Degree Requirements, Graduation, and Commencement
The General Education Program is the academic cornerstone of St. Francis College and affirms its mission to graduate educated, well-rounded students to enter and participate in a changing and culturally diverse world.
As an integrated program of studies, it focuses on developing the skills expected of a liberally educated person. It provides students with a broadly based foundation outside their areas of specialization, an understanding of how various disciplines intersect and differ, and assistance in cultivating a disposition for lifelong learning.
| GENERAL PROFICIENCY OUTCOMES |
| Sensitivity to creative expression |
| Communicate ideas and information through written, oral, visual and digital media |
| The development of critical and analytical skills |
| Exploration of diverse perspectives of the human experience |
| Information, technology and media literacy |
| Quantitative literacy |
Download a chart summarizing requirements for:
General Education Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for Traditional Baccalaureate Degrees
Foundation Courses- First Year College (FYC; 18 credits minimum)
To ensure refinement of basic reasoning and cognitive skills needed for successful completion of a college program, the general education program requires 18 credits in foundational courses targeting student learning outcomes (SLOs) in writing; quantitative reasoning; oral communications; information, technology, and media literacy; fitness or health; religious studies; and the Freshman Seminar. Every student must take 1 course in each of the areas listed below:
- Writing WRI 1: Proficiency in various modes of written expression and research
- Quantitative Reasoning QR1: Interpret and communicate mathematical concepts in verbal, numerical, graphical and symbolic forms
- Oral Communications OC1: Proficiency in oral communications in public settings
- Fitness or Health FH1: Create and apply a personal lifetime fitness and health strategy
OR FH2: Apply health science content to prevent disease or disability and restore or maintain health - Information, Technology and Media Literacy ITML1: Ability to recognize when information is needed and to locate, to evaluate, and effectively use and communicate information applying appropriate technologies
- Religious Studies RS1: Recognize the diversity and complexity of religious traditions
- Freshman Seminar FS1: Develop academic learning and life skills incorporating campus and community citizenship
General Education Program: First Year College & Bodies of Knowledge
| STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOME | DEGREE: ASSOCIATES, NURSING COMPLETION (BS, NUR) AND BS PROFESSIONAL STUDIES | TRADITIONAL BACCALAUREATE DEGREES |
| First-Year College:
Writing (WR) | (One course in each First Year Category) | (One course in each First Year Category) 18 |
| Bodies of Knowledge:
Humanistic & Creative Expression (HCE) | (One course in each Body of Knowledge) | (Two courses in each Body of Knowledge) |
Minimum credits | 33 | 48 |
Bodies of Knowledge (BoK; 15 or 30 credits minimum - determined by degree program)
A selection of courses across five broad areas of inquiry, designated as Bodies of Knowledge (BoK). The BoKs align with the College’s mission and the General Education proficiency outcomes allowing students the flexibility to gain breadth and depth in disciplines both within and to complement their chosen degree program(s). All students are required to take a total of 10 unique courses, two from each of the five Bodies of Knowledge listed below:
HUMANISTIC AND CREATIVE EXPRESSION (HCE)
General Student Learning Outcome (SLO):
An appreciation of form, function and aesthetics in creative expression.
NATURAL AND PHYSICAL WORLD (NPW)
General Student Learning Outcome (SLO):
Observation and analysis of the basic principles that underlie scientific reasoning and discovery.
PHILOSOPHICAL, ETHICAL AND MORAL DIMENSIONS (PEM)
General Student Learning Outcome (SLO):
Demonstrate philosophical reflection on intelligence, value and social life.
SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN EXPERIENCE (SEH)
General Student Learning Outcome (SLO):
Understanding how economic, political, and social institutions/systems, as well as individuals, serve as a basis of society.
WORLD HERITAGE AND GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES (WHG)
General Student Learning Outcome (SLO):
Focus on historical and social elements of culture as well as contemporary issues related to society, polities and belief systems.
Please check Self-Service and speak with your academic advisor about selecting courses offered in the General Education program. It is also important to refer to your program evaluation and the College’s course catalogue.
Some academic majors require specific General Education courses within their curriculum. Not all courses are offered in each academic term.