General Education Requirements at Indiana University Bloomington
The General Education curriculum at Indiana University Bloomington is intended to ensure that, through the Common Ground requirements, all undergraduates at IUB develop the essential skills of English composition and mathematical modeling, and are exposed to the vast wealth of course offerings the IU Bloomington has to offer in arts and humanities, social and historical studies, natural and mathematical sciences, and world languages and cultures. The GenEd Curriculum also includes Shared Goals of intensive writing experience, information fluency, an understanding of diversity in the U.S., and other enriching educational experiences. The Common Ground requirements are the same for all undergraduate students pursuing a baccalaureate degree, regardless of their school or academic unit. Shared Goals are implemented by the schools in ways that complement their degree programs.
The Common Ground
All undergraduate students who matriculate as degree-seeking students at IU Bloomington in or after first summer session 2011 will be required to complete the following General Education Common Ground requirements prior to graduation.
1. Foundations: English Composition
Students must successfully complete, with a grade of C– or higher, one of the following courses:
CMLT-C 110 Writing the World (3 cr.)
ENG-W 131 Elementary Composition (3 cr.)
ENG-W 170 Introduction to Argumentative Writing: Projects in Reading and Writing,
(3 cr.— this topic only)
English Composition course characteristics are available here.
2. Foundations: Mathematical Modeling
Students must successfully complete one of the following courses
(or the MATH-D 116–D 117 sequence):
MATH-D 116 and D 117 Introduction to Finite Mathematics I and II (2 cr. + 2 cr.)1
MATH-J 113 Introduction to Calculus with Applications (3 cr.)
MATH-M 118 Finite Mathematics (3 cr.)
MATH-V 118 Finite Mathematics with Applications: Finite Mathematics for the Social
and Biological Sciences (3 cr.)
MATH-V 118 Finite Mathematics with Applications: Finite and Consumer Math (3 cr.)
MATH-S 118 Honors Finite Mathematics (3 cr.)
MATH-M 119 Brief Survey of Calculus I (3 cr.)
MATH-M 211 Calculus I (4 cr.)
MATH-M 213 Accelerated Calculus (4 cr.)
1 Note: MATH-D 116–D 117 is a two-course sequence. Credit is not given for D 116 until D 116 is completed with a minimum grade of C– and D 117 is completed with a passing grade.
Mathematical Modeling course characteristics are available here.
3. Breadth of Inquiry: Arts & Humanities
Students must successfully complete at least two courses, for a total of at least 6 cr., from the list of GenEd-approved A&H courses.
Arts & Humanities course characteristics are available here.
4. Breadth of Inquiry: Social & Historical Studies
Students must successfully complete at least two courses, for a total of at least 6 cr., from the list of GenEd-approved S&H courses.
Social & Historical Studies course characteristics are available here.
5. Breadth of Inquiry: Natural & Mathematical Sciences
Students must successfully complete one of the following two options:
At least two courses, for a total of at least 5 cr., from the list of GenEd-approved N&M courses. At least one of these courses must be a natural science course (as indicated by an asterisk* in the course listing).
One of the following 5 cr. GenEd-approved N&M courses with a substantial lab component:
ANAT-A 215 Basic Human Anatomy
BIOL-L 100 Humans and the Biological World
CHEM-C 103 Introduction to Chemical Principles
CHEM-C 117 Principles of Chemistry and Biochemistry
PHSL-P 215 Basic Human Physiology
PHYS-P 201 General Physics I
PHYS-P 202 General Physics II
Note: A course used to satisfy the Mathematical Modeling Foundations requirement will not also count toward the Breadth of Inquiry Natural and Mathematical Sciences requirement.
Natural & Mathematical Sciences course characteristics are available here.
6. World Languages & Cultures
Students must successfully complete one of the following three options:
Students must successfully complete the study of a single GenEd-approved world language through the second semester of the second-year level of college-level course work. International students whose native language is not English may fulfill the foreign language requirement through demonstrated proficiency in their native languages, in accordance with the practice and policies of the College of Arts and Sciences.
At the discretion of departments offering the relevant world language courses, and with permission of the appropriate College of Arts and Sciences academic dean, exemptions for approved courses may be earned by satisfactory performance on departmentally approved examinations.
For a list of GenEd-approved World Language courses, click here.
World Culture Courses
Students must successfully complete at least two courses, for a total of at least 6 cr., from the list of GenEd-approved World Culture courses.
To satisfy the International Experience option, students must complete an approved study abroad program or approved study abroad internship of at least six credit hours and at least six weeks abroad in duration (or a combination of programs totaling 6 credit hours; if a combination of programs is chosen, the international experiences must, at a minimum, be three weeks abroad in duration, and the student must earn at least 3 credit hours from the program for it to count as half of the 6-credit-hour requirement.) The language of instruction of these programs may be English or another world language, and the site of instruction may be any country except the United States. The following options are available, although certain prerequisites and conditions apply to some programs. In all cases, the programs will have been pre-approved for credit by the Overseas Study Advisory Council (1–3 below) or the Office of International Admissions (4 below):
1. IU-administered programs
2. IU co-sponsored programs
3. IU autonomous programs
4. Non–IU programs that have been approved in advance by the Office of International Admissions via approval of the Credit Transfer Agreement Form.
For information about opportunities for studying abroad, see the Web site of the IU Overseas Study Program.
World Languages and Cultures course characteristics are available here.
A minimum of 6 credit hours of the IU Bloomington General Education Common Ground curriculum must be completed in residence at Indiana University Bloomington.
Unless otherwise explicitly stated, a grade of D– or higher is sufficient for successful completion of a course in the General Education Common Ground curriculum.
In order to apply toward the General Education Common Ground requirements, a course must be GenEd-approved for the semester in which the course is taken.
Courses in which a student earns a grade of “P” (i.e., Pass) will not count toward fulfillment of Common Ground requirements.
For additional information on General Education policies, click here.
Each degree program should be designed in such a way that students are provided opportunities to experience these additional aspects of an undergraduate education:
- Intensive Writing
- Information Fluency
- Diversity in the United States
- Enriching Educational Experiences (service learning, internship, capstone project, student teaching, independent research/creative activity program, an approved study abroad experience, honors thesis, show, recital, performance)
For more information on Shared Goals, click here.