General Education Requirements

All students, regardless of their chosen major, will satisfy a common set of requirements called the “general education” requirements. The general education requirements at Holy Names University are designed to assure that students attain proficiency in the skills that identify an educated person as well as sufficient breadth of knowledge to appreciate and contribute to a complex and rapidly changing world. At Holy Names University, a liberal arts education includes study in the humanities, the natural sciences, mathematics, the social sciences, and the arts. The curriculum ensures that each student receives an understanding of the natural world, philosophical inquiry and traditions, literature, religion and spirituality, historical and political processes, the human person in society, technology, a language other than English, cultural diversity, and creative expression in the fine and performing arts. Each course can be used to meet only one general education requirement.

Summary of General Education Requirements

Foundation in Critical Thinking and Communication:
1. Written Communication (2 courses - 6 units)
  These courses must be completed with a minimum grade of C-.
2. Oral Communication (1 course - 3 units)
3. Mathematical Reasoning (1 course - 3 units)
Disciplinary Courses:
1. Religious Studies (1 course - 3 units)
2. Literature, Philosophy (1 course - 3 units)
3. Physical Sciences with Lab (1 course with lab - 3 units)
  BSN students who have taken at least 6 units of science have fulfilled the General Education Science Requirement. For ABD students, only one the science courses must have a laboratory component.
4. Biological Sciences with Lab (1 course with lab - 3 units)
  BSN students who have taken at least 6 units of science have fulfilled the General Education Science Requirement. For ABD students, only one the science courses must have a laboratory component.
5. Social Sciences (1 course - 3 units)
6. Fine and Performing Arts (1 course - 3 units)
7. Foreign Language/Linguistics (1 course - 3 units)
  Three or more years of one foreign language in high school (with grade of C- or better each term) as reflected on an official high school transcript.
  Students whose native language is other than English may fulfill this requirement by providing appropriate documentation of their ability to read, write, and speak their native language at a level at least equivalent to second-semester college study. This information should be submitted as part of the admission process or within the first term of study at Holy Names.
Interdisciplinary Studies:
1. All FOUR Integrative Studies Across Cultures courses
  - Students seeking the BS or the BSN choose only ONE
  - Transfer students with 60+ transferable units complete only 2 courses; with 90+ transferable units, they complete 1 course. ABD students with 50+ transferable units complete only 2 courses.
  - Concurrent enrollment in or completion of ENGL 1A or ESLG 24B is required for all students taking the courses for lower-division credit; completion of ENGL 1B is required of all students taking the courses for upper-division credit.
2. Senior Colloquium
Writing Across the Curriculum:
1. Minimum 3 courses designated as (W) courses
2. Transfer students with 60+ transferable units complete only 2 courses; with 90+ transferable units, they complete 1 course.

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General Education Requirements