Undergraduate General Education

Undergraduate General Education Requirements

At the University of St. Francis, learning is a lifelong process aimed at the development of the whole human person. To achieve this, university programs, particularly undergraduate education is rooted in the liberal arts, which introduce students to various areas of knowledge and the modes of inquiry associated with them.
 
Upon graduation, a USF student in the undergraduate programs should possess the following attributes:

  • A sense of ethics and values reflecting USF’s Catholic Franciscan foundation.
  • Mastery of the chosen discipline.
  • Active participation as a citizen of a diverse democracy and pluralistic world.
  • Ability to communicate complex ideas in written and oral form that foster continued pursuit of knowledge and independent thought.
  • Intellectual agility and ability to adapt and manage change, including the ability to translate knowledge into action and to solve problems.

Undergraduate students must fulfill the following general education course requirements to meet the goals of the liberal arts foundation of learning:

Literacy:

  • One course in oral communication
  • Two courses in college writing

Literary Inquiry and Aesthetic Awareness:

  • One course in literary inquiry
  • One course in aesthetic awareness
  • One course in foreign language, history, creative arts, or literature

Numerical Understanding and Scientific Inquiry:

  • One course in numerical understanding (at a minimum level of Introduction to Statistics)
  • One course in scientific inquiry
  • One course in numerical understanding (above Intermediate Algebra) scientific inquiry, or computer science

Historical Understanding:

  • One course in historical understanding

Social Awareness:

  • Two approved courses (each from a different discipline) in psychology, economics, sociology, political science, or recreation administration

Philosophical Inquiry:

  • Two courses including a component in ethical understanding

Religious Foundations:

  • Two courses

For more specific information

Check the USF Catalog