermediate German | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Ethics | ||
| Business Ethics | ||
| World Religions | ||
| Old Testament Introduction | ||
| New Testament Introductions | ||
| Introductory Spanish | ||
| Introductory Spanish | ||
| Intermediate Spanish | ||
| Intermediate Spanish | ||
| Area III. Natural Sciences and Mathematics | 11 | |
| Select three hours from the following: | ||
| Finite Mathematics | ||
| Mathematical Reasoning for the Arts 1 | ||
| College Algebra | ||
| College Trigonometry | ||
| Pre-Calculus Algebra and Trigonometry | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| Calculus II | ||
| Elementary Statistics 1 | ||
| Calculus III | ||
| Linear Algebra | ||
| Applied Differential Equations I | ||
| Select eight semester hours from the following: | ||
| Introductory Biology | ||
| Human Biology | ||
| Principles of Biology | ||
| Principles of Biology | ||
| Introductory Chemistry | ||
| Introductory Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry | ||
| Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry Laboratory | ||
| General Chemistry | ||
| General Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| General Chemistry | ||
| General Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Earth Science/Physical Geology | ||
| Honors Earth Science/Physical Geology | ||
| Historical Geology | ||
| Earth Science/Earth Systems | ||
| Sustainable Earth | ||
| Climate Change 1 | ||
| Environmental Systems | ||
| Physical Geography: Weather and Climate | ||
| Physical Geography-Landforms | ||
| Interactive Physics | ||
| Introductory Physics | ||
| Descriptive Astronomy | ||
| General Physics I | ||
| General Physics II | ||
| Technical Physics I | ||
| Technical Physics II | ||
| Area IV. History, Social and Behavioral Sciences 2 | 12 | |
| Select one six semester hour sequence from the following: | ||
| Survey of World Civilization to 1500 and Survey of World Civilization since 1500 | ||
| United States History to 1877 and United States History since 1877 | ||
| Select six semester hours from the following: | ||
| Communication in a Global Age | ||
| Principles of Macroeconomics | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics | ||
| Human Growth and Development | ||
| Introduction to Global Studies | ||
| Introduction to Global Studies - Honors | ||
| Global Perspectives through Study Abroad | ||
| Introduction to Latin American Studies | ||
| Global Environments and Societies | ||
| People, Place, and Culture | ||
| Child Development | ||
| Essentials of Healthy Living 1 | ||
| Foundations of Health 1 | ||
| Digital Literacy 1 | ||
| Music in World Cultures | ||
| United States Government and Politics | ||
| Global Politics and Society | ||
| General Psychology | ||
| Socio-Cultural Perspectives on Diversity | ||
| Introductory Sociology | ||
| Current Social Problems | ||
| Socio-Cultural Perspectives on Diversity | ||
| Leisure in Contemporary Life 1 | ||
| Area V 3 | ||
| The Area V courses are listed on the UNA website 2 | ||
| Total Hours | 41 | |
- 1
Course may not transfer for general education program credit.
- 2
Transfer students from an Alabama institution who have completed a literature sequence are not required to take a history sequence. They must take at least 3 hours of history and the remaining 9 hours for the Area IV requirement from either history or social science courses, with no more than 6 hours coming from history courses.
- 3
At http://www.una.edu/areav/. Click on the link to your chosen major, print the Area V Page, and then attach it to your STARS Transfer Guide. Together, these two documents comprise your STARS Articulation Agreement. When you meet with an admissions counselor or advisor at UNA, be sure to bring both your Transfer Guide and the corresponding UNA Area V Page.
For the Bachelor of Arts Degree
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Areas I-IV | ||
| Same as for the Bachelor of Science degree | 41 | |
| Area V | ||
| Required foreign language at the introductory level (101, 102) 1 | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 47 | |
- 1
Additional general requirements for UNA students are the same as required for the Bachelor of Science degree.
- 2
For degree requirements where an Honors course is offered that uses the same course number or title as the regular course, (e.g., EN111 or EN111H) the Honors course automatically fulfills the general education component degree requirement.