General Education at EKU

GENERAL EDUCATION is the part of a liberal education curriculum that is shared by all students. It provides broad learning in liberal arts and science disciplines and forms the basis for developing important intellectual, civic, and practical capacities.

76% of employers would recommend this kind of education to college-bound students.
Source: Association of American Colleges & Universities

The mission of general education is to promote learning that is central to the intellectual pursuits associated with our educational programs and to enable students to make informed choices about matters of public and personal significance in a democratic society and global community. The general education program helps students to become informed, independent thinkers by developing competencies in communication, quantitative analysis, and critical thinking by helping them understand and appreciate cultures, individuals, the natural environment, and the global society. Courses that are used to satisfy the program’s Major Requirements cannot also be used to satisfy General Education requirements.

University General Education Committee (UGEC) meetings: UGEC meetings take place on the first Thursday of each month of the fall and spring semesters. These meetings are open to the campus community for informational purposes; only members are allowed to speak during meetings. If you would like to observe an upcoming meeting, please email one of the committee co-chairs (Erin Presley or J.P. Stearns) to obtain the Zoom link.

CRITERIA for COURSES by Element. In which element does my course fit? 

Course Approval Process for General Education – Revised May 2025

  • Contact the General Education Committee Co-Chairs to discuss whether/where course fits in GE Program and for help with SLOs, assessment, and paperwork
  • Prepare a curriculum proposal form
  • Prepare a GE Application (Found on the GE webpage)
  • Prepare a syllabus (University Syllabus Policy attached to GE webpage)
  • Send proposal to the General Education Committee Co-Chairs for preliminary review before submitting to curriculum committees for official review and approvals
  • Consult the annual CAA Curriculum Procedures and the Academic Curriculum policies, which typically involve obtaining approvals in this order:
  • Department
  • College
  • General Education Committee
  • Council for Academic Affairs
  • The General Education course assessment process will continue to have a two-year cycle.
  • 2024-2025 is the Data Collection Year. All General Education courses are required to administer an integrated GE/QEP assessment activity during either Fall 2024 or Spring 2025 for data analysis and interpretation.
  • 2025-2026 is the Implementation Year. All General Education courses are required to implement a student learning improvement based on the analysis of results for each competency.
  • Submit by February 1, 2026: A completed STAR for GE Courses (all sections).
  • Submit completed STAR reports here

General Education Assessment Resources:

Related Resources