Academic Catalog

FGCU General Education Program (GEP) is about embracing the joys of learning that will sustain you in your life and career.  Each General Education course is an entry point for you to view the world through a different intellectual lens, expanding your understanding of the complexity of human experience and your role within a rapidly changing world.  General Education encourages a spirit of inquiry and creativity that integrates knowledge and approaches from multiple fields to enrich students’ academic lives, career trajectories, and personal growth. The skills that you will develop in these courses will allow you to become a more effective and responsible writer, thinker, and citizen.  The General Education experience will complement your major and prepare you to effect change in the world and adapt to the challenges of the future.

FGCU students complete 36 credits of GEP coursework within the following subject areas, including at least one State Core course in each area:

Communication
Mathematics
Humanities
Social Sciences
Natural Sciences

Across these subject areas, students develop skills within each of the following competencies:

Written Communication
Quantitative Reasoning
Human Expression and Society
Scientific Inquiry
Critical Thinking
Intercultural Knowledge

Approved courses and/or associated attributes, which can be used to search for courses in Gulfline and Degree Works, are listed below. A single course may be used to satisfy only one subject area requirement. Where applicable, courses taken to meet common prerequisites for a program may also be used to fulfill GEP requirements. All first-time-in-college students are expected to take ENC 1101 (Composition I) during their first semester at FGCU.

A transfer student who has successfully completed the general education requirements for any public university or community college in Florida prior to enrolling as a degree-seeking student at FGCU, and has this completion noted on their official transcript, shall be considered to have satisfied the GEP requirements at FGCU. All other transfer students are expected to complete the FGCU GEP requirements. Transfer students' transcripts will be evaluated to determine course equivalencies and fulfillment of FGCU GEP requirements.

General Education Program Subject Area Requirements

Students must earn a minimum grade of C in all courses used to satisfy general education Communication, Mathematics, State Core Humanities, State Core Social Sciences, and State Core Natural Sciences subject areas.

A grade of C- does not satisfy the requirement of a minimum grade of C.

Communication Subject Area – 6 credits (GECO Attribute)
English composition courses develop students' communication skills in written formats; this includes reading critically as well as writing clearly in a variety of styles.

State Core: ENC 1101 Composition I*† minimum grade of C
University Requirement: ENC 1102 Composition II minimum grade of C

*Any general education course with an ENC prefix for which ENC 1101 is an immediate prerequisite may be used to satisfy the state communication core.

†Pursuant to Florida Statute 1007.25, students earning a "C" or better in ENC 1101 or a general education core course for which ENC 1101 is a prerequisite will be awarded a “Fundamentals of Written Communication” digital badge.

Mathematics Subject Area – 6 credits (GEMA, GEST Attributes)

Mathematics and statistics courses give students competence in quantitative methods and an understanding of how those methods are used to describe and analyze the natural and social world. These courses also give students exposure to the theories and practice of mathematics, and to the unique nature of mathematical knowledge.

State Core: 3 credits of MAC 1105; MAC 2311; MGF 1130; STA 2023† minimum grade of C
University Requirement: 3 credits of STA 2023 Statistical Methods; STA 2037 Statistics with Calculus; STA 2122 Social Science Statistics (if STA 2023 or STA 2037 or STA 2122 met in State Core, 3 credits of GEMA or GEST Attribute) minimum grade of C

†Any general education mathematics course for which one of the general education core course options in mathematics is an immediate prerequisite may be used to satisfy the state mathematics core.

Humanities Subject Area – 9 credits (GEHM Attribute)
Humanities courses include the disciplines of literature, philosophy, religion, and the fine arts. Students gain an understanding of the aesthetic dimension of human experience and learn how people have given creative interpretations to events from differing perspectives. Students learn the methods, suppositions, and theories of the chosen areas of study.

State Core: 3 credits of ARH 2000; HUM 1020; LIT 2000; MUL 2010; PHI 1010; THE 2000 minimum grade of C
University Requirement: 6 credits of GEHM Attribute

Social Sciences Subject Area – 6 credits (GESO Attribute)
Social sciences courses include the disciplines of history, economics, anthropology, sociology, geography, political science, and psychology. Students gain an understanding of historical and socio-cultural perspectives and a sense of the evolution of societies and the various modes of interaction among peoples of the world.

State Core: 3 credits of AMH 2010; AMH 2020; ANT 2000; ECO 2013; POS 2041; PSY 2012; minimum grade of C
University Requirement: 3 credits of GESO Attribute

Natural Sciences Subject Area – 6 credits (GENC, GENA, GENL Attributes)
Natural sciences courses include the disciplines of biology, chemistry, geology, environmental studies, marine science, and physics. Students gain an understanding of the theories, principles, and practices of the natural sciences and address the relationship of science to the modern world.

State Core: 3 credits of AST 2002; BSC 1005; BSC 1010; BSC 1085; CHM 1020; CHM 1045; ESC 1000; EVR 1001; GLY 1010; OCE 1001; PHY 2020; PHY 2048; PHY 2053‡ minimum grade of C
University Requirement: 3 credits of GENA or GENC Attribute; students must earn at least 1 credit in a course with a lab component (GENC or GENL).

‡Any general education natural sciences course for which one of the general education core course options in natural sciences is an immediate prerequisite may be used to satisfy the state natural sciences core.

Social or Natural Sciences Subject Areas – 3 credits minimum (GESO, GENL, GENC, GENA Attributes)

3 credits of GESO; GENC; GENA; GENL Attributes (maximum 1 credit of GENL)

General Education Program Competency Requirements

(Note: Competency requirements are embedded throughout General Education courses and are not in addition to subject-area requirements. Courses fulfilling a competency requirement will also count toward the subject area-requirements.)

Written Communication Competency (WCOM Attribute)
Writing effectively, with attention to audience, purpose, and style, is an important skill for success in any college major and any career.

Quantitative Reasoning Competency (QUAN Attribute)
Quantitative reasoning involves applying mathematics skills to solve real-world problems.

Human Expression and Society Competency (HEAS Attribute)
Effective citizenship requires an understanding of how people express complex ideas and the ways that expression can be influenced by social and historical factors.  

Scientific Inquiry Competency (SCIQ Attribute)
Understanding how scientific knowledge is developed and communicated is preparation for leadership and innovation in the face of unknown challenges of the future. 

Critical Thinking Competency – (CRIT Attribute)
Critical thinking happens when we carefully explore ideas, issues, and problems in our effort to draw conclusions and build new knowledge.

Intercultural Knowledge Competency – 6 credits minimum (INKN Attribute)
An appreciation for our own and others’ diverse ways of interpreting and engaging with the world is essential for success in a global society.