May 17, 2025

2021-2022 Academic Catalog

2021-2022 Academic Catalog [Archived Catalog]

General Education Core Curriculum

Mission

As required by the Louisiana Board of Regents, McNeese State University’s general education curriculum provides a foundation in communication, personal and professional development, and problem solving through coursework in six, broad disciplinary areas: English Composition, Mathematics/Analytical Reasoning, Natural Sciences, Humanities, Fine Arts, and Social/Behavioral Sciences. The mission of this core curriculum is to provide students with a foundation of knowledge, skills, and methods of inquiry that support advanced study in their chosen degree program and constitute the characteristics of an informed, college-educated citizen.

Institutional Mission Reference

The broad, skills-based curriculum supports the University’s mission to offer an array of programs with foundations in these disciplinary areas that serve the students and community of the Southwest Louisiana region and beyond.

Learning Competencies

Communication: Students will effectively use written, oral, and visual modes of communication.
Personal and Professional Development: Students will cultivate personal and professional development, laying the foundations for life-long learning.
Problem Solving: Students will apply diverse methods to answer questions and explore solutions to problems.

General Education Core Curriculum Guide

Area A: English Composition (6 credit hours)

To fulfill this requirement, students must complete both courses.

ENGL 101 - English Composition I Cr: 3
ENGL 102 - English Composition II Cr: 3

Area B: Mathematics/Analytical Reasoning (6 credit hours)

To fulfill this requirement, students must complete two courses as specified by individual degree programs.

MATH 105 - Contemporary Mathematics Cr: 3
MATH 113 - College Algebra Cr: 3
MATH 130 - Finite Mathematics Cr: 3
MATH 170 - Precalculus College Algebra Cr: 3
MATH 175 - Precalculus II Cr: 3
MATH 190 - Calculus I Cr: 4
MATH 291 - Calculus II Cr: 4
PHIL 102 - Critical Thinking Cr: 3
STAT 231 - Elementary Probability and Statistical Inference Cr: 3

Area C: Natural Sciences (9 credit hours)

To fulfill this requirement, students must complete three courses (9 credit hours) as specified by individual degree programs. Six credit hours shall be earned in a single life or physical science; the remaining 3 credit hours must be earned in a natural science area other than that previously selected (both life and physical sciences must be taken to fulfill this requirement).

Category: Life Sciences

BIOL 101 - Introduction to Biology I Cr: 3
BIOL 102 - Introduction to Biology II Cr: 3
BIOL 105 - Living World I Cr: 3
BIOL 106 - Living World II Cr: 3
BIOL 201 - Microbiology for Nursing and Allied Health Cr: 4
BIOL 225 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I Cr: 4
BIOL 226 - Human Anatomy and Physiology II Cr: 4
ENSC 101 - General Environmental Science I Cr: 3
ENSC 102 - General Environmental Science II Cr: 3

Area D: Humanities (9 credit hours)

To fulfill this requirement, students must complete three courses as specified by individual degree programs. All students must complete one English literature course, one history course, and one broad humanities or additional history course.

Category: English Literature (3 credit hours)

ENGL 201 - Survey of British Literature I Cr: 3
ENGL 202 - Survey of British Literature II Cr: 3
ENGL 203 - Introduction to Literature I Cr: 3
ENGL 204 - Introduction to Literature II Cr: 3
ENGL 204H - Introduction to Literature II, Honors Cr: 3
ENGL 221 - Classical Mythology Cr: 3

Category: History (3 credit hours)

HIST 101 - European History to 1648 Cr: 3
HIST 102 - European History since 1648 Cr: 3
HIST 121 - World Civilization to 1500 Cr: 3
HIST 122 - World Civilization since 1500 Cr: 3
HIST 200 - Comprehensive U.S. Survey Cr: 3
HIST 201 - American History to 1877 Cr: 3
HIST 202 - American History since 1877 Cr: 3

Category: Broad Humanities or Additional History (3 credit hours)

Sub-Category: Broad Humanities

COMM 105 - Introduction to Communication Strategies Cr: 3
COMM 201 - Fundamentals of Public Speaking Cr: 3
COMM 205 - Interpersonal Communication Cr: 3
PHIL 201 - Introduction to Philosophy Cr: 3
PHIL 251 - Biomedical Ethics and Decision Making Cr: 3
PHIL 252 - Ethics in the Sciences Cr: 3
PHIL 254 - Professional Ethics Cr: 3
WMST 201 - Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies Cr: 3

Sub-Category: Additional History

HIST 101 - European History to 1648 Cr: 3
HIST 102 - European History since 1648 Cr: 3
HIST 121 - World Civilization to 1500 Cr: 3
HIST 122 - World Civilization since 1500 Cr: 3
HIST 200 - Comprehensive U.S. Survey Cr: 3
HIST 201 - American History to 1877 Cr: 3
HIST 202 - American History since 1877 Cr: 3

Area E: Fine Arts (3 credit hours)

To fulfill this requirement, students must complete one course as specified by individual degree programs.

ART 101 - Basic Design I Cr: 3
ART 102 - Basic Design II Cr: 3
ART 105 - Art and the Computer Cr: 3
ART 228 - Photography, an Introduction Cr: 3
ART 245 - Visual Literacy: Clay and Form Cr: 3
ART 251 - Creative Arts, Culture, and Community Cr: 3
ART 261 - Art History: Ancient through Medieval Cr: 3
ART 262 - Art History: Renaissance to Modern Cr: 3
ARTS 151 - Exploring the Arts Cr: 3
MUSC 215 - Music Appreciation Cr: 3
MUSC 218 - Music in Today’s Societies Cr: 3
MUSC 253 - The History of Rock and Roll Cr: 3
THEA 161 - Theatre Arts Appreciation Cr: 3

Area F: Social/Behavioral Sciences (6 credit hours)

To fulfill this requirement, students must complete two courses as specified by individual degree programs.

ANTH 203 - Prehistory: Development of Culture and Origins of Society Cr: 3
CJUS 111 - Introduction to Criminal Justice Cr: 3
GEOG 111 - Introduction to Geography Cr: 3
GEOG 231 - Geographic Information Systems I: Map Analysis and Thematic Mapping Cr: 3
POLS 201 - American Government Cr: 3
POLS 240 - Introduction to Comparative Politics Cr: 3
PSYC 101 - Introduction to Psychology Cr: 3
PSYC 233 - Psychology of Human Development Cr: 3
PSYC 260 - Child Psychology Cr: 3
PSYC 261 - Adolescent Psychology Cr: 3
SOCL 201 - Introductory Sociology Cr: 3
SOCL 211 - Social Problems Cr: 3

Notes

General education curriculum requirements for associate degree programs include:

English Composition (6 credit hours)
Mathematics/Analytical Reasoning (3 credit hours)
Natural Sciences (6 credit hours)
Humanities (3 credit hours)
Fine Arts (3 credit hours)
Social/Behavioral Sciences (6 credit hours)

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